Search Website Design and Content © by Eric Krause, Krause House Info-Research Solutions (© 1996)
      All Images © Parks Canada Except Where Noted Otherwise
Report/Rapport © Eric Krause --- Report Assembly/Rapport de l'assemblée © Krause House Info-Research Solutions

Researching the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada
  Recherche sur la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg Lieu historique national du Canada

Non-Descriptive Louisbourg-Related Sources Encountered
During Krause House Research Activities,

By Eric Krause
(Krause House Info-Research Solutions),

2004 to Present

Return/retour


NEWBERRY LIBRARY   - SELECT INVENTORY

(1) Edward E. Ayer Collection:

(A) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 476 Author-Personal Kilby, Thomas, 1699-1746. Title Rec[eive]d into His Majesties stores of provisions for this garrison of Mr. Jacob Sheafe commissary to the province of New Hampshire the several provisions hereafter mentioned ... Louisbourg, [N.S.], receipt, 1746 May 29. [manuscript] receipt, Physical Desc. 1 item (1 leaf) ; 31 cm. Historical Note Canso, N.S., merchant and justice of the peace; commissary at Louisbourg. A Boston, Mass., native educated at Harvard, Kilby moved in 1729 to Canso, where he had been granted land, and served as agent for Boston merchant, Peter Faneuil. In 1742, Kilby investigated the strength of the French garrison at Louisbourg for his cousin, Massachusetts' London agent, Christopher Kilby, and wrote a report which provided the details for the latter's 1744 proposal for the capture of Louisbourg. Kilby was rewarded in 1745 with an appointment as commissary of the Louisbourg royal stores, a position ill health prevented him from assuming until the late spring of 1746. He died soon after. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 476 Summary Note Contemporary copy of a May 29, 1746, receipt for the delivery of provisions, issued by Thomas Kilby to Jacob Sheafe, the commissary of the New Hampshire regiment stationed at Louisbourg. Included in the shipment were peas, beans, Indian meal, candles, sugar, butter, beef, pork, etc. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(B) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 583 Author-Personal Shirley, William, 1694-1771. Title New York, [N.Y.], to Henry Fox, [England], Letter 1756 Jan. 14. [manuscript] : Letter Variant Title LS Physical Desc. 1 item (1 folded sheet (4 p.)) ; 32 cm. Historical Note Colonial governor of Massachusetts and military commander. Following the death of Edward Braddock in July, 1755, Shirley was appointed commander-in-chief of British forces in North America. In March, 1756, Shirley was recalled to England and was succeeded in command by Lord Loudoun. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 583 Summary Note January 14, 1756, letter from William Shirley, then commanding British forces engaged in the war against the French and Indians, to Henry Fox, British secretary of state, proposing that the British take French Canada and keep it. To appease Spain, Shirley suggests additions to that country's American colonies. He also notes that even if Canada were to be returned to the French, a lasting boundary could be set and the fort at Louisbourg destroyed. There are also observations on the need for more British troops and the positive aspects of the recently concluded Lake Ontario and Nova Scotia campaigns. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(C) [NOTE: Louisbourg has the following: Copied in 1962 from the original in the Royal United Service Institution, England ..... Journal of David Gordon, 1758.]

