The history of the Winslow family memorial, Isaac's reasons for writing it, and the importance of family and ancestry.

Isaac's father Isaac Winslow (1743-1793), his character, education, family, and incidents in his life; his marriage in 1770 to Margaret Sparhawk, her death in 1772, and his subsequent depression; his second marriage in 1772 to Mary Davis (1757-1800).

Winslow and Davis family members; Robert Sandeman's ministry in Boston and religious controversies.

Isaac's family life; the education and character of his mother Mary Davis Winslow; their home in Dock Square, Boston; the family's religious and political involvements; pre-Revolutionary partisanship and his father's Loyalist sentiments.

Early Winslow family members, their settlement in New England, and incidents in their lives; the connection between the Winslows and Anne Hutchinson.

Letters from Isaac's great-grandfather Edward Winslow (1669-1753), sheriff of Suffolk County, to his son Joshua; the Massachusetts charter of 1692; political and religious affairs in Boston in the early 18th century; Edward Winslow's religious beliefs; the development of the smallpox inoculation; the persecution of American Indians by white settlers; the character and religious beliefs of Isaac's grandfather Joshua Winslow (1694-1769); Joshua's wife Elizabeth Savage Winslow (1704-1778) and her escape with other Loyalists to Nantucket at the start of the American Revolution; the effects of depression.

Letters of Isaac's father Isaac Winslow (1743-1793) and other family members; fears of smallpox in New England; the "gathering storm" of the Revolution; the role of reason and public opinion in human affairs.

Abbé Raynal and the causes of the American Revolution, including commercial and religious considerations; the reasons for the Pilgrims' emigration to New England; the influence of the clergy on colonial government and the effect of the 1692 Massachusetts charter; the rising power of the House of Representatives; Pope Day (1765), the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and other popular uprisings; taxation without representation; psychological motives for revolution.

The political leanings of family members during the American Revolution; the Loyalists' evacuation from Boston; the effects of the Port Bill and non-importation agreements on business; correspondence with Simon Pease, merchant of Newport; Gen. Thomas Gage's replacement of Thomas Hutchinson as governor of Massachusetts.

Gov. Thomas Gage's administration and the appointment of councillors and officers; the Provincial Congress; the preparation of the militia; the power of the Committee of Safety; the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill; the death of Isaac's uncle Joshua; correspondence of Isaac's father during the Siege of Boston with his friend Colburn Barrell, a Loyalist who fled to London; Barrell's escape and worry about friends in Boston; the effect of the siege on business and religious practice; skirmishes and captured ships; smallpox inoculation; the departure of the Winslows and other Loyalists, including the Sandemanian Society, to Halifax; the dispersal of the family and fates of various family members; the family's return from Canada to New York in 1778.

Correspondence with Loyalist family members exiled during the Revolution, including Isaac's great-uncle Isaac Winslow (1709-1777); letters from Gov. Thomas Hutchinson; financial difficulties for Loyalists and worries about friends; the effect of the war on religion; compulsory military service; letters from Sir William Pepperrell (1746-1816) in England; the possibility of reconciliation between England and America; Lord Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown; deaths in the Winslow family; European political matters.

Correspondence between Americans under British and American rule and the fear of interception; family letters; news of military campaigns, including the Penobscot Expedition; the marriage of Lucy Flucker and Henry Knox; the difficult winter of 1779-1780 in Boston; divisions in the Winslow family due to politics; the despotism of the House of Representatives and the confiscation of estates; Quakers' opposition to the Revolution.

The family's voyage from Halifax to New York and incidents of Isaac's childhood; his grandfather William Davis, who had been a prisoner of war in Boston; the family home on Long Island and Isaac's early education; damage from the Great Fire of New York in Sep. 1776; the difficult winter of 1779-1780; his mother's slave, a girl named Rose; the terms of the Treaty of Paris, fears of Loyalists in New York, and popular prejudice against them; various family members.

The Winslow house and family connections in New York; incidents in Isaac's childhood; the end of the war and harsh policies toward Loyalists; the family's departure for Connecticut and adjustment to life in the country; Isaac's father's desire to return to Boston, his reception during a visit there, and a meeting with Gov. John Hancock; his correspondence with Mary Davis Winslow; the family's move to Boston in the summer of 1784 to live with Aunt Susanna Winslow (1731-1786).

