The work we do at the Connecticut State Library to preserve the New Haven County Court Records and to make them accessible to the public would not be possible without the help of our diligent student interns and volunteers. To express our gratitude for their assistance in this endeavor, we profile two of our interns in this month’s blog entry. In their own words, they discuss their experiences working on the Uncovering New Haven project.
Christopher notes that an entire volume of town records is titled “Miscellaneous” – the horror, the horror!
Educational background:
What drew you to seek an internship with the Uncovering New Haven project and the Connecticut State Archives?
Although I have over a decade of experience working in an academic library, I have never had the opportunity to work in an archive before. The internship at the Connecticut State Archives provided the perfect opportunity to change that. Additionally, it seemed like a natural fit for my interest in studying history.
Describe a normal day in the archives for you:
Most of my days at the archives consisted of processing the materials associated with the court session that I had been assigned. This consisted of unfolding all the documents related to a single case and then reading through that case for anything notable. Once these steps were complete, I would wrap them in a sheet of paper labeled with the court session, the docket number, as well as the plaintiff and defendant. Additionally, I would note any interesting features of the case or if it involved a member of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community. Due to the nature of most of the cases concerning debts, I learned quite a bit about who owed money to whom 200 years ago.
What is the most interesting, memorable, surprising, and/or bizarre thing(s) you’ve found while processing the court records?
One of the most memorable cases that I found while working on the court records was one involving a postal carrier and the Town of Derby. The postal carrier sued the Town of Derby for not properly maintaining the roads in town. The conditions of the roads made it difficult for the postal carrier to deliver the mail. This case stands out because it was the first one that I processed that did not relate to a debt. Additionally, the description of the case included in the writ was quite detailed, and I could easily see how the roads’ poor condition hampered the delivery of the mail.
What aspects of working on this project did you enjoy the most, and why? What aspects did you enjoy the least, and why?
I really enjoyed when I came across a case that provided a lot of detail about the situation behind it. While these cases were often more difficult to read because they tended to be longer and written by hand, they provided a great window into what was going on in the lives of people at the time.
The part of the internship I enjoyed the least is when I came across documents written by someone with awful penmanship. It was often difficult to determine precisely what was written, and I was afraid that I might miss an important detail during processing.
What have you learned about court records, history, or in general over the course of working on the Uncovering New Haven project?
One of the things that intrigued me the most from my work with the New Haven County Court Records is that pounds and shillings were still being used as legal tender in the late 1790s. At first, it seemed odd that not every case used dollars and cents as the monetary units. This discovery made it evident that there was a transition period when both pounds and dollars could be used as legal tender.
Is there anything else that you would like to share about your internship experience?
Another thing that I found interesting about many of the cases in the New County Court Records is the concept of attaching property. The Sheriff serving a writ would attach or take possession of their property to ensure that the defendant appeared in court. In a lot of cases, the property attached was land owned by the defendant; however, in some instances other items were taken. I became fascinated with the instances where the sheriff attached something other than land and began a list of some of the property taken. In some cases, the sheriff selected livestock as the attachment. In these instances, the sheriff often described the animal being taken (e.g., the red cow with the white spot on its forehead and hind leg). Other times, the sheriff would attach property that appeared related to the defendant’s livelihood (e.g., stacks of harvested hay or construction materials). Perhaps the most interesting cases were the ones when the Sheriff attached more unusual items. I found several cases where one of the items attached was a cherry breakfast table. I also found one case where various cooking pots and kitchen utensils were taken as the attachment. Overall, I found it interesting to see the various types of property that were attached to compel a person’s appearance in court.
Christopher files a batch of court cases that he has unfolded and flattened – you're gonna need a bigger box!
One of the documents that Adrienne transcribed was the writ for Caleb Hall vs. John Hotchkiss, Jason Hotchkiss, and Jack Negro, 1739. Jason (the minor son of John Hotchkiss) and Jack (an African-descended man who was enslaved by John Hotchkiss) were accused of entering Hall’s land and cutting down 90 trees.
Educational background:
What drew you to volunteer/seek an internship with the Uncovering New Haven project and/or the Connecticut State Archives?
I had an in-person internship scheduled for the semester that ended up having a late start due to Covid. My internship advisor suggested the Uncovering New Haven project since it was online and due to my interest in archival work. It ended up being a great match.
What is the most interesting, memorable, surprising, and/or bizarre thing(s) you’ve found while processing the court records?
I have always enjoyed reading old letters, books, and documents. The way people wrote in the past is just so much more eloquent than today. I really enjoyed transcribing the letters that started with “To the Sheriff of the County of New Haven, or his Deputy, or to the Constable of Wallingford in said county. Greetings, In his majesty’s name you are hereby required to summons and give notice….” Compared with today’s standard of greeting of “hey” or “hi,” this was just refreshing and enjoyable to see.
What aspects of working on this project did you enjoy the most, and why? What aspects did you enjoy the least, and why?
I most enjoyed reading local names and locations I am well familiar with today but was unfamiliar with their history. I’m an avid history buff, and it was fun to learn a little bit more about local historical figures. I least enjoyed doing the transcription for reader purposes. I found it easier to do the literal transcriptions compared with this one. The reader transcriptions were more challenging since the original writers did not use punctuation often, creating a challenge for me to determine where a statement should have a pause or should end and still make sense to the reader.
What have you learned about court records, history, or in general over the course of working on the Uncovering New Haven project?
In general, it was great to experience firsthand what I learned about in school; i.e., the importance of the preservation of past documents for future generations. I am thankful for the small contribution I could make ensuring generations to come will be able to access the Uncovering New Haven project.
Is there anything else that you would like to share about your volunteer/internship experience?
A shout-out of thanks and appreciation to Allen Ramsey for being so agreeable and accommodating throughout my internship.
Adrienne’s transcription of the writ for Caleb Hall vs. John Hotchkiss, Jason Hotchkiss, and Jack Negro.
The Connecticut State Library would like to thank the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for their generous support of this project.
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