Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection consists of seven documents and handwritten notes related to a slander suit filed with the New York Supreme Court in Montgomery County, February 1893. The complaint, filed by Elisabeth B. "Lizzie" Creigmus's attorneys, alleges that defendant Michael Youngs publically accused Creigmus of canine castration and bestiality.

This collection consists of seven documents and handwritten notes related to a slander suit filed with the New York Supreme Court in Montgomery County, February 1893. The complaint, filed by Elisabeth B. "Lizzie" Creigmus's attorneys, alleges that defendant Michael Youngs publically accused Creigmus of canine castration and bestiality. In the complaint dated February 10, 1893, Creigmus accused Youngs of speaking with malice "false, defamatory, and slanderous words." The document details the nature of the complaint in which Youngs, at Fort Hunter, New York, publicly speculated that Creigmus assisted in luring his dog into the house of a man name Nolter, encouraging the dog to have sexual intercourse with Nolter's female dog, and, then, proceeding to castrate the defendant's dog. Also contained within the complaint are allegations that Youngs accused Creigmus of having "sexual intercourse with a dog or dogs."

The primary documents present are:

• Creigmus's sworn and signed statement, dated February 10, 1893.
• Youngs's response denying all allegations, February 25, 1893.
• Trial Notice for defendant; court appearance date set for March 15, 1893.
• Two Trial Notices, issued separately for the attorneys representing Creigmus and Youngs; court date set for September 18, 1893.
• Manuscript notes, apparently in the hand of the defense attorney, respecting language, intent of utterances, and a similar case Goodrich v. Woolcott.

This collection consists of two documents and a check related to a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, inquisition into the apparent suicide of Elizabeth Slick in early September 1863.

This collection consists of two documents and a check related to a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, inquisition into the apparent suicide of Elizabeth Slick in early September 1863. The items are:

• 1863 September 11. True copy of a document by Jacob Kemper, Justice of the Peace for Lancaster County, and signed by various witnesses, describing the discovery of Elizabeth Slick's body and the inquisitors decision that Slick's death was a suicide.
• 1863 September 11. Document by Dr. Henry Reemsnyder, detailing the results of his examination of Slick's body. This was provided to the Justice of the Peace as means of documenting the cause of death. The second half of the document records payment to each of the witnesses present.
• 1863 September 28. One check made payable to Jacob Kemper, for $10, as payment for the inquest into the death of Elizabeth Slick.

The Isaac Morehouse and Clara Winters Court Documents consist of complaints, court fees, and warrants relating to two court cases initiated by Mary Morehouse of Silverbow County, Montana, against her husband, Isaac Morehouse, and Clara Winters, an unmarried woman, for committing adultery in January 1888.

The Isaac Morehouse and Clara Winters Court Documents consist of complaints, court fees, and warrants relating to two court cases initiated by Mary Morehouse of Silverbow County, Montana, against her husband, Isaac Morehouse, and Clara Winters, an unmarried woman, for committing adultery in January 1888.

Mary Morehouse provided two complaints, one against her husband, Isaac Morehouse, and another against Clara Winters, an unmarried woman, swearing that they committed adultery and "the offense of fornication by . . . having carnal sexual intercourse" on January 10 and 24, 1888, in Silverbow County, Montana. The complaints attest that the adultery "is contrary to the form of the statutes of the United States and against the peace and dignity of the people of the United States of America." Caleb E. Irvine, U.S. Commissioner for the 2nd Judicial District of Montana Territory, signed both complaints and provided two accounts for the costs of issuing warrants for arrest and for hearing and deciding the cases. The arrest warrant for Clara Winters is also present, with certification that U.S. Marshal R. Kelley received and served the warrant.

The Isaac Morehouse and Clara Winters Court Documents consist of complaints, court fees, and warrants relating to two court cases initiated by Mary Morehouse of Silverbow County, Montana, against her husband, Isaac Morehouse, and Clara Winters, an unmarried woman, for committing adultery in January 1888.

The Isaac Morehouse and Clara Winters Court Documents consist of complaints, court fees, and warrants relating to two court cases initiated by Mary Morehouse of Silverbow County, Montana, against her husband, Isaac Morehouse, and Clara Winters, an unmarried woman, for committing adultery in January 1888.

