After about ten more minutes I arrived at the Northamptonshire Public Library, found my way to the reading room, and settled in for work. I opened a stiff cardboard box to find two Bibles, an accounting book, and five folders full of 190 letters. And so I began.
Initially I was going to translate the letters on the spot, but a few lines in I realized I could make better use of my time with my camera. So, I snapped a few pictures, uploaded them to the laptop, and voila! Decent quality reproductions at several hundred times the size (which is
necessary for readability). Most of these letters were from Mercy Doddridge to her husband Philip. I'm very glad to have these letters as they provide a fuller picture of their marriage. In all I snapped 244 pictures of thirty some letters.

I included a few interesting items like pictures of Philip's inscription in his Grandfather's (John Bauman of Germany) Luther Bible. Bauman was
run out of Germany for holding to Protestant beliefs. I also photographed a sermon that Doddridge composed almost entirely in shorthand! It looks like hieroglyphics to me.

I also found a letter from the Doddridge's son, Philip,
to his mother from 1753 that is written in beautiful copperplate script.

I headed home after a quick lunch at McDonalds. In all it took about four hours roundtrip but advanced my research significantly. Now to transcribe these letters...
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