American Studies: the colonisation of North America and the American revolution

American Studies: the colonisation of North America and the American revolution is a thematic series contained as a sub-set within the digitized archival content known as British Online Archives (BOA), distributed by Microform Academic Publishers (MAP).  This series includes the following collections:

America in records from colonial missionaries, 1635-1928

This collection provides access to 33,900 pages in 6 volumes of American material in the archives of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG).

American prisoners of war, 1812-1815

This collection provides access 5,932 pages in 10 volumes documenting the American that were taken prisoners during the 1812 War.  According to MAP: "These prison ship records show how prisoner populations were managed at Plymouth and Dartmoor in the early 19th century. There is a gap in the Plymouth records from May 1814 to January 1815. However, the Dartmoor General Entry Books appear to be complete and nearly all prisoners received in Plymouth by 1814 were sent on to Dartmoor. There may have been Americans held at other locations, but these were where most would have been held. The different entry book types cover prisoners to be held in England, those in transit, the ill or wounded, the paroled, and the dead."

American records in the House of Lords archive, 1621-1917

This collection provides access to 42,367 pages covering the Slave Trade, the American Revolution, settlement of Nova Scotia, and more.  According to MAP, "This thematic arrangement of the publication uses Minchinton and Harper's 670 page document listing in order to identify common themes amongst the numerous items in the archive. The core themes from this publication include the slave trade, the African Company, American papers with a focus upon the revolution, Canadian papers, British relations with Spain and France, and papers with regard to other countries including Russia, Ireland, Scotland and the Caribbean. Other core themes include the military with emphasis on the Navy; industry, and trade with a focus on customs tariffs. The items are listed first by theme, then sub-category and lastly by year. The item reference numbers correspond to the items' locations within Minchinton and Harper's guide."

American slave trade records and other papers of the Tarleton family, 1678-1838

This collection provides access to 655 pages correspondences, personal papers, and more.  According to MAP, "The Tarleton family were influential merchants in Liverpool during the 18th century. The main focus of these papers is on their business interests in Britain and the West Indies. Their trade also gave them social standing and influence. One of them became the mayor of Liverpool and another family member considered standing as an MP. Through revealing merchants' social and financial gains from this trade, these papers show how the two combined in Liverpool society."

Black Schools' in Canada, America and the Bahamas, 1645-1900

This collection provides access to 24,025 pages of the archives of the Associates of Dr. Bray to 1900.  According to MAP, "The body of records consists primarily of correspondence files, minute books and financial reports for the institution established by Dr Thomas Bray and his associates. The files concern the organisation of the Associates up to 1900, and include annual reports. Documents relating solely to the period after 1900, when the Associates were in decline (e.g. BRAY/f 20-29 in the initial series), have not been reproduced. Of particular interest in this collection is the material on the Associates' activities in North America, including Canada, and in the Bahamas, both in the establishment and running of their Negro Schools and in the grant of library books. This work was funded in part by Mr D'Allone's Charitable Bequest for the Conversion of Negroes" (e.g. in BRAY/GENERAL/1/f5). Much of the remaining correspondence is the result of the provision of Bray libraries in England, Wales and abroad. Detailed financial accounts for the purchase and sending of books to colonial parochial libraries is included and these, with the correspondence from the early 18th century, allow the development and subsequent decline of the organisation to be understood. The documents are organised by geographical location, except for ledgers of reports and volumes of the minutes of meetings, which are numbered chronologically by subject in a running series. The GENERAL heading denotes home correspondence, meaning that entered into by the Associates of Dr Bray, and REP denotes annual reports. This archive forms part of the USPG archive, which is now held at the Rhodes House Library, Oxford."

British Army Lists of Officers, 1740-1784

This collection provides access to 6,694 pages of Annual British Army Lists, 1740-1784.  According to MAP, "These lists reveal where the British army regiments fought from the Seven Years War to the American Revolution. These detailed lists will assist those researching military regiments or trying to trace ancestors. The wars themselves are not covered here, but do feature in: American records in the House of Lords archive, 1621-1917. The American Revolution from a British Perspective, 1764-1783, and British Parliamentary History, 1102-1803 also cover this period. These soldiers' tours of duty include America, Antigua and Ireland, among other countries. The classes of soldier listed include officers, chaplains, adjutants, quartermasters, and surgeons. These Army lists are copies of the originals held at the Royal Artillery Insititution in London."

Canada in records from colonial missionaries, 1722-1952

This collection provides access to 57,004 pages of Canadian records of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel from 1722-1952.  According to MAP, "These papers chart the development of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel from its early days in Canada until its decline there. The majority of the reports included here are in fact narrative accounts submitted by members of the clergy working in various locations across Canada"

Canada, America & the West Indies imports and exports to the UK, 1678-1825

This collection provides access to 22,582 pages of naval office shipping lists from 1678-1825.  MAP reports, "These lists cover a range of ports in and near to the East Coast of the American Continent, from Nova Scotia to Suriname. Commencing with Nova Scotia, they cover New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Bermuda, Georgia, Florida, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Vincent, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. The naval office shipping lists were compiled by the naval officers in the British colonies in North America and the West lndies and then sent periodically, usually every three months, by the Governor of the colony to the Board of Trade or the Treasury in England. Like other governmental records, they were subsequently deposited in the Public Record Office, London, where they are now to be found."

Canada, between the US and Empire, 1883-1904: in the papers of the Governor-General

This collection provides access to 14,618 pages from papers of the 4th Earl of Minto.  MAP states, "The 4th Earl of Minto was the Canadian Military Secretary from 1883 to 1885 and Governor General from 1898 to 1904. Major events during his time in Canada include the Riel Rebellion of 1885 and the Boer War. He also oversaw the Alaskan Boundary dispute during Theodore Roosevelt’s Presidency. The records from his time as Military Secretary include letters, notes and telegrams. Items from his time as Governor General of Canada include letters from Joseph Chamberlain. They also include speeches, press cuttings, and others’ accounts of visits to the Klondyke as well as the Yukon."

Colonial missionaries' papers from America and the West Indies, 1701-1870

This collection provides access to 40,034 pages of journal, annual sermons and reports from missionaries of the USPG.  MAP states, "This collection offers a range of documents which reveal details of the lives the missionaries of the USPG really led. Starting with the formation of the USPG by Royal Charter in 1701, the reports, letters, minutes and accounts of places like Canada in the eighteenth to nineteenth century inform the reader about the colonists' attitudes and perceptions of American and other colonies during this period. Several documents in this collection feature commentary, directly or indirectly, on relations between the colonisers and the first nations such as the Iroquois and Algonquians including the Address of Indian sachems to Queen Anne. While missionaries first started working in the Gold Coast of Africa from 1752, work in Asia and India was first chronicled as a subject in itself nearly sixty years later in around 1815. The annual sermons of the society's preachers provide an opportunity to observe how various verses from the bible are used, to assert the value of the society's mission, during different phases within it."

The American Revolution from a British Perspective, 1764-1783

This collection provides access to 83,627 pages of British pamphlets relating to the American Revolution from 1763-1783.  MAP states, "This collection includes content written by the Founding Fathers of the United States. These papers also include British Parliamentary debates about how much independence to give to the United States. Other items cover the trials of Americans who were tried for treason, in varying levels of detail. Religion also played a leading role as many sermons took sides in the conflict. Pamphlets about Quebec explore the debate over its government and how this debate affected pre-war relations between Britain and America. The pamphlets are arranged by year, then alphabetically by author or by title when the author is not known."