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Thomas Foxcroft Correspondence
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Thomas Foxcroft was born February 26, 1697, in Boston, Massachusetts. Educated at Harvard, he was called in 1717 to serve as minister of the First (Congregational) Church of Boston, where he remained until his death. Foxcroft's ministry was marked by a desire to honor traditional Puritanism while also respecting the differing religious views of his contemporaries. This was perhaps best exemplified by his forty-year amicable partnership at First Church with Charles Chauncy (1705-1817), whose Arminian stance stood in contrast to Foxcroft's Calvinist bias. Spurred by a passion to reach youth, Foxcroft published over thirty sermons and tracts, many written before a 1736 stroke that left him permanently debilitated. Despite his weakened strength, Foxcroft still managed to play a significant role in the First Great Awakening. He penned An Apology in Behalf of the Revd Mr. Whitefield (1745) defending revivalist preacher George Whitefield (1714-1770). He also facilitated the publication of works by various other ministers of his day and contributed prefaces to a number of such works. He died of a stroke on June 18, 1769.
The collection consists primarily of correspondence sent to Foxcroft by five individuals: Aaron Burr, Sr. (1716-1757), Jonathan Dickinson (1688-1747), Moses Dickinson (1695-1778), Jeremiah Halsey (1735-1780), and Experience Mayhew (1673-1758). Multiple letters touch upon the early history of Princeton University as Jonathan Dickinson and Burr were the first and second presidents respectively. Others letters, notably those written by Jonathan Dickinson and Experience Mayhew, are largely concerned with matters of theology and the doctrinal splits spurred by the First Great Awakening, often mentioning other prominent ministers of the time including Gilbert Tennent, George Whitefield, and missionary David Brainerd. The escalation of a doctrinal disagreement between Dickinson and Mayhew can be traced through a number of letters and manuscripts written in response to one another. The collection also suggests Foxcroft essentially served as a literary agent for these two men. The papers include drafts and copies of sermons and remarks written by Dickinson and Mayhew, many unpublished; Foxcroft was asked to review them for content and facilitate their publication and distribution. Researchers should note the collection essentially consists of items written by others; Foxcroft's hand appears only in the occasional notation.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent in one series:
American Writers Before 1800 (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983) and American National Biography Online (www.anb.org) were consulted during preparation of biographical note.
Purchased in 1953.
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This collection was processed by Rebecca Garcia in 2007. Finding aid written by Rebecca Garcia on November 26, 2007.
No appraisal information is available.
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Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Rebecca Garcia
- Finding Aid Date
- 2007
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research use.
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Collection Inventory
Consists of correspondence with Aaron Burr, Jonathan and Moses Dickinson, Jeremiah Halsey, and Experience Mayhew.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Physical Description1 box
1 box
ALS discussing a divided synod, the threat of Moravians and false converts, and Christian encouragement. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS of friendly correspondence. Mentions mutual friend Dickinson, an "epistolary dissent" with a Mr. Sergeant, and recommends Mrs. Cary, the bearer of the letter. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS discussing the process of drafting a college charter, Burr's spiritual life, and other bits of news and business. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS (labeled Post Script) suggesting Foxcroft utilize his friend, a Mr. [Jeremiah] Allen, to raise funds for the "infant college." Letter undated; date is when received by Foxcroft. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
Foxcroft's notations on which sermons he sent to Burr, Mr. Sherwood, and Alexander Clinton, respectively. Recorded on a torn leaf once attached to a letter from Burr (none of the letter remains).
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
1 box
ALS responding to [Andrew] Croswell's condemnation of Dickinson's Dialogue, as well as an account of rampant antinomianism in the congregation of [James] Davenport. Probable date 1742/1743. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS regarding the questionable theology and preaching of Mr. [George] Whitefield. 1 folded leaf (torn).
Physical Description1 folder
ALS about a preface written by Foxcroft that Dickinson fears will provoke censure. Also mentions a troublesome Mr. Cross and difficulties in the New Brunswick and New York Presbyteries. On back is an unrelated promissory note dated 1743. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS concerning Dickinson's divided synod, reports of strange religious trances, the continued misbehavior of [James] Davenport, and the publication and shipment of books. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS requesting Foxcroft pay the bookseller who sent copies of Dickinson's five discourses. Unrelated to the letter, quotes from various theologians are written in a different hand on front and back. 1 folded leaf (torn).
