Windsor County, Vermont legal documents collection
Scope and Contents note
Many of these documents are original legal documents from Windsor County, Vermont. Many others report actions and decisions of the Vermont Supreme Court -- all relate to Windsor County.
Dates
- 1785-1801
Creator
- Vermont (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access note
Open for public research.
Conditions Governing Use note
Copyright of the Windsor County, Vermont legal documents collection is held by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University.
Permission to publish material from the Windsor County, Vermont legal documents collection must be obtained from the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.
Historical Note
The documents in this collection pertain to Windsor County, Vermont, between the years of 1796 and 1800. This is the area of the country where the family of Joseph Smith lived when he was born. The documents in this collection reflect the economic depression of the area at the time. Rather than saving money, the residents of the area would borrow from each other, leaving bonds in the hands of their creditors. When these bonds went unpaid, the offenders were brought to court.
This collection of legal documents from Windsor County, Vermont, between the years of 1785 and 1801, is relevant to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because it was the area where the Joseph Smith Sr. lived, and where Joseph Smith Jr. was born in 1805. While these documents do not deal directly with the Smith family, they help shed a revealing light on that place and time.
Of particular note in this collection is the correspondence between Alvira Wilson Stout and several of her children. Alvira was born April 21,1834, and died March 20, 1910.
Extent
2 boxes (1 linear ft.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The contents of this collection represent a cross-section of the legal documents that would have been used in Windsor County, Vermont, just prior to the birth of Joseph Smith, Jr. The other cases paint an interesting picture of the legal environment in which young Joseph grew up. Among the cases are some that deal with debt and wage disputes, divorce suits, counterfeiting and forgery, disputes over land titles, an escape from debtor's prison, family squabbles about who inherits what property, and questions of right of way for road building.
Arrangement note
The documents are arranged by case, with each folder containing all of the documents relating to that case.
Other Finding Aids note
Folder-level inventory available online. http://files.lib.byu.edu/ead/XML/MSS2369.xml
Custodial History note
This collection was purchased from Rick Grunder, a manuscripts dealer based in New York, in three installments, in 1991-1993.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Purchased; Rick Grunder; 1991-1993.
Appraisal note
19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts.
Processing Information note
Processed; Dr. LeGrand Baker, Dr. David J. Whittaker, and Emily Schaefer; November, 2003.
- Title
- Register of the Windsor County, Vermont legal documents collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- LeGrand Baker
- Date
- November, 2003
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English in Latin script.
- Sponsor
- Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
Repository Details
Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States