Difference between revisions of "History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia"

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===by William Stith===
 
===by William Stith===
 
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<blockquote> Stith's History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia was published in Williamsburg in 1747 and followed by a London edition of 1753. In it he traced the first seventeen years of the history of England's first permanent colony in North America, from its founding in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London to the dissolution of the company in 1624. Long regarded by later historians as a pioneering example of scholarship based on extensive research in original sources Stith's work was in other respects more subjective, praising what he regarded as the more liberal policies of a reform-minded group of Virginia Company officials and roundly condemning what he perceived as the authoritarian intentions of the initial leaders and James I. <ref> Thad W. Tate, ‘Stith, William (1707–1755)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/68752, accessed 6 June 2013]</ref> </blockquote>
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[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stith William Stith] (1707-1755) was a clergyman and historian born in Charles City County, Virginia to Captain John Stith and Mary Randolph Stith.<ref>Susan Berg, “Life, Liberty, and No Pistole,” ''Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Journal'' (Summer 2013), accessed Oct. 1, 2013. http://history.org/Foundation/journal/summer13/stith.cfm.</ref> He attended Queen’s College and became an ordained priest in the Church of England before returning to Virginia.<ref>Thad W. Tate, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/68752 “Stith, William (1707-1755)”] in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press, 2004-), accessed Oct. 1, 2013. (Subscription required for access.)</ref> In 1747, he published ''The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia''. This work was considered especially significant because he diverged from the practice of other scholars by actually examining and evaluating records from the early settlement period rather than relying on stories and accounts from earlier writers. ''The History'' established him as a serious historian and served as a source for early Virginia history for over a century.<ref>Berg, “Life, Liberty, and No Pistole."</ref> Stith went on, in 1752, to become the third president of the [http://www.wm.edu/ College of William & Mary].
  
 
==Bibliographic Information==
 
==Bibliographic Information==
'''Author:''' William Stith, (1707-1755)
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'''Author:''' William Stith.
  
'''Title:''' The History Of The First Discovery And Settlement Of Virginia: Being An Essay Towards A General History Of This Colony.  
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'''Title:''' ''The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia: Being an Essay Towards a General History of This Colony''.  
  
 
'''Publication Info:''' Williamsburg: Printed by William Parks, 1747.
 
'''Publication Info:''' Williamsburg: Printed by William Parks, 1747.
  
'''Edition:''' First
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'''Edition:''' First edition; viii, 331 [i.e. 341], v, 34 pages.
  
 
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
 
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
Mentioned by George Wythe in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, April 6, 1775 - ''…the matters you are considering are the same that are in the appendix to Mr. Stith’s History…''
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Mentioned by George Wythe in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, April 6, 1775 - ''…the matters you are considering are the same that are in the appendix to Mr. Stith’s History…''<ref>Thomas Jefferson, ''Papers'', ed. Julian P. Boyd (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950), 164.</ref> Both Dean's Memo<ref>Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 16 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).</ref> and the [https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433 Brown Bibliography]<ref> Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433</ref> suggest Wythe owned this title based on this letter.
  
 
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
 
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
Bound in antique paneled calf with spine gilt and gilt morocco label. Purchased from William Reese Company.  
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Bound in antique paneled calf with spine gilt and gilt morocco label. Purchased from William Reese Company.<br />
 
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<br .>
 
View this book in [https://catalog.swem.wm.edu/law/Record/3439230 William & Mary's online catalog.]
 
View this book in [https://catalog.swem.wm.edu/law/Record/3439230 William & Mary's online catalog.]
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==

Revision as of 08:22, 2 October 2013

by William Stith

William Stith (1707-1755) was a clergyman and historian born in Charles City County, Virginia to Captain John Stith and Mary Randolph Stith.[1] He attended Queen’s College and became an ordained priest in the Church of England before returning to Virginia.[2] In 1747, he published The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia. This work was considered especially significant because he diverged from the practice of other scholars by actually examining and evaluating records from the early settlement period rather than relying on stories and accounts from earlier writers. The History established him as a serious historian and served as a source for early Virginia history for over a century.[3] Stith went on, in 1752, to become the third president of the College of William & Mary.

Bibliographic Information

Author: William Stith.

Title: The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia: Being an Essay Towards a General History of This Colony.

Publication Info: Williamsburg: Printed by William Parks, 1747.

Edition: First edition; viii, 331 [i.e. 341], v, 34 pages.

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Mentioned by George Wythe in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, April 6, 1775 - …the matters you are considering are the same that are in the appendix to Mr. Stith’s History…[4] Both Dean's Memo[5] and the Brown Bibliography[6] suggest Wythe owned this title based on this letter.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in antique paneled calf with spine gilt and gilt morocco label. Purchased from William Reese Company.

View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

External Links

Google Books

References

  1. Susan Berg, “Life, Liberty, and No Pistole,” Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Journal (Summer 2013), accessed Oct. 1, 2013. http://history.org/Foundation/journal/summer13/stith.cfm.
  2. Thad W. Tate, “Stith, William (1707-1755)” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004-), accessed Oct. 1, 2013. (Subscription required for access.)
  3. Berg, “Life, Liberty, and No Pistole."
  4. Thomas Jefferson, Papers, ed. Julian P. Boyd (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950), 164.
  5. Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 16 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).
  6. Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433