Zuriel Waterman was a physician from Cranston, Rhode Island and served as a surgeon aboard several American privateers during the Revolutionary War. He relocated to Edenton, North Carolina after the war. Commonplace book, dated circa 1769-1774, appears to have been created by Zuriel Waterman and Sarah Dean. The name Sarah Dean appears on the inside cover, but many later entries written in a different hand are attributed to Zuriel Waterman. The book contains a number of excerpts, verse, and other writings including: "A Chronological Table of Epithets of the Kings of England," "Versus on Mr. George Whitefield," "A Short and True Description of North Carolina and its Inhabitants," and "Care for bite of a mad dog." Also included is a count of inhabitants in the colony of Rhode Island by locale and race, a sketch of the city of Troy, a petition of the Continental Congress to the King of England, and various religious and political writings.

Commonplace book, dated circa 1769-1774, appears to have been created by Zuriel Waterman and Sarah Dean. The name Sarah Dean appears on the inside cover, but many later entries written in a different hand are attributed to Zuriel Waterman. The book contains a number of excerpts, verse, and other writings including: "A Chronological Table of Epithets of the Kings of England," "Versus on Mr. George Whitefield," "A Short and True Description of North Carolina and its Inhabitants," and "Care for bite of a mad dog." Also included is a count of inhabitants in the colony of Rhode Island by locale and race, a sketch of the city of Troy, a petition of the Continental Congress to the King of England, and various religious and political writings.