Manuscripts

Colonial boundary disputes collection

Description: A collection of nine documents concerning the New Hampshire Grants assembled by John Adams for his report on the boundary disputes commissioned by the Massachusetts General Court in March 1774. Included are copies of the act of the Privy Council settling the dispute between Samuel Waldo and David Dunbar (approximately 1735) and the Instruction of George II to Benning Wentworth (approximately 1740); also present is a letter to the editor of The New Hampshire Gazette responding to "the political piece in your Gazette of 5th Current upon the subject of the aggrieved and injured settlers of the towns granted by your Governor to the west of the Connecticut river." Some items are in John Adams's hand, including copies of documents endorsed as "Charles Phelps's State of his Case" and "New York Claim."
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1735-1774
Call number: mssHM 8970-8978
Provenance: Purchased from Anderson Galleries, Henry F. De Puy sale, part 1; Sale 1440, Lot 8, November 17, 1919.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Associated people: Adams, John, (1735-1826.); George (1683-1760.)
Associated organizations: Great Britain.; Massachusetts.
Find out more: View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab); View in the Online Archive of California(Opens in new tab)

Colonial boundary disputes collection

Manuscripts

A collection of nine documents concerning the "New Hampshire Grants" assembled by John Adams for his report on the boundary disputes commissioned by the Massachusetts General Court on March 1774. Included are copies of the act of the Privy Council settling the dispute between Samuel Waldo and David Dunbar (approximately 1735) and the Instruction of George II to Benning Wentworth (approximately 1740); also present is a letter to the editor of The New Hampshire Gazette responding to "the political piece in your Gazette of 5th Current upon the subject of the aggrieved and injured settlers of the towns granted by your Governor to the west of the Connecticut river." Some items are in John Adams's hand, including copies of documents endorsed as "Charles Phelps's State of his Case" and "New York Claim."

mssHM 8970-8978

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Benning Wentworth letter to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun

Manuscripts

Enclosures: Benning Wentworth true state of the military force within His Majesty's Province of New Hampshire (LO 1432); Benning Wentworth state of His Majesty's Fort William and Mary and the batteries theren depending on the Island of Newcastle in the province of New Hampshire (LO 1660).

LO 1431

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Benning Wentworth letter to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun

Manuscripts

Enclosures: New Hampshire General Assembly House of Representatives letter to Benning Wentworth, 1758 February 18 (LO 5618); New Hampshire report, 1756 October 14 (LO 2022).

LO 5660

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Copy of a Plan returned by His Maj'tys Com'rs. for settling the Boundarys between the Provinces of New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay, along with the said Com'rs. Judgement of 2. Sept. 1737

Visual Materials

Kashnor notes, "No other copy is recorded. This was evidently transmitted by the people of New Hampshire in support of their claims before the King in Council. The map is really associated with the history of the State of Vermont, for when the King established the boundary between Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1740, the new commission of Governor Benning Wentworth extended his jurisdiction westward until it met the boundaries of other provinces, and in this way he extended his boundary westward to Lake Champlain. In 1749 the Governor made the grant of the town of Bennington, and in a few years grants of other townships, which became known as the New Hampshire Grants. In 1763 the Rev. Samuel Peters assembled with some of the settlers on Mt. Pisgah, broke a bottle of spirits with them, and christened the country Verd Mont. In the same year, Governor Colden, of New York, claimed the land held under Wentworth's grants, and issued counter-grants of the same land. He was ordered by the King to stop this, but it was the people who held the grants from Wentworth, who made the New York agents seek a more peaceful locality. The history of the case is well written by Ethan Allen. Whether this map was transmitted in 1740 or 1763, when the troubles started, is uncertain, but it is most probable that it was sent over in the latter year, for the map formerly belonged to General Amherst." Kashnor dates as ca. 1740. MS note: 105 1005 (on matting). Relief: no. Graphic Scale: Miles. Projection: Plane. Printing Process: Copper engraving. Verso Text: MS text: A copy of the plan, returned by the Kings Comm'rs who were appointed to settle the Boundarys between the Massachusetts Bay & New Hampshire. .

105:1005 M

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Exemplification of His Majesty's appointment of commissioners for settling the boundary dispute between New York and New Jersey

Manuscripts

With great seal of the Province of New York appended. On verso: notice of the day set by the Commissioners for holding the first joint meeting in the City of New York.

mssHM 638

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Manitoba school question collection

Manuscripts

This collection deals with the legal case resulting from the Manitoba School Case, 1894; Sir Charles Fitzpatrick carried the appeal to the Privy Council. The case centered on whether or not each Canadian province should maintain the cost of separate Catholic schools. The collection includes Fitzpatrick's personal correspondence, printed reports, memorandum, copies of legislative bills, and pamphlets (HM 82894 (2-11)); there is also a separate large volume of clippings, bills, House of Commons Debates, etc. (1536 pages, HM 82894 (1)).

mssHM 82894 (1-11)

Colonial boundary disputes collection

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Colonial boundary disputes collection

Benning Wentworth letter to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun

Benning Wentworth letter to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun

Copy of a Plan returned by His Maj'tys Com'rs. for settling the Boundarys between the Provinces of New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay, along with the said Com'rs. Judgement of 2. Sept. 1737

Exemplification of His Majesty's appointment of commissioners for settling the boundary dispute between New York and New Jersey

Manitoba school question collection