Source Institution Profiles

American Antiquarian Society

185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609-1634. The manuscript library has two collections relevant to the American Revolution: The United States Revolution Collection, 1754-1928, and the Orderly Books Collection, 1758-1813. The AAS has one of the largest collections of orderly books, many of which are available on microfilm. Reference numbers cited are from a catalog obtained from the Society. The Society can be reached online.

American Philosophical Society

Independence Mall East, 104 South Fifth Street, Philadlphia, PA. The first learned society in the United States. The Library's collection supports research in the history of science, medicine and technology. The Library has information available online

Boston Athenaeum

10-1/2 Beacon Street, Boston, MA. An independent library founded in 1807. Information is available online.

Boston Public Library

l700 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston, MA 02117. Information is available online.

J.C. Brown Library

The John Carter Brown Library, Box 1894, Providence, RI 02912, is an independently administered and funded center for advanced research in history and the humanities, located at Brown University since 1901. The John Carter Brown Library can be reached online .

Cayuga Museum of History and Art

203 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY 13021. Primarily a museum, but does have some orderly books. Further information is available online.

Charleston Library Society

The Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401 . Some information is available online.

Clark University Library

950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610. Information on the library and it's collections is available online.

Clements Library

The William L. Clements Library, 909 South University Avenue, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190. Located on the central campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the William L. Clements Library houses original resources for the study of American history and culture from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries, including remarkably important Revolutionary War collections. The Clements Library is available online.

Concord Free Public Library

129 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742 . Additional information is available online.

Connecticut HS

The Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth Street at Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. A non-profit museum, library, and education center, The Connecticut Historical Society collects, preserves and interprets the history of the diverse people—past and present—who have made Connecticut their home. Their "American Revolution Collection" conveniently presents their holdings of orderly books, journals, and papers via seven reels of microfilm. A fine selection can be found published in Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, VII, 1899. The Society has an excellent website.

Connecticut State Library

The Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. The principal library for all branches of the state government. It provides information, reference service, and research resources to state employees and to the general public. It maintains major collections in law, public administration and policy, and Connecticut-related history and genealogy. Online Information.

Cornell University Library

The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, 2B Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. An extensive collection of maps and other items relating to the Revolutionary War. More informatiuon is available online.

Danvers HS

The manuscript collections of the Danvers Historical Society are on deposit in the Danvers Archival Center, Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923. Additional information is available online.

David Library

The David Library of the American Revolution, is now part of the American Philosophical Society, APS. If one needed to select only one library in which to study the American Revolution, The David Library would be it. Although their manuscript collection is relatively small their microfilm library of the holdings of other institutions is unsurpassed. This concentration of materials makes it extraordinary. Online information.

Duke University Library

Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, 103 Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0185. Information on the collection, online finding aids, etc. is available online.

Feinstone Collection

The Sol Feinstone Collection belongs to The David Library of the American Revolution. The Feinstone Collection is available on microfilm. The manuscripts are stored at The American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia for archival integrity assurance and protection.

Filson Club

The Filson Club Historical Society, 1310 South Third Street - Louisville, KY 40208, collects, preserves, and publishes historical material, especially that pertaining to Kentucky. The Filson Club maintains online information.

Wm. Fogg Library

The William Fogg Library, PO Box 359, Eliot ME 03903. Additional information is available online.

Fordham University Library

O'Hare Special Collections and Archives, The Walsh Library at Rose Hill Campus, 441 East Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458. General information about the library is available online.

Fort Ticonderoga Museum

Thompson-Pell Research Center, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Road, Box 390 Ticonderoga, NY 12883. Information on the use of their collections is available online. There is also information on the history and restoration of the fort. An excellent resource center for any student of the Revolution.

Georgetown University

The Division of Special Collections at the Lauinger Library, Georgetown University, 37th and N Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. Contact information is available online.

Georgia Historical Society

The Georgia Historical Society's library and archives, a major research center for Georgia history, houses one of the most outstanding collections of manuscripts, books, maps, photographs, architectural drawings, portraits, and artifacts related to the history of Georgia. Georgia Historical Society, 501 Whitaker Street, Savannah, GA 31401. (912) 651-2125. Library (912) 651-2128. Fax (912) 651-2831. Further information is available online.

Herkimer County HS

The Herkimer County Historical Society is located at 400 North Main Street, Herkimer, NY 13350. More information online.

HS Delaware

The Historical Society of Delaware, 505 Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. A repository for private Delaware collections. Online information.

HS Pennsylvania

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5699. The Society has many manuscript orderly books, representing the middle states' involvement in the war, most of which are yet to be microfilmed. Online information.

