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JONATHAN IRELAND JR [to TABITHA ROBBINS, JOSIAH BUMSTEAD, ETC.) : 1787 - 1790 ORIGINAL EXCEPTIONAL MANUSCRIPT CORRESPONDENCE BOOK KEPT BY A SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS BLACKSMITH OF THE LETTERS SENT BACK AND FORTH TO HIS FRIENDS DEEP IN THE THROES OF CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. On offer is a remarkable 230 year old manuscript journal, kept by Jonathan Ireland Jr. of Salem, Massachusetts from 1787 to 1790. The 109 manuscript pages record the correspondence between Ireland and several of his friends, speaking frequently of aspects of fundamentalist christianity and proselytizing their religion in order to bring new ‘souls’ into the flock. The journal is a record of letters, 68 in total, between Jonathan Ireland many different people, including Tabitha Robbins (Ireland's aunt) of Charlestown, Massachusetts, Mr. Josiah Bumstead of Union Street in Boston, Massachusetts (Josiah Bumstead was the founder of the Park Street Church in 1809 as well as the Superintendent of a Sunday School for Negroes), William Orne of Beverly, Massachusetts, William Blake (not the poet), Francis Cook, Abraham Quincy and Dan Farrington of Springfield, Vermont. All of the letters are of an extremely religious and spiritual content. This manuscript may have been created and kept specifically because it deals with religious questions that Ireland may have wanted to come back to. Each and every letter is overflowing with praise for Jesus Christ and God’s kingdom and the world to come. In addition to the 109 pages of recorded letters from 1787 to 1790, the journal was used again by someone in the year 1830 as a diary and contains six pages of entries. At the end of the diary is a three-page letter dated March 21, 1842. This touching letter was written by a man whose daughter was taken sick and died. The father, in this letter, describes the excruciating pain of losing one's child. It is unclear who wrote this passages from later years. The journal measures approximately 7” x 8 1/2” inches and is made up of stitched hand-laid paper with a thick paper cover. The front and back cover are both in not very good shape being very brittle and frayed at the edges, and only attached to the spine by a bit. The ‘title page’ of the book contains the words: “SALEM. The Property of Jonathan Ireland, Junr. January 30 1787.” The contents of this ledger are perfectly legible and with the rare exception of a few loose pages in very good condition. Some pages are slightly chipped and torn at the edges, but most of the pages are in good to very good condition. The ink is very dense at points, and at others it has faded to a rust color, indicating that Ireland used different types of ink to make this book. Sample Text: “Salem, January 30, 1787. My loveing Aunt, I take this opportunity to write to you and inform you that we are all well and blessed be God for it...I understand that Mr. Pane is ordained to the ministry of the Gospel and I hope and pray the he will be a failthfull servant of our good Christ that he may be a blessing to the throngs and that he may have a large harvest of souls for the real of his Ministry. I hope he will not shun to declare the whole counsel of God. I desire yours and all the rest of God’s people’s prayers for me for I have need of everybody’s prayers. I also desire to be remembered to all Relations especially Christ’s followers which are nearer to me than the bone of my bone and the flesh of my flesh...”; “Salem, April 16, 1787. Dear Friend, With inexpressible joy I taken pen in hand to inform you that the Lord Jesus is on his way that the Kingdom of God has come nigh unto us in this town that he is calling souls and since I ran you last I think I have great reason to hope that he has called a number of Souls out of nature's darkness into his marvelous light and I hope there _____ will find your town the same and oh dear friend, pray for us and pray that what he has done here and through this land might be only as a few drops before an overflowing shower...”; “Boston, June 7, 1787. My Dear Friend, What shall I say in what language shall I address you that will be God’s Glory and your good oh my dear friend I am afraid to say brother for fear I am a deceiver but had I the voice of Seraphims and the tongue of Angels it would be but as a surrounding trap and a tinkling Cymbal without the blessed influences of God’s spirit oh that he would grant I might feel the power of what I write and that he would set these few imperfect lines home to your heart for a few days perhaps a few hours we shall launch into the Eternal world...I am your unkind friend, Josiah Bumstead.”; “Salem, June 21, 1790. Dear Friend, After many attempts and desires I have found time to fish out and direct a few of the thoughts of my heart to you having obtained help of God. I continue to this time a living witness of his long suffering and forbearance Oh! How many times have I contracted that guilt which if God had been pleased to lay to my Chargement have constituted a final separation between him and my Soul how many times have I backslide and revolted from him still his God-like patience his loving kindness and tender mercies are lengthened O! The patience of God to bear and forbear so long with the Children of men still as forbearance and longsuffering as his mercies are they will not last forever. The wicked must know that there is a day comeing in which he will requite himself of all the rong done unto his Holy Name Oh!...”(Background: Jonathan Ireland was the child of Shadrach and Martha (Mallett) Ireland, born July 23, 1745 in Charlestown and died in Salem on July 23, 1823 at the age of 78. In 1773, he petitioned to join the Presbytery. He was a blacksmith by occupation and sold several parcels of land in Charlestown in 1781 which was probably close to the time he moved to Salem. He married Eliza Mallett on February 8, 1789 and they had three children. His wife's father was the owner of Breed's Hill which was erroneously commemorated in American history as "Bunker Hill." Apparently Jonathan Ireland resided on Breed's Hill but was forced to take up residence in another part of town during the famous revolutionary war battle! The house built for Ireland in 1797, known as the Ireland-Emory House (after Jonathan Ireland and the next resident Samuel Emory) is one of the better known homes in Salem, Massachusetts and is a well known example of the Federal-Style Architecture.) OVERALL: G. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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