John Samuel Hill Fogg (1826-1893), a native of Eliot, graduated from Bowdoin College in 1846 and Harvard College medical school in 1850. He practiced in South Boston.

While still in college, Fogg became interested in collecting autograph letters and documents. After becoming paralyzed in 1873, he devoted himself to building his collection, which includes a complete set of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and other important documents relating to American history.

Fogg's wife, Mary, mended documents that needed repair and they housed them in engraved covers. They also collected images of the persons whose autographed documents they collected.