Papers : 1748-1808.

            Jacob Bailey was born in Rowley, Massachusetts, received both his AB (Bachelor of Arts) and AM (Master of Arts) degrees from Harvard College, served briefly as a school teacher and congregational preacher, and in 1760 was ordained as an Anglican clergyman in London. He returned to America to take up his duties at Pownalborough, Maine, where he was viciously persecuted for his loyalty to his church and king during the American Revolution. Finally, he left for Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1779 and was appointed by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to Cornwallis. He moved to Annapolis Royal in 1782 where he remained until his death.            

            Reels 1-5 contain correspondence, 1748-1830; miscellaneous material, 1700-1800; and diaries (journals), 1753-1779. This material chronicles Bailey's persecution as a Loyalist during the American Revolution, general news on the war, the development of his literary publications, and the state of health (including information on smallpox). In addition, many of the correspondences deal with Bailey's religious work, both in Maine and Nova Scotia. It touches on aspects of his life as a minister, an army chaplain, and a missionary for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Religious matters discussed include appointments, state of religion in Annapolis, concerns with dissenters, etc..
 Reel 6 contains journals, 7 June 1779 - 1783; correspondence, 25 June - 10 July 1779; miscellaneous material, 1796-1800; accounts, 1796-1797, 1799; and literary manuscripts.
 Reel 7 includes a written manuscript describing the weather and geography of New England; loose manuscripts including segments of plays; and sections of incomplete works including, Flowers of the Wilderness and Serena.
 Reel 8 consists of prose works including pieces on American history, for example, History of New England, and the geography of Maine and Nova Scotia in, A description and Natural History of the New England Province between New Hampshire and Nova Scotia (Maine); as well as fragments of two plays, one entitled, Majesty of the Mob, and Bailey's longest poem, The Adventures of Jack Ramble.
 Reel 9 contains, Jack Ramble, continued from reel 8; prose works on theology and morality; historical notes on such subjects as the Acadians and the state of religion in Nova Scotia; and a poem, Character of a Trimmer.
Reel 10 contains miscellaneous material; a prose piece written in the form of a journal describing various journeys through Nova Scotia; notebooks dealing with religion, morality and history; and letters, 1750-1808.
 Reel 11 consists of three notebooks on poetry; another entitled America;  and the last called, Elegy.
 Reels 12 and 13 contain the unfinished novel, The Flower of the Wilderness; school books; and letter books, 1779-1780, 1784-1788, of letters written in Halifax and in Cornwallis.             

            
A detailed calendar is available in the corresponding Loyalist Collection Inventory binder and as a PDF in the electronic finding aids section. This calendar breaks down each volume into numbered documents.
A microfilm shelf list containing reel numbers, volume numbers, document ranges, as well as a brief description of content, is available in in the Loyalist Collection Inventory (red) binder, as well as online as a Electronic Finding Aid resource.
A microfilm shelf list entitled "Religion in the Jacob Bailey Papers" is also available. This list provides reel numbers, volumes, document numbers, and abstracts for a many of the correspondences regarding religion. This shelf list is available in print (in the Loyalist Collection Inventory binder) and online.