Houghton Library, Harvard University

The Houghton Library, Cambridge, MA 02138, is the principal rare book and manuscript library of Harvard University. The Houghton Library is located within Harvard Yard which is within Harvard Square in Cambridge. Once inside the Yard, the Houghton Library is east of and next to Widener Library. Information is available online.

Historic Huguenot Historical Street

The Huguenot Historical Society Library and Archives is located at 88 Huguenot Street, New Paltz, NY 12561. Additional information is available online.

Huntington Library

The Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108. The Huntington Library has a rich collection of rare books and manuscripts principally in the fields of British and American history and literature. Its collection of manuscript orderly books is excellent, many being available on microfilm. Online information.

Litchfield HS

The Litchfield Historical Society, East and South Streets, Litchfield, CT. Limited online information.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Room LM101, James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540-4680. The Division's holdings, more than fifty million items in eleven thousand separate collections, include some of the greatest manuscript treasures of American history and culture and support scholarly research in many aspects of political, cultural, and scientific history. There is an extensive manuscript orderly book collection, the majority of which is available on microfilm. Numbers in the tables refer to identification codes listed in Manuscript Sources in the Library of Congress for Research on the American Revolution. Extensive information is available online.

Maryland HS

The Maryland Historical Society, 201 West Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-4674. Online information.

The Massachusetts Archives

The Massachusetts Archives, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125, holds the official records created by the Massachusetts state government. Holdings are organized by agency and date from 1629 to the present. Additional information is available online.

Massachusetts HS

The Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215-3695. Online information

Mass HS - 1

Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Revolutionary War Orderly Books at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston: 1992. Microfilm available from Guide, being a complete copy of their entire orderly book collection.

Mass HS - 2

Massachusetts Historical Society, The William Heath Papers, Boston: 1974. Microfilm copy of Heath's papers, diaries, and orderly books. Microfilm available from Guide.

Massachusetts State Library

State Library of Massachusetts. The State Library is located in the Massachusetts State House at 24 Beacon Street in the heart of Boston. The Library serves the research needs of the executive and legislative branches of government and other users, and is the official repository for Massachusetts state documents. Online information.

Mattatuck Historical Society

The Mattatuck Historical Society is located in Waterbury, CT. The Society operates the Mattatuck Museum which is located on the Green in Waterbury (144 West Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702). The library is housed in the museum building and is open only by appointment. More informtaion is available online.

Morristown NHP Library

Morristown National Historic Park Library, Washington Place, Morristown, NJ 07960. The library houses an extensive collection of Revolutionary War documents which are available on microfilm available from UMI. Information on the Park and Library are available online.

National Archives

The National Archives has two locations in the Washington, DC area and many regional branch locations around the U.S. Those wanting to view original manuscript documents need to be sure of which archives building houses the collection they are interested in, and need determine if the collection has been filmed. Once filmed, the curators discourage access to the original manuscripts. The two Washington, DC locations are: The National Archives Building, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408 and National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 . Fortunately, the orderly books have been filmed in their entirety and should be available at any of the regional branches as well as at the microfilm reading room on 7th Street, and at many good research libraries. NARA Website.

National Historical Publications & Records Commission

The Horatio Gates Papers, Boston. Microfilm copy of Gates' papers and orderly books. Microfilm available from Info.

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

One of the major projects undertaken by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution at the time of the commemoration of its fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1940-1941 was the creation of a collection of early American manuscripts and imprints. The Americana Collection is comprised of manuscript and imprint materials, primarily (but not exclusively) pertaining to life in Colonial America, the Revolutionary War era, and the Early Republic. The contents of this collection are available for public inspection and for research. The Americana Collection is housed in the Americana Room, a division of the Office of the Historian General, situated on the second floor of the NSDAR Administration Building located at 1776 D Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-5303. (202) 879-3256. Limited information is avaialble online.

NEHGS

New England Historic Genealogical Society, 101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116-3007. NEHGS is an unparalleled resource for genealogists, historians, and students of family history. Online information.

New Hampshire HS

New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, NH. The manuscript collection includes not only the papers of well-known political, religious, and community leaders, but also diaries, account books, orderly books, and business records representing craftsmen, farmers, shopkeepers, businessmen, and housewives. Online information.

New Haven Colony HS

The Whitney Library, New Haven Colony Historical Society, 114 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06510. Some online information.

New Jersey HS

New Jersey Historical Society, 230 Broadway, Newark, NJ 07104-3926. Numbers refer to citations in Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the New Jersey Historical Society. More information is available online.