Shelf Location * Call Number Ayer MS 3080 Author-Personal Gordon, David. Title Journal of the siege of Louisbourg in 1758 [between 1772 and 1791] [manuscript], Physical Desc. 1 item (47 leaves) ; 33 cm. Historical Note David Gordon, an officer of the Royal Highland Infantry, was engaged in the siege of Louisbourg in 1758. One of the strongest French bases in North America, Louisbourg guarded the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, on July 26, 1758 it was captured from the French by a British combined force under Admiral Boscawen and General Amherst. Note Inscribed note signed by Sir J.H. Lefroy regarding the provenance of this copy of David Gordon's manuscript. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note Formerly known as Ayer MS 333a. Note For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File. Note Original manuscript held in the Royal United Service Institution, London. Note Manuscript published in the Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society (vol. 5, 1887). Note Some water damage to the text especially in upper left corners. Note In full leather binding prepared by Zaehnsdorf Firm, London. Summary Note Copy of the original journal made sometime later by Gordon's son, William Augustus Gordon. During the siege of the fortress of Louisbourg, located on the southern coast of Cape Breton Island, Gordon kept this detailed account of the British military operations. The contents of the journal include a description of the British forces and fleet, names of officers, a daily account of the military activities and orders given, the final capture of Louisbourg and the British terms of surrender followed by a list of casualties and losses of naval equipment. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(D) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 28 Author-Personal Apthorp, Charles, 1698-1758. Title provisions sent to Louisbourg in 5 sloops, Bills of lading 1746 Aug. 26. [manuscript] : Bills of lading Variant Title ADS Physical Desc. 1 item (1 leaf) ; 24 x 39 cm. folded to 24 x 20 cm. Historical Note Charles Apthorp was born in England in 1698 and educated at Eton College. He was later appointed by the English government as paymaster and commissary of the land and naval forces quartered in Boston. Apthorp also became one of the most distinguished merchants in Boston during the 1730's until his death in 1758. Note Signed: Boston Aug 26 1746, Error accepted, per[?] Ch. Apthrop. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) References Butler, R.L. Check list of the mss. in the Ayer Coll., 28 Summary Note Bill of lading written and signed by Apthrop listing provisions sent to Fort Louisbourg, Nova Scotia in August 1746. This important French fort was captured in 1745 by troops from New England supported by the Royal Navy during King George's War, 1744-1748. This document records the names of five ships sent to Louisbourg and their cargo. The provisions included bread, rum, beef, pork, peas, rice, butter, oil, and vinegar. Originals/Duplicates Location of original: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(E) Shelf Location * Call Number Ayer MS 615 Author-Personal Nevill, Valentine, fl. 1758. Title The reduction of Louisbourg a poem : inscribed to the hon[ora]ble Edward Boscawen : wrote on board his majesty's ship Orford in Louisbourg Harbour / by Valentine Nevill Esqr. of Greenwich in Kent, Secretary to the hon[ora]ble Admiral Townshend, 1758 Aug. 7. [manuscript] : Edition Revised & corrected, V.N. Physical Desc. 1 v. (9 p.) ; 23 cm. Historical Note One of the strongest French bases in North America, Fort Louisbourg, Nova Scotia guarded the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. During the Seven Years' War, it was captured from the French by a British combined force in July 1758. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note Published: Portsmouth (England) : Printed for J. Wilkinson, and sold by T. Osbourne and W. Owen, near Temple Bar, London, 1758. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 615 Summary Note Poem written by Valentine Nevill, Secretary to Admiral George Townshend, while on board the British ship Orford during the siege of Fort Louisbourg, July 1758. In this poem Nevill celebrates the British victory over the French and Admiral Boscawen's role in the battle. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(F) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 619 Author-Corporate New Hampshire. General Assembly. Title province of New Hampshire in New England, to John Thomlinson, esqr., Letter 1747 June 4. [manuscript] : Letter Physical Desc. 1 item (1 folded sheet (4 p.)) ; 31 cm. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note Contemporary copy signed: Geo. Jaffrey, for the committe. Note For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 619 Summary Note Copy of a letter dated June 4, 1747 from the New Hampshire General Assembly to John Thomlinson, the province's agent in London. In this letter the treasurer, George Jaffrey, writes to Thomlinson requesting reimbursement for provisions used by the New Hampshire forces who participated in the expedition against Louisbourg, Nova Scotia (1745). Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(G) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 619 Author-Corporate New Hampshire. General Assembly. Title province of New Hampshire in New England, to John Thomlinson, esqr., Letter 1747 June 4. [manuscript] : Letter Physical Desc. 1 item (1 folded sheet (4 p.)) ; 31 cm. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note Contemporary copy signed: Geo. Jaffrey, for the committee. Note For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 619 Summary Note Copy of a letter dated June 4, 1747 from the New Hampshire General Assembly to John Thomlinson, the province's agent in London. In this letter the treasurer, George Jaffrey, writes to Thomlinson requesting reimbursement for provisions used by the New Hampshire forces who participated in the expedition against Louisbourg, Nova Scotia (1745). Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(H) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 620 Author-Corporate New Hampshire. General Assembly. Title province of New Hampshire, clauses from four acts, Proceedings 1749 June 13-1749 Aug. 22. [manuscript] : Proceedings Physical Desc. 2 items (2 folders) ; 32 cm. or smaller. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note Certification letters, signed: B. Wentworth. Note Documents signed: Copy Examd., Theodore Atkinson, Secy. Note For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 620 Summary Note Two contemporary copies of clauses from four acts passed by the New Hampshire General Assembly in Feb. 16, 1744, July 6 and Oct. 5, 1745, and July 12, 1746. The documents relate to the allocation of funds for the Louisbourg, Nova Scotia expedition. Both copies are accompanied by certification letters from June 13 and Aug. 22 1749 that have been signed by Governor Wentworth and are affixed with the official seal of the province. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(I) Shelf Location * Call Number Ayer MS 733 Author-Personal Pote, William, 1718-1755. Title Journal 1745 May 17-1747 Aug. 8. [manuscript], Journal Variant Title Journal of Captain William Pote, Jr. Physical Desc. 1 item (234 p.) ; 18 cm. Historical Note Falmouth, Maine, surveyor and seaman. While master of a schooner engaged in carrying supplies and men to Fort Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, Pote was captured May 17, 1745, along with his crew and that of another vessel by a party of French and Indians in Annapolis Basin near the fort. He was alloted to the Huron Indians and taken by them and French troops to Quebec, where he was imprisoned by the French at Cazarnes and at a camp until July 30, 1747. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note In box with title: Captain Pote's journal. Note On cover: 1747 Wm. Pote's Journal. J.H. Bastide. Note Signed on flyleaf by J.H. Bastide, Pote's employer and the chief engineer of Nova Scotia. Note Signed by Pote on p. [234] Note Previously owned by John Fletcher Hurst, editor of the printed copy of Pote's journal: Pote, William. The journal of Captain William Pote, Jr. during his captivity in the French and Indian War from May, 1745, to August, 1747. New York : Dodd, Mead & Co., 1896. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 733 Summary Note Journal kept by William Pote, May 17, 1745-Aug. 8, 1747, describing his capture by the French and Indians, journey to Canada, prison experiences, and return voyage to Louisbourg. En route to French Canada through what is now New Brunswick, Pote notes daily distances, food supplies, means of travel, and his own treatment at the hands of his Huron captors, the neutral French, and the local Indians. Also recorded is the unsuccessful attempt of the French and Indian forces with whom he travelled to reinforce Louisbourg and news of its fall to the English. The second half of the journal, kept while Pote was imprisoned at Cazarnes, is an account of the arrival of new prisoners of war from the English colonies, the circumstances of their capture, and their illnesses, marriages, deaths, etc. There are also periodic tallies of the total number imprisoned and hospitalized. The volume concludes with a list of all prisoners who died while Pote was in Quebec. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(J) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 754 Title Reports in the summer of the year 1757 [to July 10, 1758] 1757-1758. [manuscript], Physical Desc. 1 item (2 p.) ; 33 cm. Note Caption title. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 754 Summary Note Anonymous report, probably written in New Jersey, regarding the 1757 siege, fall, and massacre at Fort William Henry, N.Y., and the actions of Gen. Daniel Webb, then commanding at Fort Edward, in response to events. Report discusses Webb's expresses to neighboring governors requesting assistance for Fort William Henry, Gov. Pownall's proposal upon receipt of Webb's letter to evacuate Massachusetts west of the Connecticut River, and Webb's own plan to abandon Fort Edward. Following this report are short entries (Jan.-July 10, 1758) concerning the billeting of troops in Hunterdon County, N.J., and the siege and surrender at Louisbourg. Originals/Duplicates Location of originals: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(K) Shelf Location * box Call Number Ayer MS 898 Author-Personal Townsend, Isaac, ca. 1685-1765. Title Kingston in Louisbourg Harbour, [N.S.], to [Charles] Apthorp, [Boston, Mass.], Letter 1746 June 24. [manuscript] : Letter Physical Desc. 1 item (1 folded sheet (4 p.)) ; 30 cm. Historical Note British naval officer commanding (May-Nov., 1746) the garrison at Louisbourg, which had been captured from the French the previous year by New England provincial forces and the Royal Navy. Note Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) Note Text of letter on p. [1]-[2]; endorsement on p. [4] Note At head of p. [1]: Duplicate. References Butler, R.L. Checklist of Mss. in the Ayer Coll., 898 Summary Note Duplicate copy of a June 24, 1746, letter from Townsend to Charles Apthorp, a Boston merchant and paymaster and commissary to British land and naval forces at Boston, regarding the victualling of British ships at Louisbourg. Townsend notes that although Apthorp had already supplied a considerable quantity of provisions under the instructions of John Thomlinson, more were needed for the large convoy that was expected. Originals/Duplicates Location of original: Newberry Library, Special Collections, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610.

