Overview
Adams Sherman Hill (1833-1910) was Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory and head of the Deaprtment of English at Harvard from 1876 to 1904. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty in 1872, Hill was a journalist serving as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Chicago, New York, and Washington. The Papers of Adams Sherman Hill, 1849-1860, consist of Hill's diary, correspondence, and other records documenting Hill's studies at Harvard and his early career as a journalist.
Dates
- Creation: 1849-1860, 1886
Creator
- Hill, Adams Sherman, 1833-1910 (Person)
Researcher access
The Papers of Adams Sherman Hill are open for research.
Extent
0.35 cubic feet (3 pamphlet binders, 1 legal half document box)The Papers of Adams Sherman Hill, 1849-1860, 1886, consist of Hill's diary, correspondence, and other records documenting Hill's studies at Harvard and his early career as a journalist. Hill's diary details his freshman year at Harvard and also includes some early drafts of political journalism, letters, and grades. The collection also contains Hill's Harvard College bills from 1851 to 1853. Hill's correspondence dating from 1856 to 1856 includes letters to "Hamilton", likely his brother Hamilton A. Hill, Elbridge Jefferson Cutler, and Mr. Dana.
Biographical note on Adams Sherman Hill
Adams Sherman Hill (1833-1910) was Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory and head of the Department of English at Harvard from 1876 to 1904. Born in Boston, Mass. in 1833, Hill graduated from Harvard College in 1853. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1855. Following his studies at Harvard, Hill was a journalist serving as a correspondent and editor in New York, Washington, and Chicago.
In 1872, Hill was named an assistant professor of rhetoric at Harvard. He became Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory in 1876, a position he held until his retirement in 1904. Hill also served as head of the Department of English from 1876 until 1904. While at Harvard, Hill developed a curriculum for first-year students focused on English composition which became a model for colleges and universities across the United States.
Hill's most influential work, Principles of Rhetoric and Their Application, was first published in 1878 and remained in print until 1923. Other noted works by Hill include Our English (1888) and The Foundations of Rhetoric (1892).
Hill married Caroline Inches Dehon circa 1869; the couple had three children. Hill died on December 25, 1910.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series:
- General folder, 1886 (HUG 1451.500)
- Diary as Harvard Freshman, January 1849-February 1850 (HUG 1451.502)
- Miscellaneous letters and other papers (HUG 1451.505)
- Correspondence and Harvard College bills, 1851-1860 (HUG 1451.506)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Specific acquisition information, when available, is noted at the series level.
- Purchased from Henry C. Hallowell, June 10, 1976; accession 07872.
- Purchased from A.F. Machemer, Decmber 5, 1978; accession 08540.
Inventory update
This document last updated 2022 April 22.
Processing Information
This finding aid was created by Jennifer Pelose in April 2021. Information in this finding aid was assembled from legacy paper inventories and container management data.
The collection was not re-examined by the archivist.
Creator
- Hill, Adams Sherman, 1833-1910 (Person)
- Title
- Hill, Adams Sherman, 1833-1910. Papers of Adams Sherman Hill, 1849-1860, 1886 : an inventory
- Author
- Harvard University Archives
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua32021
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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