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| In 1777, New Jersey’s public records were in great peril. Its citizens had established a new government just eight months earlier under a state constitution that explicitly declared the colony’s independence from the King of Great Britain. The Continental Army had retreated across the state in 1776, though it had regained control of the territory after major victories at Trenton and Princeton. But British invasion by land and sea was imminent. Thus, New Jersey’s fledgling legislature considered the security of its public papers and their removal from the City of Burlington. “Whereas the Preservation of the publick Records is of the utmost Importance to the Inhabitants of this State ...”—thus began an act passed 14 March 1777 authorizing the transfer of government records to a safer place in anticipation of attack and the destruction of property and buildings that would undoubtedly accompany it. New Jersey's public records documenting the revolutionary conflict are now in great peril due to the effects of time. As we celebrate the 225th anniversary of our nation’s struggle for independence, New Jersey State Archives has made the professional treatment of war-related records our highest conservation priority. The proposed project entails the repair of over 5,200 leaves of Revolutionary War manuscripts (about 6% of the Archives’ war-period holdings). Military records include: officer commissions, Loyalist papers, orders to requisition supplies for Washington’s army, eye-witness accounts of battles, and communications between military and political leaders. Non-military records include: court minutes documenting the prosecution of charges of sedition, treason and rioting; legislative papers documenting efforts to ensure domestic security and restrict trade across enemy lines; and claims inventorying the loss of property and describing wartime turmoil. In consultation with conservators, the State Archives selected twelve groupings of Revolutionary War manuscripts most in need of professional treatment. Selection decisions were based on: 1) the informational value of the documents and their potential for use in research and exhibitions; and 2) the level of damage and need for stabilization and repair. For further information about the collections, see Themes and Collections. Assessment of the documents demonstrated that they were critically in need of professional treatment. Continued use of the manuscripts for over two centuries has taken its toll. Tears, separations, discoloration, staining, water and insect damage, adhesives and residues, acidity of papers and inks, and early attempts at mending have all threatened the physical integrity and survival of the manuscripts. Through SAT funding, conservators have begun the three-year project to chemically stabilize and repair the documents using modern standards of treatment and accepted best practices. Professional treatment of these manuscripts will not only preserve the integrity of the documents themselves, but will also enable the State Archives to move forward with several initiatives to improve the public accessibility of these national treasures. This includes preservation microfilming, scanning for website and publication use, and exhibitions. |
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