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Coffin, Charles, 1765-1820. Journal of Charles Coffin and David Gurney, 1781-1785. HUD 785.14, Harvard University Archives.

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This diary appears to have been kept by two different students, both members of the Harvard College class of 1785. The first two pages contain entries made by a student named David, believed to be David Gurney because the entries relate to the freshman curriculum and Gurney was the only student named David who was a freshman in 1781. Gurney originally titled the volume "A Journal or Diary of my concerns in College of important matters." He made entries from August 28 through October 21, 1781, recording his lessons on Virgil, Tully, Homer, the Greek Testament, Hebrew grammar, English author John Ash's "Grammar," and a text called "The Art of Speaking." At the top of one of the pages recounting these studies, Gurney wrote in large, bold letters: "About how I misspent my precious time." Charles Coffin's entries begin on October 25, 1781 and fill the bulk of the journal. Coffin kept this diary while a student at Harvard College from 1781 to 1785. Although most of Coffin's entries are written in Latin, an account of his July 1781 examination for admission to the College is in English.

Biographical Notes

Charles Coffin (1765-1820; Harvard AB 1785) was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on September 4, 1765. He attended Harvard College, receiving an A.B. in 1785 and an A.M. in 1788. He was a physician and a teacher who worked in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and later in Beaufort, South Carolina. He died in Beaufort on September 8, 1820.|David Gurney (1759-1815; Harvard AB 1785) was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 1759 and fought as a private in the American Revolutionary War before enrolling in Harvard College in 1781. He earned an A.B. in 1785 and an A.M. in 1788. In 1787, Gurney was ordained a Congregational minister in Middleborough, Massachusetts; he served as minister there until his death in 1815.

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[missing text] die luno 1782. Cantabri[missing text] post mridium, coenabam ad Domina [missing text]mum & ppernoctavi, mane ad Bos[missing text]quitabam, ibi manebam ad unque Diem [missing text]uri, illino reversus sum Cantabrigiam. Die Venoris. Classis nostre & pars primo rostram ascendescent [nostra & delamaterunt. Hebdom a de hac vini ppromus cum Dingley [Dingley] altercationem hafuit; cujuo[?] occasio hac: Dingley vinum promendo fregit capulagenae quatuor, quod sic irritavit vini promum & sic rentrem torsit & cruciavit, illum, Dingley incurio accusavite[?] & (omnia peccato priora exponene) apud Tutores, [fuit compilationis privato, & profusionis qua de causa Dingley promptuarum[?] reliquih, & vini promo renusente rem com. honere misi Dingley mimen[?] faterentus ex eo veniam peteret, illum deo [illegible] abnegante, res [de referebatur ad propidem cum gubernatoribus collegii qui, re mature deliberata Dingley a promptuaris dimiserunt pronunciante

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cum omnis culfree [exfe?] [Amorsth?] [profs?] contulerunt priviligia [vin . . . . ?]. mio Paucis [posh?] diutius [illegible text] [illegible text] um iniit loco Domini Dingley [illegible text] May 28th 17[?]2 Lectura Domini Sewall Hebraiia attendi [cum?] omnibus tutoribus frater dimidium, Domino Bentley & James [abjentibuo?]. 29. Electione gubernatoris & senatori Solenni hoc dic redeunte ad Bostoniam ini comitahis Domino Dingley Allyn, Yearing, & pluribus clasa mea, [wbi?] commorate [?]Jun per diem [illegible text] audivi Sermones optimum [uel?] orationem [hairtum?] a Domino Adams incola Lunenburg gubernatoris senatori, & [iis?] [qui?] opidorum [juo?] rum representant, prasentibus [pratis?] [surnci?] nisil [notatone?][illegible text]; [illegible text] [illegible text] apud amitae filia & [patrucum?] [illegible text] D. Dingley etiam [theam?] [bibente?] [illegible text] [revesus?] sum cum illo ad Cantabrigian in [vehicul?] Domina [illegible text] [illegible text]. Hic fine [popto?] [munc?] [conquilco?].

Sermones

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Thurs. 20 [illegible text] Fri. 21 Wm. M Die gunii primo in Jaullo prafes, [illegible text] Sat 22 [thi?] [illegible text] & Quincy, Die Maii Sun 23 Mon 24 [illegible text] steptimo, & alia indecora facta [apra?] perpetraunt, tutoribus [illegible text] interminantibus evocavit eos [illegible text] Jedibus & [erimine?] eis declarato Dawson ad [illegible text] imum dejecit, [illegible text] intger Welles & Wright, sedere [illegible text] & [Quincy?] in Jarello public [illegible text], [illegible text] maximi omnium t[illegible text] dejectis [epevi-?] [illegible text] Danson aliguanto affectivs, [illegible text] [illegible text] maximi [illegible text][illegible text]. Saturni Die junius [illegible text] [illegible text] [Jup-?] [illegible text] in [illegible text] [illegible text] [illegible text] es & proximo die oratio vallectoria [illegible text] in jarello a Domino Jos. Bartlet & [illegible text] [illegible text] [hab...?] [ap..?]. [illegible text] Newell.

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Saturni Dei post [?] [?] [?] [?] ad quo [?] invectus guere [exercebamis?] inter [?] cajus gravis [?] it Domino [?] qui machina [propositus?][nom?][?]quam [?] in [Scholast?] per [?] & [?] aqua ad cubiculum.

[?] Gill & [?]

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Thurs. 20 [illegible text] Fri. 21 {William} [illegible text] igistar Junii vigefino [illegible text] sum in facello [illegible text], Sat 22 Thi [illegible text] diffendi a qua tw Paikard Sat 22 [illegible text] sum refundere [illegible text] Mercu [?] die gulis [illegible text] [illegible text] Domina Hastings, [U?] [r] [g?] Mercuri Die [G?] duodecimo [f?] Domina Hastings [?] uxoni Domini Hastings [?] [p?] [d?] Collegis Harvardini, [interf . .?] ? [illegible text] reliquia [in?][illegible text] [illegible text] [r?] [s?] die eodem Domina {M?] uxon Domini [M?] [f?] [f?]. [illegible number] {Celebraba?] anniversarius [com?] academiae Cantabrigian {V?] [d?] augustus die 14th [illegible text] [p?] 15th [illegible text] anno in [illegible text] [illegible text] anno proximo [H?] Webber & [illegible text], [in?] [illegible text] [D?] [con?]. Augustus, Dio [S?] {q?] quo [illegible text] [illegible text] [illegible text] viz [illegible text] [illegible text] [illegible text] [illegible text]

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