William DuBourg to George Fenwick, 1803-04-29

The William DuBourg Papers contain correspondence, invoices, and other documents dating between 1796, the year DuBourg assumed the presidency of Georgetown College, and 1833, the year of his death.

The bulk of the papers dates from 1796 to 1798, the period of his Georgetown College presidency, and reflect the role of the president at that time as a procurer of goods needed by the institution. Letters and accompanying invoices itemize books ordered by DuBourg for the College library, as well as other supplies such as cloth (the purchase of which may have been necessitated by DuBourg's introduction of uniforms for students). Most of the materials present are from Baltimore merchants James Rice and David Williamson. Also included from the time of DuBourg's presidency is a financial statement for the College dated October 1797. A number of entries in the document reflect the presence of enslaved persons on campus.

Several items postdate DuBourg's departure from Georgetown. Of note among these later documents is a letter dated April 10, 1823, written by DuBourg from Wheeling, Virginia, to Enoch Fenwick, President of Georgetown College, in which DuBourg documents the route to be taken by Belgian Jesuit novices travelling from Maryland to establish a mission in Missouri.