Family members in Boston, including Susanna "Sukey" Winslow and Margaret Savage Alford; changes in Boston and the development of Beacon Hill; Isaac's education at Boston Latin School under Samuel Hunt; the family's move back to Dock Square; a mob's attack on Capt. Henry Stanhope of the Mercury in retaliation for alleged mistreatment of prisoners during the war; Stanhope's correspondence with Gov. James Bowdoin; members of the Sparhawk family; Margaret Savage Alford's slave Cato; problems related to the emancipation of slaves; Isaac's graduation and the reasons he didn't attend Harvard, but went into apprenticeship instead.

Various family members, including Sally Tyng Winslow (later Waldo), Ben Davis, and Joshua Loring Winslow (1766?-1820); the institution of marriage; George Washington's visit to Boston in Nov. 1789; an influenza epidemic; news of the French Revolution; the captain of a London trade ship accused of smuggling; the assumption of state debts by the federal government and its effects; Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

The state of business; an outbreak of smallpox; financial, personal, and religious pressures on Isaac's father Isaac Winslow (1743-1793) and their effect on him; religious faith, sin, and conscience; the beliefs of the Sandemanians.

The depression of Isaac's father Isaac Winslow (1743-1793) and the circumstances of his death; the religious implications of suicide and the effect of his death on members of the Sandemanian Society, including Mr. Howe and Mr. Humphries.

Correspondence about the death of Isaac's father and the grief of the family; the settlement of his estate; Isaac's social life, hobbies, and friends; the "vicious propensities" and "sinful indulgences" of some young people in town; billiards; Isaac's friendship with his cousin Eliza Winslow; various family members; the executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and their effect on public sympathy for the French Republicans; George Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality; Robespierre; Isaac's departure for Europe in 1794.

Isaac's feelings on going abroad and the danger of capture by Barbary pirates; the rough passage and Capt. Hans Heysell's tyrannical style; Isaac's arrival in Lisbon and passage to Alicante; his homesickness and inexperience in business; trips to Genoa, Leghorn, Florence, and Pisa; Italian art and architecture; an anatomical exhibit; social customs and accommodations; departure from Leghorn, via Spain, and the voyage home.

Federalists, Anti-Federalists, and the ratification of the Jay Treaty; the improvement in Isaac's social standing after his European trip; his departure for a second voyage and an encounter with a Tunisian corsair; passage to Naples; war between Algeria and Denmark; conflict between Isaac and Capt. Jacobson; business matters and America's treaty with the Barbary powers; expenses, accommodations, and customs in Naples; scenery and sights; fears of French invasion; the treaty between France and Rome; the voyage home.

Financial matters on Isaac's return from Europe, including the settlement of estates; France's ascendancy over other nations and the capture of American vessels by French privateers; the situations of various Winslows; yellow fever in Boston in 1798.

The poor state of foreign trade; Isaac's brother Thomas Winslow (b. 1775) and his aunt Martha "Patty" Winslow (d. 1816); his professional prospects, social position, and strong religious views; the deaths of his cousin Eliza Winslow and his mother Mary Davis Winslow; his engagement to Margaret Blanchard; the pitfalls of autobiography; the Sandemanian Society, its history, and its views on marriage and children.

Complications related to marrying outside the Sandemanian Society. [Note: At this point, the narrative is continued by Isaac's daughter Margaret.] Correspondence of Isaac Winslow (1774-1856) concerning the death of Mary Davis Winslow; the effect of his parents' deaths on him.

Correspondence to Margaret's father Isaac in 1800; the Handfields of Dublin; the characters of Eliza Winslow, Catharine Winslow (Pease) Malbone (1735-1817), and Mary Winslow Hudgens.

Aunt Susannah (Sparhawk) Atkinson (1750-1796?) and other Sparhawk connections; Margaret's aunt Eliza Winslow (later Pickering) and uncles John (b. 1779), Joshua (b. 1785), and Benjamin; the difficulties facing an elder brother.

Pollard and Blanchard family members.