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The Ephraim Gilman papers relate to Gilman's trial for the murder of Harriet B. Swan of Fryeburg, Maine. Gilman was accused of strangling Swan after she objected to Gilman's affections toward her daughter, Abby F. Swan.

This collection (4 items) pertains to the criminal prosecution of Ephraim Gilman, who was accused of strangling Mrs. Harriet B. Swan of Fryeburg, Maine, on June 17, 1861. Three of the documents are witness testimonies compiled for the Oxford County coroner's inquest on or around June 18, 1861, including statements by Ephraim Gilman, Abby F. Swan, neighbors, acquaintances, and physicians. The statements (64 pages total) concern the events leading up to the murder, the discovery of the body, Gilman's character, and Gilman's relationship with Abby F. Swan. The final item is a manuscript copy of court proceedings from Gilman's trial before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in March 1862, including the prosecution's opening remarks and testimony from witnesses (104 pages, many of which are blank).