Tale of john harvard’s surviving book — harvard gazette

Pioneer in the Legend. Such a noteworthy anniversary warrants reflection, although, unfortunately, a great many details about both the history of John Harvard and the legacy of his library are lost to time. What is known is that John Harvard was born in the Southwark borough of London in and was baptized Nov. In , he married a woman named Ann Sadler, and the following year — which also saw the deaths of his mother and remaining brother — he set sail for New England seeking religious freedom.

Upon settling in Charlestown, Harvard was named town minister, a short-lived appointment. He soon after fell ill with tuberculosis, dying on Sept. Buried in the Phipps Street Cemetery in Charlestown, the man who gave Harvard its name had lived in Massachusetts for less than a year and a half. Also represented were dictionaries, grammar books, and the classics, some in their original languages, others in well-known translations.

The traditional story goes that

The biggest obstacle has been the fire that destroyed the early library along with the rest of the original College. The fire spared or so total volumes, and those only because they were on loan to faculty and students. Just inside the cover of the hefty tome, stored in its red morocco case, the reader finds a handwritten note from 19th century College Librarian John L.

Silbey, dated May 24, The University Archives now holds this list, which although replete with misspellings, clearly lists the Downame book. Unfortunately, John Harvard never inscribed his name in the volume, which would have provided more definitive proof for scholars. Much of the proof lies in three small digits handwritten just inside the cover: 3.