Box 51

Scope and Contents A bound commonplace book of the late 17th century containing reading notes, poems, extracts, and diary entries all written by hand. The book is identified in a note on the front pastedown as belonging to one Joseph Burton, the great-grandfather of noted American civil servant Joseph Nourse (1754-1841). The note appears to have been copied from Joseph Nourse’s library catalog at Highlands in Washington DC by an R. Nourse in 1850 – this is likely Rebecca Nourse (1793-1885), the wife of...