Mary Morehouse provided two complaints, one against her husband, Isaac Morehouse, and another against Clara Winters, an unmarried woman, swearing that they committed adultery and "the offense of fornication by . . . having carnal sexual intercourse" on January 10 and 24, 1888, in Silverbow County, Montana. The complaints attest that the adultery "is contrary to the form of the statutes of the United States and against the peace and dignity of the people of the United States of America." Caleb E. Irvine, U.S. Commissioner for the 2nd Judicial District of Montana Territory, signed both complaints and provided two accounts for the costs of issuing warrants for arrest and for hearing and deciding the cases. The arrest warrant for Clara Winters is also present, with certification that U.S. Marshal R. Kelley received and served the warrant.

This collection contains documents related to a lawsuit between James Gibbs and Joseph E. Embertz of Caroline County, Maryland. Gibbs, a free African American, sued Embertz to regain possession of a "spotted sow."

This collection contains 6 documents related to a lawsuit between James Gibbs and Joseph E. Embertz of Caroline County, Maryland. Gibbs, a free African American, sued Embertz to regain possession of a "spotted sow" worth $5, which Embertz had allegedly stolen and retained illegally. The material documents most of the case's history and includes an affidavit and summons. Constable Alexander Ridegway is frequently mentioned in the documents.

This collection contains depositions from the trial of John Link, who was accused of murdering his stepfather, Samuel Pavey, and stepbrother, Taylor Pavey, in Leesburg, Ohio, in May 1879.

This collection (5 items) contains depositions from the murder trial of John Link, who was accused of murdering his stepfather, Samuel Pavey, and stepbrother, Taylor Pavey, in Leesburg, Ohio, in May 1879.

Martha Pavey, Jennie Pavey, and John Link provided their accounts of the day of the murder and discussed the families' history. According to the testimonies, on the day of the incident, Taylor Pavey had accused his stepmother, Martha Pavey, of slander, and had threatened to whip her and cause her other bodily harm. After Taylor retired to bed, Martha noticed her son John Link walking toward her home. While telling Link of the incident with her stepson, Pavey emerged from the household, leading to a physical altercation between the two men. Samuel Pavey later joined the fray, which ended when John Link fired several shots at Samuel and Taylor Pavey, killing them both. The three witnesses responded to questions from both the prosecution and defense.

• Mrs. Martha S. Pavey's examination (morning session)
• Mrs. Martha S. Pavey's examination (afternoon session)
• Jennie Pavey's examination
• Testimony of John Link (2 items, with some duplicated testimony)

This collection is made up of legal documents pertaining to a lawsuit filed by John Molson and George Davies against Jesse Hawley in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in 1834.

This collection is made up of 8 legal documents pertaining to a lawsuit filed by John Molson and George Davies against Jesse Hawley in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in 1834. Depositions and other court records pertain to the plaintiffs' attempts to recover payment from two promissory notes that had been executed by Hawley. The documents concern the history of the notes in question, witnesses' testimonies, the case's eventual postponement, and the issues the court sought to settle. Several items are signed by the defendants' attorney, Orlando Hastings.

This collection is made up of legal documents and court records pertaining to the murder trial of Milton Lester and Sarah Parker in Washington County, Texas, in late 1847. Lester and Parker were accused of killing George Parker, Sarah's husband.

his collection is made up of legal documents and court records pertaining to the murder trial of Milton Lester and Sarah Parker in Washington County, Texas, in late 1847. Lester and Parker were accused of killing George Parker, Sarah's husband. The items are dated August 1847-December 1847. The first item is a formal indictment against Milton Lester and Sarah Ann Parker, accusing Parker of hiring Lester to shoot her husband, with notes about the case dated as late as April 1848. Other items include orders for the county sheriff to arrest Lester and Parker and summons for witnesses, some of which are signed by John B. Dupuy, a justice of the peace. One brief document and a 44-page group of records contain witness testimonies. One item relates the results of an inquisition on the cause of George Parker's death, deemed to be a single bullet to the chest. The final items pertain to the defendants' requests for their trial to take place in Austin County, as they did not believe that a jury of men from Washington County would be impartial.

The Nathaniel Freeman papers contain letters and documents relating to the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety of Sandwich, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary War. The committee, of which Freeman was the chairman, investigated alleged Tory activities around Cape Cod. The cases of Seth Perry and John Jennings are particularly well documented.

