Vertical file collection on Massachusetts town records
Overview
The Vertical file collection on Massachusetts town records consists of unbound manuscripts, including material on town meetings and committees, property development, taxation, victualling soldiers, and the Overseers of the Poor, dated 1635-1877.
Dates
- Creation: 1635-1877
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information regarding access procedures.
Extent
.25 linear feetThe Vertical file collection on Massachusetts town records consists of unbound manuscripts, including material on town meetings and committees, property development, taxation, victualling soldiers, and the Overseers of the Poor, dated 1635-1877.
The copies of town records may have been contemporary and were attested by a succession of Boston town clerks, including William Griggs (elected 1697) Joseph Prout (elected 1701), Samuel Gerrish (1715-1741; Harvard AB 1733), who was town clerk 1734 until his death, and Ezekiel Goldthwait (1710-1782), elected in 1741. The documents also were attested by Isaac Addington (1645-1719), the Suffolk County register of deeds from 1672 to 1690; John Ballantine (1674-1735; Harvard AB 1694), a clerk in the Court of Common Pleas from 1714 to 1734 and county register in 1715-1716; and John Joyliffe, who became town recorder in 1668. However, the records also may have been copied from 17th and 18th century town records at a later date.
Physical Location
MANU
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Vertical file on Massachusetts town records was received by Baker Library Special Collections as a donation from Charles H. Taylor.
Note regarding Manuscript Vertical Files
The Vertical file collection on Massachusetts town records is part of the Manuscript Vertical File Collection at Baker Library. The Manuscript Vertical Files are arranged and cataloged using Baker Library's Classification of Business Literature, first published in 1937. Under this scheme, materials are assigned codes based on industry or occupation, then further subdivided by subjects. The Manuscript Vertical Files comprise various formats such as correspondence, printed ephemera, government records, legal instruments, financial records, and personal papers. Industries covered by the collection include Financial Services, Shipping, Foreign Marketing, Retail Selling, and Land Transportation.
Processing Information
Processed: March 2019
By: Brooke McManus
Preservation and description of 17th and 18th century material in this collection were supported by the Colonial North American Project at Harvard University.
Processing Information
In 2019 during the Colonial North America at Harvard Library Project, certain Manuscript Vertical Files containing 17th and 18th century materials were cataloged and rehoused. In some cases, multiple vertical files were combined in one finding aid based on industry code, determined by Baker Library’s Classification of Business Literature. Although intellectually arranged in one location, these files may be dispersed throughout the Manuscript Vertical Files. The records created during this project do not reflect the entirety of the material available in the Manuscript Vertical Files. For a detailed inventory, contact the repository.
- Title
- Vertical file collection on Massachusetts town records, 1635-1877: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00862
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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