Leonard Woods was born in Princeton, Massachusetts and eventually graduated from Harvard in 1796. He was ordained at Second Church of West Newbury, Massachusetts on December 5, 1798; He held onto that position until May 25, 1808 to become Professor of Theology at the Andover seminary and stayed there until his resignation in 1846. Leonard Woods received his Doctor of Divinity from Dartmouth in 1810 and another D.D. soon after from Nassau Hall. He played a role in the Unitarian controversy in 1821. He published lectures in five volumes and wrote a history of the Andover Seminary. He died August 25, 1854, age 81, of heart disease. Leonard was married to Abigail Wheeler with whom he had ten children. His son Leonard Woods Jr. would eventually become a President of Bowdoin College. This collection is composed of letters written by Leonard Woods, his wife Abigail Woods and both their close family and extended family. Also included are at least two published sermons, some manuscript sermons with annotations and family histories.