George Washington Keely papers, 1820-1834

John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	George Washington Keely papers
Date range:	1820-1834
Creator:	Keely, George Washington, 1803-1878
Extent:	0.25 Linear feet
Abstract:	These papers primarily consist of correspondence concerning events leading to the resignation of President Asa Messer and the educational developments in Providence between 1829 and 1833.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	MS.1U.K1

Scope & content

These papers primarily consist of correspondence with Keely's father, Rev. George Keely (1772-1865), and his brother, Josiah Keely, from 1820 to 1834. Many of the letters describe aspects of student life, such as boarding arrangements; the Brown University curricula; and trips to and from Brown and Keely's home in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Other Brown subjects documented include the controversy over the beliefs, tacitly Arianism or Unitarianism, of Asa Messer, the University President. The dissension among the Brown students and faculty regarding this controversy is described in the letters. The Benedictine affair, that is discussed in a number of letters, probably refers to the writings of David Benedict, a Baptist minister, regarding Messer. Other subjects, documented in correspondence from John Kingsbury (1801-1874), include the Providence Franklin Society and chemistry classes for women in Kingsbury's Young Ladies High School.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Hazard, Rowland Gibson, 1801-1888
• Keely, George Washington, 1803-1878
• Keely, George, 1772-1865
• Kingsbury, John, 1801-1874
• Leach, Daniel, 1806-1891
• Messer, Asa, 1769-1836

Subject Organizations

• Brown University -- Curricula
• Brown University--Students.
• Providence Franklin Society.
• Young Ladies' High School (Providence, R.I.)

Subject Topics

• Arianism
• Unitarianism

Occupations

• Professors

Document Types

• Letters (Correspondence)

Subject Topics

• Rhode Island/Local Interest

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

• Series 1. Letters by George Washington Keely. Arranged chronologically.
• Series 2. Letters to George Washington Keely. Arranged alphabetically by last name of author and then chronologically.

Biographical note

George Washington Keely was born in Northampton, England on December 25, 1803 to Reverend George and Mary Keely. In 1820, Keely became a student at Brown University as a member of the class of 1824. From 1825 to 1828, Keely tutored Brown students in Latin and Greek. After a year as an associate principal at a private school in Providence, Keely was made professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Waterville (now Colby) College in Waterville, Maine. Keely held this position from 1829 to 1852. Following his work at Waterville College, Keely worked with the United States Coast Survey and was a correspondent of the Royal Observatory of England. Keely resided in Waterville, Maine until his death in 1878.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	George Washington Keely papers, MS-1U-K1, Brown University Archives.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The acquisition information for this collection is unavailable.
Accruals:	No further materials are anticipated for this collection.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Amy Greer and Archives staff
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-03-05

Additional Information

Related material:	Brown University Archives, Biographical Files Collection
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: George Washington Keely papers

Inventory

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