The Holyoke Family Papers, 1607 to 1905, contain the correspondence and legal papers of early Holyoke relatives, including Edward Holioke, John Holyoke (1642-1711), Elizur Holyoke (1651-1711), and his wife Mary (Eliot) Holyoke. The papers also include Reverend Edward Holyoke's (1689-1769) sermons, business, legal and personal papers. Edward Augustus Holyoke's (1728-1829) medical, scientific, business, legal and personal papers are also included. There are also diaries, correspondence, and legal papers of the spouses and children of Edward (1689-1769), and Edward Augustus Holyoke (1728-1829). The Holyoke family papers are arranged into four series.

Series I. Early Family Papers contains manuscripts from early Holyoke family members. Subseries A. Edward Holioke and John Holyoke (1642-1711) contains the letters of Edward Holyoke's (1689-1769) great-grandfather, Edward Holioke, and his uncle John Holyoke (1642-1711). The letters of Edward Holioke to his wife, Prudence Stockton, include transcriptions that were made by Edward Holyoke (1689-1769) and Joshua Holyoke Ward. John Holyoke's (1642-1711) notebook is written in both Latin and English. Subseries B. Elizur and Mary (Eliot) Holyoke contains manuscripts from Edward Holyoke's (1689-1769) parents; the majority of which are legal and estate papers which pertain to the division of the Eliot estate.

Series II. Edward Holyoke (1689-1769) Papers contains his business, personal, legal, and family papers. Subseries A. Business Papers reflects his career as a minister in Marblehead and as President of Harvard College. Although Edward's sermons range from 1716 to 1757, the majority of them were written during his years as a minister in Marblehead, from 1716 to 1736. The bound copies of sermons, Volumes 2 and 3, contain homilies given by himself and fellow ministers. The indexes at the front of each volume record the text and who preached. The sermon notebook also lists ministers and the texts of their sermons.

Subseries B. Personal Papers contains miscellaneous accounts and correspondence, mostly with his family, almanac/diaries from 1700 to 1768, and astronomical observations. The seventy volumes of almanac/diaries briefly relate Edward's personal and professional activities, events in the community, and weather conditions. The five folders of astronomical observations chart solar and lunar eclipses from 1560 to 1870.

Subseries C. Legal Papers from 1644 to 1790, are comprised of his deeds, legal correspondence, and estate papers. Included in the folders of Edward's legal papers are the estate papers of John Browne, Edward's father-in-law, and John Legg. Edward's estate papers include his will, inventory of his estate, and accounts and letters regarding the settlement of the estate.

Subseries D. Family Papers, includes the papers of Edward's third wife, Mary (Whipple) Epes Holyoke, and his children: Priscilla, Anna, and John (1734-1753). The legal and estate papers of Mary Holyoke contain deeds, her will, and estate papers. Within the miscellaneous papers are letters from Priscilla and Anna, to their friends and John Holyoke's (1734-1753) 1747 valedictorian address.

Series III. Edward Augustus Holyoke (1728-1829) Papers covers the years 1683 to 1855 and contains medical and scientific records, business, legal, personal, and family papers. Subseries A. Medical and Scientific Records have been divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1. Medical Records includes his medical correspondence, remedies, prescriptions, case studies, medical essays, bills, receipts, day books, and ledgers. The bulk of the medial correspondence, 1749 to 1829, contains letters to and from his associates, many of whom were former students of Edward Augustus', describing medical cases and the treatments of patients. Petitions for medical treatment from local people, descriptions of autopsies, and letters to Edward Augustus regarding the medical training of prospective students are also included here. Any letters from Dr. Nathaniel W. Appleton, a former student, have been filed with the Nathaniel W. Appleton Correspondence (box 16, folders 2-3, and box 17, folder 1). The remedies and prescriptions include a scrapbook, compiled by Edward Augustus, and a folder containing clippings and his notes of various medical recipes and prescriptions, Edward Augustus' case studies and medical essays contain detailed descriptions and observations of various diseases and ailments and the treatment he used or recommended. The bulk of the medical bills and receipts, filed by year only, contain the records of Edward Augustus' fees for his patients. Edward Augustus' day books and ledgers contain his record of daily visits to his patients from 1749 until his death in 1829. The day books are arranged by year. The ledgers, Volumes 5 to 14, have a continuous pagination, and the index (Volume 15) contains a complete alphabetical listing of Edward Augustus' patient accounts. Volume 16 is an incomplete index of the ledgers. While the indexes are an alphabetical guide to the ledgers, the posting memorandum books (box 15, folder 1) contain yearly listing of accounts and their locations in the ledgers.