Physical Description1 folder
Remnant of a letter addressed to Foxcroft and noted as received from "Mr. Dickinson." None of the text of the letter remains.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS concerning multiple writings by Dickinson. Originally enclosed with a November 1743 letter for Colonel Alford containing Dickinson's response to [Experience] Mayhew. Foxcroft copied the letter on the back and passed the original onto Alford. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS explaining a previously sent manuscript as the first volume of a new work. Also mentions health concerns and the frustration of religion being at a "low ebb." 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS regarding troublesome religious debates sparked by [George] Whitefield, divisions between synods, and the death of Dickinson's wife. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS giving account of a church dispute involving [George] Whitefield and [Gilbert] Tennent. Originally sent with a manuscript arguing against Arminianism (not extant in this collection). 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS regarding the publication of various Christian writings and responses. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS giving an update on [George] Whitefield's stance towards the Moravians as well as Dickinson's progress on a response to [Experience] Mayhew's book. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS updating on the progress and publication of various writings. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS of news related to the province of New Jersey including the appointment of Governor [Jonathan] Belcher, the agreeable local ministry, and a recently approved charter for a college. Christian exhortations are written in a different hand on the back. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
Remarks Upon a Discourse Intituled [sic] an Overture. Presented to the Reverend Synod of Dissenting Ministers Sitting in Philadelphia, in the Month of September, 1728. In a Letter to the Author. By a Member of the said Synod (New York: J. Peter Zenger, 1729). Dickinson's printed response to John Thomson, author of an overture that suggested all ministers subscribe to the Westminster Catechism. Foxcroft made occasional notes in the text. 32 pages, bound.
Physical Description1 folder
Dickinson's observations on an illness called "Throat Distemper" (diphtheria) including symptoms and suggested cures. Sent to Foxcroft. 8 pages.
Physical Description1 folder
"The Danger of the Enthusiasm of the present times presented in a familiar dialogue between Eusebius and Novatus." Date is when copy was received by Foxcroft. 37 pages, bound.
Physical Description1 folder
"Free Grace Vindicated." A draft of Dickinson's response to Experience Mayhew's book Grace Defended. 35 pages, bound.
Physical Description1 folder
Sermon addressing the query: "Who is on the Lord's side?" Date is when copy was received by Foxcroft; notation on cover suggests sermon originally delivered circa 1740. 40 pages, bound.
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
ALS announcing the death of his brother. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS about the possible publication of a response to a "Mr. B." and the "prevailing errors of the present day." On the back are maxims copied from Cotton Mather's Manuductio ad Ministerium. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
Printed notice dated November 9, 1749 announcing the publication of Moses Dickinson's defense of his late brother Jonathan's work (Untitled, Boston, Rogers and Fowle, 1749). Surrounding the printing and continuing on the back is a handwritten account of a spiritual journey. Cross-writing, dated November 1, 1759, appears to be a note or short letter. 1 leaf with one quarter cut away.
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
ALS giving account of the deaths of college Presidents Burr and Edwards and the subsequent appointment of Samuel Davies. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
1 box
ALS disagreeing with Jonathan Dickinson's The True Scripture Doctrine and giving account of a spiritual awakening among young men. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS asking for advice on how to proceed with an escalating disagreement with Jonathan Dickinson. 1 folded leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS regarding the copying and editing of a manuscript written by Mayhew. Also mentions disagreeing with Edwards' book on human liberty. On the back, cross-writing in a different hand includes excerpts from Matthew Henry's Biblical commentary and a quote from Reverend James Fraser's memoirs. 1 leaf.
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
Copy of a response to Jonathan Dickinson's True Scripture Doctrine "containing exceptions against some passages," written as a letter. 18 pages, bound.
Physical Description1 folder
Copy of a lengthy letter by Mayhew in response to a previous letter written by Dickinson. Both were originally sent to an unnamed third party recipient. 47 pages, bound.
Physical Description1 folder
Fragment of a theological dissertation written in response to Jonathan Edwards' Humble Inquiry. Attributed to Experience Mayhew. First half is missing; pages 31-75 remain. Housed with what may or may not have been a paper wrapper.
Physical Description1 folder