Mather family collection, 1645-1726

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Summary

Creators:
Mather Family : (Massachusetts Miscellaneous information: Mather, Richard, 1596-1669 :.)
Abstract:
Papers belonging to the New England Puritan Mather family.
Extent:
2.40 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Mather family collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection of letters and manuscripts of Richard, Increase, and Cotton Mather. The collection incorporates various items acquired between 1905 and 1927 and has been assembled at the Library. The collection includes two manuscripts of Richard Mather: "An exhortation to our Countrymen of Lancashire, by Richard Mather and William Thompson," and 64th and 65th lectures. Increase Mather's manuscripts include a notebook containing observations on the matter of Henry Palmer and the church in Haverhill, Massachusetts, "An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences," a fragment of a sermon, and an address "To the Inhabitants of Boston at their Publick Meeting," signed by Cotton Mather and Benjamin Colman. Cotton Mather's manuscripts include his sermon and notes for a sermon, a list of marriages performed, and a presentation inscription to Ebenezer Bradshaw and George Hughes, apparently cut out from the flyleaf of a volume. There are Increase and Cotton Mather's letters to Sir William Ashurst, treasurer and governor of the New England Company, the chartered company that established the Massachusetts Bay colony. There are also five letters by Increase Mather, 1712 to 1718 and 14 letters by Cotton Mather, 1712 to 1718.

Biographical / historical:

The Mathers were a prominent New England Puritan family. Richard Mather (1596-1669), immigrated to New England in 1635, having been suspended for non-conformity; he served as a pastor in Dorchester until his death. One of his sons was Increase Mather (1639-1723), the first Massachusetts- born president of Harvard College and the father of Cotton Mather (1663-1728), pastor of the Second Church of Boston. Increase and Cotton Mather, known primarily for their role in the Salem witch trials, played an important role in Massachusetts colonial administration and were prolific and highly influential preachers and theologians.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Robert Dodd, George D. Smith, Anderson Galleries, Wilberforce Eames, J.B. Leamont, George P. Marsh, and William K. Bixby, 1905-1927.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff. In 2020, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series: 1. Correspondence and manuscripts; 2. Sermons and notes.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Mather family collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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