Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Knox, Henry Jackson (1780-1832) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.06059 Author/Creator: Knox, Henry Jackson (1780-1832) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 8 March 1794 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 22.4 x 18.3 cm. Order a Copy

Expresses his displeasure about college and requests his father not to force him to attend. Discusses becoming a merchant and believes he only needs to know mathematics and arithmetic. Writes the only thing needed to become a merchant is "to understand Mathematick's [sic] & Arithmetic perfectly, which can be obtained without going College, the place of all evils." Explains he borrowed money from Mr. Hossman because he did not have enough money to travel from New York, New York to Boston, Massachusetts. Comments he looks forward to seeing him and the rest of the family in May.

Knox, Henry Jackson, 1780-1832
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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