Samuel Adams Papers (Library of Congress)

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Outline view: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009099
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Samuel Adams Papers

A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Brian McGuire

Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

Washington, D.C.

2009

Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2009

Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009099

Title: Samuel Adams Papers
Span Dates: 1635-1826
ID No.: MSS10223
Creator: Adams, Samuel, 1722-1803
Extent: 2,500 items; 19 containers; 3.8 linear feet
Language: Collection material in English
Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Continental congressman and governor of Massachusetts. Reproductions of correspondence, speeches, petitions, committee records, and other material relating primarily to Adams’s political life in Massachusetts.

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

Personal Names
Adams, John, 1735-1826--Correspondence.
Adams, Samuel, 1722-1803.
Burgoyne, John, 1722-1792--Correspondence.
Gadsden, Christopher, 1724-1805--Correspondence.
Gates, Horatio, 1728-1806--Correspondence.
Gerry, Elbridge, 1744-1814--Correspondence.
Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786--Correspondence.
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826--Correspondence.
Lee, Arthur, 1740-1792--Correspondence.
Lee, Richard Henry, 1732-1794--Correspondence.
Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809--Correspondence.
Warren, James, 1726-1808--Correspondence.

Locations
Massachusetts--Politics and government--18th century.

Occupations
Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress--Massachusetts.
Governors--Massachusetts.

Administrative Information

Provenance:

The papers of Samuel Adams, continental congressman and governor of Massachusetts, were given to the Library of Congress by James B. Wilbur in 1926.

Processing History:

The collection was housed and described prior to 1950. The finding aid was revised in 2009.

Other Repositories:

The originals of this collection are held by the New York Public Library, New York, N.Y.

Copyright Status:

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Samuel Adams is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Access and Restrictions

The papers of Samuel Adams are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site, and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Preferred Citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Samuel Adams Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note

Date	Event
1722, Sept. 27	Born, Boston, Mass.
1740	Graduated, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
1743	M.A., Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
1756-1764	Brewer and tax collector, Boston, Mass.
1765-1774	Member, Massachusetts general court
1774-1781	Member, Continental Congress
1776	Signer of the Declaration of Independence
1779	Member, Massachusetts state constitutional convention
1781	President, Massachusetts state senate
1788	Member, Massachusetts state constitutional convention Unsuccessful candidate for election to the first U.S. Congress
1789-1794	Lieutenant governor of Massachusetts
1794-1797	Governor of Massachusetts
1803, Oct. 2	Died, Boston, Mass.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Samuel Adams (1722-1803) span the years 1635-1826 and consist of reproductions of originals in the New York Public Library documenting Adams’s political career in Massachusetts and some family matters. Included is correspondence, speeches, petitions, committee records, public documents relating to Massachusetts, and pseudonymous articles submitted to Boston newspapers and attributed to Samuel Adams. A considerable amount of material does not pertain directly to Adams, either as writer or recipient.

Notable correspondents or individuals represented in the collection include John Adams, John Burgoyne, Christopher Gadsden, Horatio Gates, Elbridge Gerry, Nathanael Greene, Thomas Jefferson, Arthur Lee, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Paine, and James Warren.

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Container List

Container	Contents


BOX 1	1635, Oct.-1769, Feb. 1

BOX 2	1769, Feb. 13-1770, Dec. 31

BOX 3	1771, Jan. 1-1773, Feb. 15

BOX 4	1773, Jan. 6-1774, Jan. 8

BOX 5	1774, Jan. 25-June 6

BOX 6	1774, June 30-1775, Jan. 19

BOX 7	1775, Jan. 29-Dec. 9

BOX 8	1775, Dec. 19-1776, May 31

BOX 9	1776, June 2-Dec. 31

BOX 10	1777, Jan. 1-Dec. 22

BOX 11	1778, Jan. 1-Aug. 25

BOX 12	1778, Sept. 1-1779, Mar. 31

BOX 13	1779, Apr. 1-Dec. 24

BOX 14	1780, Jan. 4-Dec. 31

BOX 15	1781, Jan. 8-1782, Nov. 21

BOX 16	1783, Jan. 29-Dec. 22

BOX 17	1784, Jan. 30-1787, Dec. 3

BOX 18	1788, June 5-1793, Nov. 30

BOX 19	1794, Jan, 17-1826, Jan.9, undated

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