The Winslow Papers AD 1776 - 1826 (by Download)
Cat No.: CA0081-DL: File Size 74.7 MB:
Rev. W. O. Raymond (Editor)
A long description but well deserved by this gem of our collection. One look at the state of the original will tell you how well it has been used. Fortunately the inside is in wonderful condition so this edition is eminently readable.
This book has been described as, One of the richest collections of loyalist materials known to exist. Even its own preface says it ... will be found to contain the largest and most important collection of public and private papers relative to the early history of the maritime provinces ...
The Winslow family in North America descended from Edward Winslow who, together with his young wife, came to America as one of the Mayflower pilgrims. He helped to established the colony of Plymouth in 1620 and then became its first Governor. The earliest papers in this collection date from 1776 when his great grandson (also named Edward) was a man of some importance in Plymouth. Many of these early letters recount the private and public experiences of Mr. Winslow as a loyalist living through the revolutionary war. This tumult ultimately resulted in his leaving Plymouth to settle in Nova Scotia, by way of Halifax, in 1783.
Once established in the Maritimes Edward once again assumed duties as a community leader and was instrumental in making preparations for the mass emigration of the loyalists to British North America. And this is just the beginning. The Winslows continued to take a prominent part in public life eventually playing an important role in the establishment of the province of New Brunswick. The latest papers published in this collection date from 1826, a span of 50 years. Altogether there are some 650 documents in this published collection originating from some 170 different persons. There are also 15 wonderful illustrations and a page containing facsimiles of 60 contemporary autographs including that of Brig. Gen'l Benedict Arnold - the traitor amongst a host of other well recognized names.
Greatly adding to the value of this as a historical document are the many personal touches in the letters concerning the ordinary and domestic subjects, like the return of a coat and the inquiries after the health of various friends and relations. These help to make it a living record, not just another list of historical events. Amongst the subject discussed will be found relationships with the indigenous, native peoples (Indians) and the administration and governance of the various groups of military and militia. There are even a number of lists of members of various military groups, a valuable resource for early military history historians.
And as if all this wasn't enough the original editor of the collection, Rev. W. O. Raymond M. A., has added extensive and invaluable footnotes which help us to understand the background and context of the letters. In many cases these footnotes are complete, miniature, biographies of the individuals named in the letters.
Although Rev W. O. Raymond included an extensive 16 page index in the original New Brunswick Historical Society publication it was still found necessary, in the 1960's, to draft and publish a separate index to get the best benefit from the book. You won't need any extra index with this file! Our publication makes the Winslow papers computer searchable for the first time. Our unique publication technique allows you to view an image of the original pages and still have the ability to search for every occurrence for your search term, be it a person, event, or a place. Possibly the most accessible publication of this rare and valuable Atlantic Provinces historical record ever.
- Sorry, due to taxation issues, we cannot DOWNLOAD digital products to European Community (EU) Countries.
Delivery of physical products (CDs) IS STILL AVAILABLE see CA0081 for the CD version of this product.
No. of CDs is: 0 ; Format is: PDF ; Searchable?: YES;
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