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Collection Overview

Collector:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Title:
New Jersey Documents Collection
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9593tv175
Dates:
1601-1983 (mostly 1750-1890)
Size:
4 boxes and 1.5 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-4
Language:
English

Abstract

Westfield, New Jersey, was part of Elizabethtown from the time it was settled in late 1664 until 1794, when the Township of Westfield was created. The New Jersey Documents Collections, 1601 to 1983, consists of New Jersey legal documents, the bulk of which are from the town of Westfield, Union County, and include land records, financial records, estate records, and court records, many of which were created by various members of the Baker, Downer, Hetfield, Johnson, Miller, Pierson, Ripley, Ross, and Woodruff families. The majority of the collection material dates from 1750 to 1890.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The New Jersey Documents Collections, 1601 to 1983, consists of New Jersey legal documents, the bulk of which are from the town of Westfield, Union County, with the earliest documents showing Westfield as part of Essex County. In addition to Westfield, areas represented include Rahway and Plainfield in Union County; Woodbridge and Newark in Essex County; Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset counties; New York City and Suffolk County in New York; Wabash County in Illinois; and Fairfield County in Connecticut. The majority of the collection material dates from 1750 to 1890 and contains deeds, indentures, and land surveys; financial records including accounts, promissory notes, and receipts; estate records including inventories and wills; Chancery, Pleas and N.J. Supreme Court records; and an arithmetic "cyphering" book. The names most frequently represented on these documents include various members of the Baker, Downer, Hetfield, Johnson, Miller, Pierson, Ripley, Ross, and Woodruff families, many of whom were connected to each other by marriage and business.

In 1839, the Reverend James Huntting, pastor of the Westfield Presbyterian Church, wrote that Westfield parish was settled about the year 1720. He listed these families among the early settlers: Acken, Badgley, Baker, Brooks, Bryant, Clark, Connet, Cory, Craig, Crane, Davis, Denman, Dunham, Frazee, Frost, Hendricks, Hetfield, High, Hinds (Haines), Hole, Jennings (Gennings), Lambert, Littell, Ludlum (Ludlow), Marsh, Meeker, Miller, Mills, Pierson, Robinson, Ross, Scudder, Spinnage (Spinning), Terry, Tucker, Willcox, Williams, Woodruff, and Yeomans. While not all of these family names are represented in the container list of the finding aid, it is important to note that almost all of them are represented within the collection.

The collection is arranged alphabetically by family name; followed by groups of records that are either unidentified or the family name appears only once in the collection. Deeds and indentures are sorted by the recipient of the land or loan; therefore, multiple families will appear in a single folder, even though they are not identified. For example, records of Pierson family members are represented most heavily in the Pierson family folders, but will also appear in the Baker, Ross, and Woodruff folders, in addition to the miscellaneous deeds and indentures folder, in which case they were the seller or loaner rather than the recipient of land.

Items of note include a brief of legal disbarment against Edward C. Ripley, divorce records for Eleanor and Cornelius Fleet circa 1793, estate inventories, and survey maps of the Westfield, New Jersey region. Also of note is the folder entitled "Miscellaneous Westfield and Union County Records," which includes a hand-drawn map of the railroad in the village of Westfield; lists of roads from Westfield; a list of proprietors of the Westfield Academy; and commitments to the Essex County Jail from Union County, containing name, crime committed, ethnicity, age, hometown, and sentence. Researchers interested in the history of Westfield, New Jersey and its early residents, legal records of early New Jersey, and the land transfers and evolution of property in Westfield will find this collection of great value.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by name of family or individual name; followed by miscellaneous documents.

Collection History

Acquisition:

The majority of the collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject. Some of the materials related to the Scudder family were a gift from the Estate of Richard B. Scudder, 2013.

Appraisal

No material was separated during 2012 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Holly Mengel in 2012. Finding aid written by Holly Mengel in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

New Jersey Documents Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9593tv175
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-4