Miscellaneous papers concerning Rhode Island College, 1763-1804.

  1. Resources
  2. View Resource

ArchivalResource

Miscellaneous papers concerning Rhode Island College, 1763-1804.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122546037

Consists of minutes, reports, correspondence, a charter, lists of subscribers, lists of members of the corporation, accounts, and library catalogs, dating from 1763 to 1804. The collection documents the grant from the General Assembly and the Governor of the Colony of R.I. for the establishment of a college, first located in Warren, R.I., in 1764, and then moved to Providence in 1770; the early history of the College's Corporation; the appropriation of financial support; students; the college library; and the impact of the Revolution on the College. The College was governed by a Corporation of two boards, Fellows and Trustees, each comprised of specific numbers of members from various Protestant denominations. However, there were no religious requirments for students and in 1770 the Corporation expressly stated that Jewish students would be admitted to the College. Stephen Hopkins was Chancellor of the College from 1764 to 1785; Jabez Bowen was Chancellor from 1785 to 1815. James Manning was President of the College from 1765 to 1791; Jonathan Maxcy served as the second President from 1792 to 1802. Collecting financial support for the College was of major concern for the Corporation and money was usually raised through subscriptions. Baptist clergy, including Morgan Edwards, who traveled to Great Britain, and Hezekiah Smith in Ga. and S.C., solicted subscriptions on behalf of the college. The competition between R.I. towns, especially Newport and Providence, for the final location of the college is documented in the collection. Members of the Brown family (Nicholas, Joseph, John, and Moses) were instrumental in the the 1770 decision to locate the College in Providence and were responsible for building the college edifice. Nicholas Brown (1769-1841) gave a $5000 endowment in 1804 and the College was subsequently named Brown University. The development of the college library is documented through orders for books, letters related to the donation of books,and library catalogs. Student conduct, admissions, commencements, tuition, and fees for commons and boarding are documented through the Corporation minutes and correspondence. During the Revolution the College was closed. The college edifice was used as a barracks for American troops from 1776 to 1780 and was a hospital for French militia from 1786 to 1792. After the war, the College sought compensation from Congress for the damages done during the occupation. A speech given by George Washington at the College on Aug. 19, 1790, is in the collection.

350 items (.8 linear ft.).

Brown University Archives, John Hay Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6758138

Related Entities

There are 12 Entities related to this resource.

Manning, James, 1738-1791

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6wn25t1 (person)

James Manning (October 22, 1738 – July 29, 1791) was an American Baptist minister, educator and legislator from Providence, Rhode Island. He was the first president of Brown University and one of its most involved founders, and served as minister of the First Baptist Church in America. Born in Elizabethtown in the Province of New Jersey (now Elizabeth, New Jersey), he attended the Hopewell Academy in Hopewell, New Jersey under the direction of Reverend Isaac Eaton in preparation for his relig...

Hopkins, Stephen, 1707-1785

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67t8dr4 (person)

Stephen Hopkins (March 7, 1707 – July 13, 1785), a Founding Father of the United States, was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, a chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence. As a child, Hopkins was a voracious reader, becoming a serious student of the sciences, mathematics, and literature. He became a surveyor and astronomer and was involved in taking measurements during the...

Brown, Nicholas, 1769-1841

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cc32nh (person)

Edwards, Morgan, 1722-1795

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pc3zw6 (person)

Rhode Island College (1764-1804)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w61p2788 (corporateBody)

Founded as Rhode Island College in 1763; the college name was changed to Brown University in 1804. From the description of Miscellaneous papers concerning Rhode Island College, 1763-1804. (Brown University). WorldCat record id: 122546037 ...

Maxcy, Jonathan, 1768-1820

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67h33jq (person)

President of Rhode Island College. From the description of Letter, 1800. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 39522003 First president of S.C. College, Columbia, S.C., 1804-1820; graduate, Rhode Island College, 1787; president, Brown University, 1792-1802; president, Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.), 1802-1804; licensed to preach, 1790, and ordained, 1791; son of Levi Maxcy and Ruth Newell Maxcy; husband of Susannah Hopkins; grandfather of Confederate General Maxc...

Smith, Hezekiah, 1737-1805

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62z18d5 (person)

Baptist clergyman, chaplain in the Continental Army, and educator. From the description of Papers of Hezekiah Smith, 1762-1805. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71068973 Baptist minister. From the description of Papers, 1758-1804. (Andover Newton Theological School). WorldCat record id: 11941623 ...

Brown, Nicholas, 1729-1791.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zp7v1v (person)

Brown, Moses, 1738-1863.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m93xd6 (person)

Bowen, Jabez, 1739-1815

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ns4fvr (person)

Rhode Island College (1764-1804). Corporation.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6w730z0 (corporateBody)

Washington, George, 1732-1799

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6r31qfk (person)

George Washington (b. Feb. 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Va.-d. Dec. 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, VA) was the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. Washington came from a family of farmers and landowners. He had little education but showed an aptitude for mathematics. He used this talent to become a surveyor. At 15, Washington took a job as assistant surveyor on a team sent to map the Shenandoah Valley in western Virginia. In his early 20s, Washington joined the Virgin...