Hanover Historical Texts Collection

The Hanover Historical Texts Collection makes available digital versions of historical texts for use in history and humanities courses.

The faculty and students of the Hanover College History Department initiated the Hanover Historical Texts Project in 1995, at a time when few primary sources were available outside of published anthologies. To make primary texts readily available for classroom use, they selected important documents, scanned print versions that were out of copyright, converted the scans into HTML format, proofread the resulting documents to correct OCR errors, edited them to provide page breaks, page numbers, and bibliographical information, and posted them online. We have since expanded the collection to include transcriptions of manuscript material from the Hanover College archives.

Most of the texts in the Hanover Historical Texts Collection are in public domain. However, the electronic forms of public domain texts that we have created for the Collection are under copyright. We grant permission to copy and use items in the Hanover Historical Texts Collection for educational purposes; we ask that you acknowledge the Hanover Historical Texts Collection. We do not grant permission for commercial uses.

Bibliographical information and acknowledgements for scanning, conversion into html, and proofreading are found at the beginning of each text. Page numbers appear in square brackets [ ] at the point of the page breaks in the original texts.

Search the Collection by keyword, or browse the Collection below.

Ancient Greece and Rome

United States

17th Century Colonial History

Anne Bradstreet, A Dialogue Between Old England and New (1630)
John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity (1630)
The Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641)
Samuel Willard, A briefe account of . . . Elizabeth Knap of Groton (c.1671)
Increase Mather, Remarkable Providences relating to Witchcraft and Possessions (1684) excerpts
Instructions to Sir Edmund Andros, concerning Rhode Island and Connecticut charters(1686) Commercial Orders to Governor Andros(1686-1687)
Orders for sending Sir Edmund Andros to England (1689) Cotton Mather, Discourse on Witchcraft (1689) excerpts (in progress)
George Burroughs, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Abigail Faulkner, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Elizabeth Fosdick and Elizabeth Paine, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Dorcas Good, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Elizabeth Hart, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Abigail Hobbs, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Mary Ireson, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Sarah Osborn, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
John Proctor, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692
Tituba, witchcraft court records, Salem, 1692

18th Century Colonial and US History

"Steamboat Adventure: Down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers with Nicholas and Lydia Roosevelt, 1811-1812" (an anthology of primary sources)
Benedict Family Letters, 1839-1852 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Jenny Lind's 1851 appearance in Madison, Indiana: program and lyrics; news reports; description from Charles Rosenberg, Jenny Lind in America, 1851; description from Olive Logan, Before the Footlights and Behind the Scenes, 1870
Sarah Butler Hendricks, prose and poetry, c. 1854 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Hendricks family letters, 1856-1859 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Joseph McHenry Adkinson family letters, 1863-1864 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
news of Joseph McHenry Adkinson, from D. D. McKee, 1864 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Adkinson family papers, 1863-1994?< (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Julia Eddy letters, 1864-1868 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Alfred G. Runner letters, 1864 (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
Cyril Tyler letters, 1861-1862? (manuscript originals in the Hanover College archives)
"An Investigation of the Causes of Those Dark Forebodings Which Make Powerful Man Weak," Madison Courier, 1882
Charles Alling, Jr., student diary, 1883-1884 (manuscript original in the Hanover College archives)

20th Century US History

Primary Sources on Hanover College and Local History

Hanover College and Jefferson County from 1820 to 1850

The Call of Hanover Church to John Finley Crowe, 1823
Portrait of John Finley Crowe
The Bye-Laws and Standing Rules of the Madison Presbytery, 1826
Records of Hanover Academy, 1828-1833 (edited and excerpted)
Minutes of Hanover Academy, 1828-1833
Inaugural Address of President James Blythe, 1833
Portrait of James Blythe
Alexander Kinmont, Discourse Delivered Before the Union Literary, 1836
Documents Related to the Controversy Surrounding President Duncan Macaulay, 1837-1838
Inaugural Address of President Duncan McAuley, 1838 (edited)
Inaugural Address of President Duncan McAuley, 1838
Inaugural Address of President Erasmus D. MacMaster, 1838
The Inaugural Address of President Sylvester Scovel, 1847

Hanover College and Jefferson County from 1851 to 1900

Jenny Lind's 1851 appearance in Madison, Indiana: program and lyrics; news reports; description from Charles Rosenberg, Jenny Lind in America, 1851; description from Olive Logan, Before the Footlights and Behind the Scenes, 1870
Sarah Butler Hendricks, prose and poetry, c. 1854
Hendricks family letters, 1856-1859
Address by John H. Holliday to the Philathean Society of Hanover College, 1863
March editorials, Hanover Monthly, 1884
Charles Alling, Jr., student diary, 1883-1884
A Tall Youth from Eureka" [J. F. Crowe, Jr.], San Francisco Chronicle, 1891

Hanover College and Jefferson County from 1901 to 1930

"Why Triangle" and "An Apology," Hanover College Triangle, 1909
Hanover College Triangle (advertisements for local businesses), 1909
"Keep Busy" and "Student Publicity," Hanover College Triangle, 1909
"Tomorrow's Game," Hanover College Triangle, 1909
"A Collegiate Move on Lynching," Hanover College Triangle, 1916
"Students Decide in Favor of Compulsory Drill," Hanover College Triangle, 1917 (and related articles).
"Twelve Letters Awarded at Football Banquet," Hanover College Triangle, 1917
"The Town Wild with Joy: First News of Signing of Armistice Received by the Courier at Three A. M.," Madison Courier, 1918
“College Ground Near Ballard’s Probable Links,” Hanover College Triangle, 1927
"Hanover College Is Century Old," Hanover College Triangle, 1927.
"The Administrative Column: Does College Pay?,"; " Are Co-Eds Smarter Than Men," Hanover Triangle, 1930

Hanover College and Jefferson County from 1931 to 1950

"Choosing That Course"; "The College Dream Girl," Hanover College Triangle, 1930.
"Harris Discusses Liquor Situation and Lawlessness," Hanover College Triangle, 1933.
"Parker Gives College Side of Question - Business Men Agree Not To Sell Drink - NO BEER ADS - Statement Given After Interview," Hanover College Triangle, 1933.
Tom Young, "Wilkinson and Perkins Star as Hanover Downs Sycamores 13-7," Hanover College Triangle, 1937
[Charles Kemf?], "Bubbles Hargrave Describes Life In Air Corps at Hawaiian Island," Hanover College Triangle, 1941.
"Cut System Seeks Class Absence Curb," Hanover College Triangle, 1941
"Opportunities Offered By V-1 Navy Training Will Aid in the Fraternity Rushing Program -- Will Make Graduation Likely For Acceptees," Hanover College Triangle, 1942
"Hillis Describes Japan Situation," Hanover College Triangle, 1945
"Manpower Mounting Magically Modes Modified To 'Mergency" Hanover College Triangle, 1945

Hanover College and Jefferson County from 1951 to 2000

Secondary Sources on Hanover College History

Austgen, Suzanne M., "A History of Literary Societies at Hanover College" Hanover Historical Review 2 (1994)
Blake, I. George, excerpt from "The Civil War Came to Campus," 1963
Millis, William A., The History of Hanover College from 1827 to 1927, 1927
Moore, A. Y., History of Hanover College, 1900

Transcriptions of Manuscripts Held in the Hanover College Archives

The following are items in the Hanover College archives that are not specifically focused on College history. Documents from the Duggan Library's Archive are under the copyright of Hanover College. Permission is granted to copy and use the documents for educational purposes, though not for commercial purposes. More information on manuscripts in the Hanover College Archives is available here.