Sub-subseries 2. Professional Activities contains his correspondence with his former pupil Nathaniel Walker Appleton. Although the bulk of the correspondence related to the Massachusetts Medical Society, there are numerous letters which discuss medical cases, inform Edward Augustus on the progress of shipments of medical supplies, and relate the activities of other Massachusetts doctors. Any letters written by Appleton as an official spokesman of the Massachusetts Medical Society are located with those papers. The Massachusetts Medical Society's papers include minutes of meetings, the Society's charter, announcements of meetings, and miscellaneous correspondence. There is also a menu from the Essex South District Medical Society's centennial meeting which honored Edward Augustus. Additional societal papers include correspondence and a list of members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, correspondence and a list of questions for the Boylston Prize awarded by Harvard College, and honorary memberships to various medical organizations.

Sub-subseries 3. Scientific Records contains Edward Augustus' correspondence with colleagues regarding observations of meteorological patterns, astronomical occurrence, and Edward Augustus' study of arcs. Several letters from Thomas Lane of London, filed with the shipment papers, include reports of European weather conditions, as well as the shipment of medical and scientific supplies. Also included in this sub-subseries is a 1759 letter written to Andrew Oliver about seeing unidentified marine life; a negative of the letter is also included.

Sub-subseries 4. Statistical Data contains data gathered and maintained by Edward Augustus, documents disease in Salem from 1783 to 1806, the mortality rate from 1767 to 1822, and the births, marriages, and deaths from 1782 to 1788. The meteorological and astronomical statistics record his observations of weather, earthquakes, planetary movements, and other celestial phenomenon. The almanac/diaries, 1747 to 1829, primarily concern Edward Augustus' records of weather patterns and disease.

Series B. Business and Legal Papers include receipts, accounts, and correspondence not related to his medical practice, papers regarding his shipments of medical and scientific supplies from England, and underwriting insurance accounts. Included in the miscellaneous correspondence are notifications of the death of his uncle Jonathan Simpson, acknowledgements of letters for several charitable contributions, and correspondence from various societies.

Seven folders of correspondence, accounts, and invoices record the shipment of drugs, medical and scientific equipment, and books and pamphlets to Edward Augustus from England. Handled mainly by three merchant houses, Brainbridge Ansley and Company, R. Coates, and Thomas Lane, the records extend from 1789 to 1815. Included in the folder of miscellaneous correspondence, accounts and invoices are letters from Salemite Samuel Curwen. The letter book records letters written by Edward Augustus to merchant houses in England. Among the miscellaneous account books are expense books, from 1774 to 1778, and 1803, and memorandum books from 1791, 1805, and 1810.

Edward Augustus' legal papers include deeds, legal correspondence, his 1825 will, and the accounts and correspondence regarding the settlement of his estate by Joshua Ward. Also filed here are the correspondence regarding donations of his book, An Ethical Essay, and the 1830 copyright of this work. The Patch papers contain Edward Augustus' records of his land and financial transactions with Edmond Patch. Volume 18, originally an account book for the Epes family, also contains accounts of the settlement of Edward Augustus' estate. Among Samuel Epes' estate papers are his 1759 will and a 1760 inventory of his estate.

Subseries C. Personal Papers contains papers which reflect his theological and philosophical pursuits and his family life. Located within this series are published and manuscript copies of An Ethical Essay. There are also manuscript portions of the book and theological and philosophical notes he compiled while writing the book. Copyright information for the book is located in the legal papers. The pamphlet, Marblehead Recollections, gives a brief description of past events.

The folder of family correspondence contains letters of his brothers, sisters, and in-laws. These not only relate activities of the different individuals, but also frequently discuss illnesses of family members or friends. Edward Augustus' almanac/diaries have been moved to the statistical data, because they record mostly weather conditions and disease. The early almanac/diaries, however, do include his personal and professional activities.

Subseries D. Family Papers include miscellaneous correspondence and legal papers of his children and the diaries of his second wife, Mary (Vial) Holyoke, and daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. Included with the miscellaneous correspondence and legal papers are letters written to his wife, Mary, and his daughters, Judith and Margaret, several deeds transferring land between family members, and a will of Elizabeth Epes, Edward Augustus' stepsister. The papers of the Appleton family have been placed here. These include an agreement between John Appleton and Miss Denison, a eulogy of Reverend Nathanial Appleton, and a few estate papers for Mary Appleton.

Series IV. Miscellaneous Papers includes genealogical material, miscellaneous Holyoke and non-Holyoke papers. The genealogical papers contain notes, copies of gravestones, coats of arms, and correspondence about members of the Holyoke, Simpson, Appleton, Osgood, and Nichols families. The folder of miscellaneous notes for the biographical sketch of Edward Augustus Holyoke was compiled by Dr. A. S. Pearson. Within the miscellaneous Holyoke papers is a cipher written by Edward Augustus Holyoke. Of special note in the miscellaneous non-Holyoke papers are Richard Skinner's will, dated 1726, and the appointment of an agent for share in the privateer Bunker Hill, dated 1778. Also included in this series are diaries belonging to Margaret Holyoke.