Galt Papers (I)
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary, 400 Landrum Drive, Williamsburg, VA 23186
Contact information: phone number
001 (757) 221-3090
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
spcoll@wm.edu
Reference number
Mss. 78 G13
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Galt Papers (I)
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Galt family
Date(s)
1745/1892
Language(s)
eng
Extent
39.32 linear metres
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This collection comprises professional and personal papers of the Galt family of Williamsburg, Virginia. Papers primarily concern the Galt family's work at the Eastern State Hospital, including apothecary shop daybooks, account books, medical daybooks, clinical notebooks, weather diaries, commonplace books, reports, medical notes, lecture notes, correspondence, and others. The personal papers consist of diaries, letters, scrapbooks, school notes, financial papers, memoirs, and other material.
The collection includes two manuscript accounts entitled "Notes on Diseases in Virginia" (Box Series 3, Box 26, MsV 164 and MsV165) written by Dr John de Sequeyra, a Portuguese physician of Jewish origins who settled in Williamsburg, Virginia, around 1745 and became the first visiting physician of the Eastern State Hospital. From 1745, Sequeyra began to report the prevailing diseases in Virginia each year, whose account he continued until 1781. Later, he summarized the diseases more common in Virginia, their symptoms and therapies. Harold Gill (1972) and Sarah McEntee (1998) published these accounts.
The collection includes two manuscript accounts entitled "Notes on Diseases in Virginia" (Box Series 3, Box 26, MsV 164 and MsV165) written by Dr John de Sequeyra, a Portuguese physician of Jewish origins who settled in Williamsburg, Virginia, around 1745 and became the first visiting physician of the Eastern State Hospital. From 1745, Sequeyra began to report the prevailing diseases in Virginia each year, whose account he continued until 1781. Later, he summarized the diseases more common in Virginia, their symptoms and therapies. Harold Gill (1972) and Sarah McEntee (1998) published these accounts.
Archival history
Anne G. K. Black donated part of this collection (ca. 10,000 items) in March 1978; other items were purchased between 1979 and 1983. The collection was completed in 1989 when 27 items were transferred to the Swem Library.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Galt family of Williamsburg, Virginia, operated the Eastern State Hospital. Members of the Galt family include John Minson Galt II, A. D. Galt, Jr., Sarah Maria Galt, Elizabeth J. Galt, and others.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The collection is organised into three series: 1) Medical Papers, 1756-1869; 2) Personal Papers, 1755-1904; and 3) Manuscript Volumes, 1749-1892.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies of some items are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2023
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary | Collections (official language of the state) |