Papers of William Bentley, 1783-1815

ArchivalResource

Papers of William Bentley, 1783-1815

Papers of William Bentley, 1783-1815

http://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hua21011/catalog

William Bentley (1759-1819) was a Unitarian clergyman in Salem, Mass., a journalist for the and the a book and coin collector, and a scholar. Bentley served as the minister of the East Church in Salem from 1784 until his death in 1819, and was a prominent presence both in Salem and in the larger intellectual community. This collection contains a selection of correspondence sent to Bentley between 1783 and 1815, primarily by his friend and fellow Harvard alumnus, James Winthrop (1752-1821). The letters from Winthrop typically reflect Winthrop's research interests, his and Bentley's mutual interest in books and numismatics, and offer sporadic information about political and local events. The collection offers a resource for studying the informational channels among New England intellectuals in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and reflect Bentley's efforts to use correspondence to locate political, scientific, and literary information, engage in debate, participate in the book trade, and collect content for his newspaper columns. Salem Gazette Essex Register,

.27 cubic feet; (1 half-legal document box and 1 folder)

Harvard University Archives.