The Nathaniel Freeman papers (138 items) contain letters, depositions, and documents relating to the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety, of Sandwich, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary War. The committee, of which Freeman was the chairman, investigated and prosecuted alleged Tory activities in the Cape Cod area. They heard the pleas of accused Loyalists and their friends and family, and administered the oath of allegiance to them. The committee also supervised the equipping and disciplining of the militia and maintained official communication with Boston and other nearby towns. Of particular interest are letters and petitions concerning suspected Loyalists who were imprisoned and banished to Rhode Island. The collection provides a picture of how small town governments in the rebelling colonies dealt with those loyal to the British Crown.

The Correspondence series (47 items) is comprised of official letters addressed to Nathaniel Freeman and the Committee of Correspondence. These letters, spanning 1773-1804, largely concern efforts to banish Loyalists from the area, and include responses of the accused parties. Of note are six letters pertaining to an alleged Loyalist sailor named Seth Perry. These consist of a personal letter to Freeman from jail asking for lenience; a letter informing Freeman of Perry's escape to Newport; a letter from Perry to Freeman requesting permission to reunite with his family and manage some recently inherited property in Sandwich; and a 1785 letter from Freeman to the governor of Massachusetts disputing Perry's claim to property because of his wartime disloyalty.

• March 8, 1774: Long patriotic letter from James Warren that uses the "house divided" quotation from scripture
• November 9, 1774: Letter from John Winthrop, President of the Commercial Club of Boston, congratulating Freeman for his patriotism and heroism during an unspecified Tory attack

The Deposition series (65 items) documents depositions generated by the committee to investigate allegations of Loyalist activity near Barnstable, Massachusetts. Included are depositions taken in March and April 1778 relating to the case of Edward Davis, a "one-legged man" who met with many of the town's Tory sympathizers. The investigation exposed a number of Loyalists; their communications with fellow sympathizers from surrounding towns; their dealings with the British at Newport, Rhode Island; and their attempts to pass counterfeit money. Also notable are 10 depositions relating to Loyalist John Jennings and 8 items concerning Loyalist Seth Perry, including his claim against the state in 1785 for confiscated property. Much of the collection consists of deposition copies, forwarded by Freeman to the governor of Massachusetts.

The Documents series (26 items) covers official materials from the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety, of Sandwich, Massachusetts, including notes from meetings and petitions from the citizens of Sandwich. The series holds 5 items with commentary on the Boston Tea Party and the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts), including an official protest of the acts (September 30, October 5, and November 1, 1774), oaths from merchants not to sell tea until Parliament repeals the Boston Port Bill (1774), and and resolutions demanding the impeachment of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Chief Justice Peter Oliver over the letter controversy (March 14, 1774). The series also includes a certificate indicated that Rev. A. Williams took an oath of allegiance to Massachusetts Bay (April 13, 1778).

Of particular interest are 5 petitions, including the petitions from accused Loyalists who were imprisoned and banished: Seth Perry, Melaiah Bourn, Isaac Knowles, Abel Ellis, Price Tupper, and John Jennings (March 20 and April 27, 1778); the petitions from their wives requesting permission to join their husbands (with their children and possessions) in Rhode Island (June 17 and December 14, 1778); and the petition of Loyalist Seth Perry concerning rights to inherited land in Sandwich.

This volume contains manuscript copies of legal documents pertaining to roads and property in Pennsylvania from 1804-1816, written in an 1801 edition of Collinson Read's Precedents in the Office of a Justice of Peace....

This volume (around 125 pages) contains manuscript copies of legal documents (60 pages), written in an 1801 edition of Precedents in the Office of a Justice of Peace..., by Collison Read (around 100 pages). The documents, dated 1804-1816, are comprised of deeds, indentures, and similar agreements respecting Pennsylvania real estate, particularly in Lancaster County. A few records from 1815 concern George and Frederick Rapp, the founders of the Harmony Society, who sold Harmony, Pennsylvania, land in Butler County before the sect relocated to Indiana. The author also copied petitions related to road construction and notes about proper forms of address for United States government officials (1 page) and algebraic mathematical equations (2 pages).

The remainder of the volume is a second edition copy of Collinson Read's Precedents in the Office of a Justice of Peace. To Which is Added a Short System of Conveyancing, in a Method Entirely New, with an Appendix, Containing a Variety of the Most Useful Forms (1801), originally published in 1794. The 63-page tract and 36-page appendix provide examples of legal records. The final page of Read's Precedents contains additional notes.