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.

Brooks, John (1752-1825) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.03227 Author/Creator: Brooks, John (1752-1825) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 25 December 1785 Pagination: 2 p. ; 31.2 x 19.7 cm. Order a Copy

John Brooks, a member of the Massachusetts General Court, writes to Knox on a wide variety of political subjects. Discusses the Society of the Cincinnati, land grants to common people, redress of grievances of the public, and the passage of a treason act. Also reports the opinion of their mutual friend Putnam [perhaps General Rufus Putnam] on these subjects. Lastly, he and his wife send their regards to Mrs. Lucy Knox. A small piece of the page was torn away but has been retained with the document.

General Rufus Putnam (1738-1824), a resident of Massachusetts, worked as a land surveyor after the Revolution and was a staunch advocate of land grants, according to preliminary research. He would subsequently go on to settle a large party of war veterans in Ohio.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Brooks, John, 1752-1825
Knox, Lucy Flucker, 1756-1824
Putnam, Rufus, 1738-1824

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