Correspondence

Description

Subseries A, Correspondence, 1786-1842, undated (#1.1-1.15), contains professional and personal correspondence received and sent by Harrison Gray Otis (1765-1848) regarding the negotiations and purchase of Copley Pasture in Boston, Massachusetts, from artist John Singleton Copley (1738-1815); lawsuits brought against the Mount Vernon Proprietors relating to the sale of Copley Pasture and the development of Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts; and letters regarding family legal matters. Also included in the subseries are letters from David Sears regarding his purchase of lot 42 on Beacon Street in Boston, Massachusetts, and the extension of the Sears mansion abutting lot 45 - property belonging to Harrison Gray Otis (1765-1848). Correspondents include Samuel Bayard; A. Benjamin; N. Bowditch; Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844); Samuel Cabot (agent for John Singleton Copley); Joshua Chase; Amos Cotting; Susanna Cunningham; Charles Cushing; William Dominion; Harrison Gray (1711-1794), uncle; Sophia Gray (dates unknown), cousin; Joshua Johnson; C.J. Loring; Jonathan Mason; James Foster Otis (dates unknown), nephew; James William Otis (1800-1869), son; William Foster Otis (1801-1858), son; Overseers of the Poor; William Sawyer; W. Sohier; William Sullivan; John Thorndike; George Ticknor; Warren Welles; and others. Related material is also included (i.e., attachments, legal documents, statements, etc.). The subseries is arranged alphabetically by correspondence received, followed by correspondence sent, then by other correspondence. Letters are filed by surname; when applicable, women are identified by married name.