Overview
Thomas Foxcroft (1696/7-1769) was minister of the First Church of Boston from 1717 until his death in 1769. He attended Harvard College as an undergraduate from 1710 to 1714 and studied a curriculum that emphasized Latin and Greek studies, and public discourse and syllogistic debate. The papers of Thomas Foxcroft consist of thin paper notebooks of theses and Latin lessons kept by Foxcroft while an undergraduate at Harvard College, as well as a Commencement thesis, and the salutatory and valedictory orations composed by Foxcroft for the July 7, 1714 Harvard Commencement ceremonies, where he graduated first in his class. The documents are written almost completely in Latin.
Dates
- Creation: 1686 - 1837
Researcher Access
The Papers of Thomas Foxcroft are open for research.
Copying Restriction
Copying of fragile materials may be limited.
Extent
.21 cubic feet (1 half document box)The papers of Thomas Foxcroft are arranged in two series containing student notebooks and Commencement orations. The collection consists of thin paper notebooks of theses and Latin lessons kept by Foxcroft while an undergraduate at Harvard College, as well as a Commencement thesis, and the salutatory and valedictory orations composed by Foxcroft for the July 7, 1714 Harvard Commencement ceremonies, where he graduated first in his class. The documents are written almost completely in Latin.
Biographical Note
Thomas Foxcroft (1696/7-1769), minister of the First Church of Boston, was born on February 26, 1696/7. He attended Harvard College as an undergraduate from 1710 to 1714 and studied a curriculum that emphasized Latin and Greek studies, and public discourse and syllogistic debate. Foxcroft graduated first in his class and delivered Salutatory Oration at the 1714 Commencement. After receiving an AB from Harvard, Foxcroft went on to receive an AM in 1717. He was ordained as a minister of the First Church of Boston on November 20, 1717, whereupon he became an ex-officio member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. Though Foxcroft was severely affected by a paralytic shock in 1736, he served as a minister until his death and was a public opponent of Arminianism. Foxcroft delivered the annual Dudleian lecture at Harvard College on May 13, 1761. Foxcroft died on June 18, 1769.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
- Student notebooks, 1710-1714
- Commencement orations, 1714
Acquisition information
The collection was acquired in 1953 from the B. Tighe purchase.
Online access
All of the papers have been digitized and are available online. Links accompany detailed descriptions.
References
- Shipton, Clifford K. Biographical Sketches of those who attended Harvard College in the classes of 1713-1721. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1942.
General note
This document last updated 2018 November 26.
Processing Information
The material was first classified and described in the Harvard University Archives shelflist prior to 1980 as individual items. The material was re-processed in 2011 as the papers of Thomas Foxcroft and assigned the call number HUM 68. A list of superceded call numbers is available at the end of the finding aid. Re-processing involved a collection survey, re-housing in appropriate archival folders and boxes, and the creation of this finding aid.
This finding aid was created by Diann Benti in January 2011.
Preservation and description of the papers of Thomas Foxcroft was supported by the Arcadia-funded project Harvard in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.
- Title
- Foxcroft, Thomas, 1697-1769. Papers of Thomas Foxcroft, 1710-1714: an inventory
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua06011
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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