New Jersey State Archives

185 West State Street - Level 2, P.O. Box 307, New Jersey State Library Building, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307. The official repository for all New Jersey colonial and state government records of enduring historical value. More information is available online.

Newport HS

The Newport Historical Society, 82 Touro Street, Newport, RI 02840. Information is available online.

New-York HS

The New-York Historical Society is located at 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. The facility contains a library and museum. Most of the orderly books we've found reference to have been microfilmed: Early American Orderly Books, 1748-1817, Reel Guide and Subject Index to The Microfilm Collection, Woodbridge, CT: Research Publications, 1977. The EAOB series contains the Society's superb "world class" collection of orderly books from the French and Indian War through the War of 1812. Numbers following the pound sign are the item number and reel number. We have found some citations to other orderly books, which are not on film, but have yet to verify their existence or content. General information on the Society, its collections and programs is available online.

Aaron Burr Papers

The Papers of Aaron Burr are commercially available via microfilm. The Papers consist of correspondence, the records of Burr's public career, business records, orderly books, journals and legal case files. They document transactions of Burr's law practice following his arrest for treason as well as his political and military careers. The original papers are at the New-York Historical Society.

NY Public Library

New York Public Library, Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, 5th Avenue and 42nd Street New York, NY 10018-2788. Some of the orderly books, those with a ZZ number, are available on microfilm. General information is available online

NY State Library

New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Cultural Education Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230. Online information.

North Carolina Dept of Archives & History

Mailing address: State Archives of North Carolina, Archival Services Branch, 4614 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4614. Physical Address: 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601. More information is available online.

Peabody Essex Museum

Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, 306 Newburyport Turnpike in Rowley, Massachusetts, combining the holdings of the former Peabody Museum of Salem and the former Essex Institute. Online Information.

Pennsylvania State Archives

State Archives of Pennsylvania, 801 North 3rd Street, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026. Online information.

Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association Library

The jointly administered Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association Library and the Henry N. Flynt Library of Historic Deerfield, Inc. are located at 6 Memorial Street in Deerfield, Massachusetts. The libraries are open to the public, subject to regulations regarding access to and use of materials. Additional information is available: Online information.

Rhode Island HS

The Rhode Island Historical Society, 121 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906. The Society has several manuscript orderly books. Some information online.

Rutgers University

Special Collections / University Archives, Archibald S. Alexander Library, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 169 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1163. More information available online.

Society of the Cincinnati

Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008.The house serves as the Society's headquarters, library and museum. The Library is open to the public by appointment [contact Ellen McCallister Clark, Public Services Librarian, (202) 785-2040, ext 426]; contains books and documents relating to the war, the art of war in the 18th century and the history of the Society. Limited info is available online

Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York

Fraunces Tavern, 54 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10004-2429. Limited information is available on online.

South Carolina HS

100 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401. More information online.

U.S. Naval Academy

The Special Collections and Archives Division, Nimitz Library, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. Nimitz Library is primarily for the use of USNA midshipmen, faculty and staff. Other residents of the Annapolis community and authorized researchers may make use of the Library's resources under specific circumstances. More information is available online

University of Georgia

Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, GA 30602-1641. More information available online.

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

North Carolina Collection, CB#3930, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514-8890. More information available online.

University of Virginia

Special Collections Department, Alderman Memorial Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2498. More information is available online.

Library of Virginia

800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA. Two departments may have materials of interest: Manuscripts from Archives and Special Collections.

Virginia HS

Virginia Historical Society, The Center for Virginia History, 428 North Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220. Online information.

Washington's Headquarters

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site, 84 Liberty Street, P.O. Box 1783, Newburgh, NY 12551. Some online information.

West Point

United States Military Academy Library, Special Collections Division, West Point, NY 10996. The West Point Library has several manuscript orderly books, as well as microfilm holdings covering units stationed in the region of West Point. Orderly books are kept in the vault, and transcriptions exist in the Works Progress Administration(WPA) and Sheffield collections. The microfilm collection has many orderly books from other institutions' collections. More information.

Wisconsin HS

State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706. The SHSW is both a state agency and a private membership organization. The Society serves as the archives of the State of Wisconsin; it is charged with collecting, advancing, and disseminating knowledge of Wisconsin and of the trans-Allegheny West. Online information.

Luzerne County Historical Society formerly known as Wyoming Historical & Geological Society

The Society's Library is housed in the Bishop Memorial Library, 49 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 . Additional information is available online.

Yale University

Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High Street and 128 Wall Street, New Haven CT. The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library also has some relevant materials.