Scope and Content Note
The papers of Sylvanus Bourne (1761-1817) span the years 1775-1859 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1800 to 1815. The papers consist of drafts and photocopies of Bourne’s personal and diplomatic correspondence, business and commercial papers, a scrapbook, and account books.
The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between Bourne and other American consular officers in European ports relating to commerce between the United States and European countries, primarily France and Great Britain. Bourne’s correspondence addresses depredations on American commerce and includes letters from his colleagues in other European cities. Among the correspondents are Lawson Alexander, Richard Codman, George Rix Curtis, John Murray Forbes, Joseph Forman, George John Gregory, Levett Harris, James Maury, Joseph Pitcairn, J. Ridgway, J. Robertson, H. Rohan, and William Worsdell. Other correspondents include John Quincy Adams, James C. Mountflorence, William Vans Murray, Jonathan Russell, James Swan, and David Bailie Warden.
Other topics concern United States foreign relations and politics and Bourne’s business in Massachusetts. The collection also includes family correspondence and a scrapbook with material relating to Thomas Jefferson, Tobias Lear, and George Washington.