Cotton Mather Papers 1636-1724 Guide to the Microfilm Edition

Table of Contents Collection Summary Biographical Sketch Collection Description Related Materials Acquisition Information Restrictions on Use Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Cotton Mather (1663-1728), son of Increase Mather (1639-1723) and grandson of Richard Mather (1596-1669) and John Cotton (1584-1652), was born in Boston in 1663. He received his early education at home and graduated from Harvard in 1678. After earning an M.A. from Harvard in 1681, he was ordained in 1685 at the Second Church of Boston, where he preached for the remainder of his life.

Mather, like his father, supported Governor William Phips (1651-1695) and defended the Massachusetts charter that had granted the colony the right of self-government. He participated in the revolt against Sir Edmund Andros (1637-1714), the governor of New England installed by James II. He was involved in the Salem witchcraft trials in 1692, although he advocated moderation, and witnessed the execution of convicted ex-minister George Burroughs. In 1702, Mather unsuccessfully attempted to oust Joseph Dudley (1647-1720) as governor and was passed over as president of Harvard. Despite these setbacks, he remained a leader of Massachusetts Congregationalism.

A prolific writer, Mather had great influence on religious thought during his life. In his later years, he devoted himself to humanitarian causes, such as aiding the poor, building churches, and opening a school for slaves. Mather was also an early advocate of smallpox inoculation, an unpopular position at the time. Long interested in science, he was the first native-born American to become a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He completed more than 450 books on topics from religion to medicine and history. His Magnalia Christi Americana (London: Thomas Parkhurst, 1702) was the most complete work on the New World to date. Mather died in 1728.

Collection Description

This collection consists of the papers of Congregational clergyman Cotton Mather, including miscellaneous religious writings, correspondence, diaries, and his unpublished 6-volume manuscript "Biblia Americana." The collection is available on 19 microfilm reels and arranged into 6 series: bibliography; diaries; sermon notes; miscellaneous numbered documents; correspondence; and sermons, essays, and other works. Also included in the collection are a few papers of Puritan minister Thomas Shepard (1605-1649) and hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674-1748).

This microfilm is Part I of the Mather Family Microfilm, a joint publication of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the American Antiquarian Society. It contains manuscripts held by both institutions. The holder of the original manuscript has been noted in this guide with "(AAS)" for the American Antiquarian Society and "(MHS)" for the Massachusetts Historical Society. Positive copies of the microfilm edition are available at both institutions. The microfilm set is available for purchase by University Microfilm. For a complete description of the American Antiquarian Society's original manuscript holdings, see the guide to the Mather family papers, 1613-1819, at the American Antiquarian Society.

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Cotton Mather papers:

Increase Mather papers, 1659-1721. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0239.

Extracts from the diaries of Cotton Mather are published in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 7th series, vols. VII and VIII (Boston, Mass.: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1911-12).

Acquisition Information

The Cotton Mather papers were acquired through a combination of gifts and purchases.

Restrictions on Use

Requests for permission to publish should be directed to the institution in possession of the original manuscript.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Microfilm edition of the Cotton Mather papers, a joint publication of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the American Antiquarian Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.