(L) [NOTE: Louisbourg may have this plan] . Shelf Location * Call Number Case MS 5191 Author-Personal Le Rouge, Georges-Louis. Title Recueil des fortifications, forts, et ports de mer de France [between 1750 and 1760?]. [manuscript], Cartographic Data Scales differ. Physical Desc. 1 ms. atlas ([2] leaves, [89] leaves of plates, bound) : 131 hand-col. maps ; 19 cm. Language(s) In French. Note Possible date suggested by publication date of 1755, and by Le Rouge's years of activity. Note Maps, arranged one or two to a page and hand-colored in watercolors--green, pink, aqua, gray, and red; titles and borders in pen-and-ink, in red. Note Includes index. Note Published in Paris in 1755 by Le Rouge, with title: Recueil des fortifications, forts, et ports de mer de France lavé de pinceau. Note Imperfect: plate 42 [Besançon, France] wanting. Note Contemporary dark red morocco; upper and lower boards bordered with double rules and dog tooth roll pattern in gold, with gold-stamped floral ornament in center panels; raised bands on spine; spine compartments outlined in gold, and filled with small gold-stamped tools around a center lozenge; brown morroco spine label, with gold-stamped binder's title "Villes de France"; inner dentelles and all edges gilt; front and back pastedowns are metallic gold paper. Note Ownership stamp of Hauptmann Grieninger on second front endpaper; Grieninger's inscription on t.p. contains his full military title: "Grieninger, Capitain de l'etat major general." Note Inkstamp of the Státni Pamatkova Spriva Knizni Fond on verso of front endpaper. Summary Note Unsigned, undated ms. compilation of plans by George-Louis Le Rouge of the forts, fortifications, and harbors of various cities of France, and French colonies in Canada, Louisiana, Haiti, and French Guiana, probably produced sometime between 1750 and 1760. Eleven plates are plans of forts, including Forts Barreau, Dauphin, Dauphin en Amerique (Fort Liberté, Haiti), Medoc, Socoa, Scarpe, Nieulet, l'Echise, Louis, Ste. Croix, and Ste. Marguerite. Most of the ports which are mapped are French, such as Port-Louis, Belle-Isle (Belle-Ile-en-Mer), Brest, Caen, Cherbourg, St.-Malo, Havre de Grace (Le Havre), and Dieppe; although some colonial ports, such as Québec City, Ville Marie (Québec), Louisbourg (Nova Scotia), New Orleans (Louisiana), and Cayenne (French Guiana) are also included. Plans are included for French cities such as Amiens, Calais, Douay, Cambray, Dunquerque, Mezières, Metz, Verdun, Dijon, Grenoble, Strasbourg, and others.


Return/retour