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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 to Nathaniel Freeman

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05902 Author/Creator: Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 Place Written: Newburyport, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 May 1789 Pagination: 3 p. : address ; 23 x 19 cm. Order a Copy

An amusing and friendly letter to his former Harvard classmate. Discusses their correspondence. Also discusses the visit to town of two young women (Miss Charlotte Geyer and Miss Breck) who Adams wishes to meet "under the shade of an amorous myrtle." Mentions a magazine and publishing by Geyer and other women. Also comments on his legal education and his study habits: "I have no reason to boast of my industry...mere professional books should claim but a small part of a student's application." Asks for a subscription to the Herald of Freedom.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848
Freeman, Nathaniel, 1766-1800

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