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The collections selected for professional conservation as part
of the SAT project are grouped into four major themes, as follows:
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American Military Activity:
The 1776 retreat of the Continental Army, Washington’s crossing
of the Delaware and the surprise victory at Trenton, the death of
General Mercer at Princeton, and the Battle of Monmouth: these New
Jersey events are part of the national iconography of the American
Revolution. The detailed records of New Jersey’s executive
branch of government—including the Adjutant General’s
Office—are the main source for documenting the key
role New Jersey’s militia played in the conflict, the procurement
of supplies and equipment for the troops, and the activity of military
leaders and Governor William Livingston.
Three
collections related to this theme were selected for conservation:
Adjutant
General's "Numbered Manuscripts"
(1,250 leaves to be treated) – The Adjutant General’s
Revolutionary War “Numbered Manuscripts” consist
of over 11,000 original documents relating to every aspect
of military activity during the war: orders to raise troops,
testimonies of service and battle accounts, communications
between officers in the New Jersey militia and the Continental
Army. Professional assessment determined that roughly 1,250
leaves are in desperate need of stabilization and repair.
See Before and After Photographs
for sample documents.
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Records
of the Quartermaster and Commissary Generals, 1776-1785
(579 leaves to be treated) – New Jersey’s location
and resources made it strategically vital to both the American
and the British forces. Accounts, receipts and correspondence
in this collection document the requisition and acquisition
of supplies needed to support the Continental Army and the
ongoing struggle to protect resources from enemy raid. See
Before and After Photographs
for sample documents.
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Militia
Papers, Commissions/Appointments and Expense Accounts, 1776-1785
(127 leaves to be treated) – These papers supplement
the two collections listed above, documenting military casualties
and desertions, officers’ commissions, wartime expenditures,
and the provision of goods, medical services and housing
to soldiers as part of the war effort.
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Loyalty
and Security: On 2 July 1776, New Jersey’s first
state constitution declared independence from the King of Great
Britain and replaced his colonial government. Yet, as British troops
invaded a few months later, most of New Jersey’s population
had not yet chosen sides. In fact, an estimated one third of New
Jerseyans remained faithful to the crown throughout the war. Deep-seated
loyalty in New Jersey was a key factor in military strategy during
the early part of the conflict; moreover, it supplied the British
with six battalions of volunteer soldiers to fight not only in New
Jersey, but in other states. Matters of security and the effort
to root out Loyalists were vested in the state’s Council of
Safety during the early war years.
Three
collections were selected relating to this theme:
Council
of Safety Records, Oaths of Allegiance and Abjuration, and
Performance Bonds, 1776-1783 (386 leaves
to be treated) - This collection includes minutes, inquisitions,
petitions and oaths documenting the effort to root out Loyalists
and strengthen the resolve of the citizens in support of
independence. The Council of Safety was the state’s
primary organ for “expediting laws” to promote
the patriot cause and for suppressing treasonous activity
against the newly established state government. See Before
and After Photographs for sample documents.
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Loyalist
Manuscripts, 1776-1785 (234 leaves to be treated)
- Through regimental rolls, accounts and orders, this series
documents the activities of local men who joined the Loyalist
regiments, fighting in New Jersey and other states throughout
the war.
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Records
of Forfeiture and Confiscation of Loyalist Estates, 1777-1785
(807 leaves to be treated) - These papers document the State’s
confiscation of property belonging to those who served in
the Loyalist regiments or remained sympathetic to the British
forces. As these records span the entire war period, they
are vital in understanding the shifting influence of Tories
in New Jersey. Also, since no comprehensive study has been
made of the loyalty of New Jersey citizens, these records
will be invaluable to future scholarship on the subject.
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Legislative
and Judicial Efforts:
Following the removal of Royal Governor William Franklin in June
1776 and the adoption of the new constitution a few days later,
New Jersey’s legislature and judiciary were faced with serious
problems. British invasion was imminent, and the Loyalist faction
at home presented an enormous threat, as did continued trade across
the Hudson River into enemy territory.
Three
collections relating to this theme were selected for conservation:
Petitions
to the Legislature, 1777-1785 (42 leaves to
be treated) – The Legislature received petitions from
military contractors seeking payment, local citizens seeking
to expel Loyalists, and accused traitors seeking pardon.
A 1778 petition describes the British threat along the Atlantic
coast: “... they will again infest our shores and
do all the mischief in their power: And the many threats
repeatedly uttered by the enemy, that they will destroy
our Saltworks, burn our houses, and plunder the Country,
all tend further to confirm us in our apprehension of danger
...” See Before and After
Photographs for sample document.
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Oaths
of Office, Election and Attendance Certificates, 1775-1783
(74 leaves to be treated) – These papers document
the election and service of New Jersey revolutionary leaders
in public office, including the Provincial Congress, and
their allegiance to the new state constitution which declared
independence from the crown.
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Oyer
& Terminer and Quarter Sessions Court Records, 1775-1787
(399 leaves to be treated) – This collection documents
the prosecution of wartime criminal cases including charges
of rioting, sedition and treason as judicial authority transitioned
from the crown to the state. See Before
and After Photographs for sample volume.
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Loss
of Property and Livelihood:
For New Jerseyans, the home front and the battlefront were one and
the same during most of the war. Armies marched through communities
destroying buildings. Foraging troops pillaged crops and pressed
equipment and livestock into service. When the conflict ended in
1783, New Jersey was devastated and impoverished.
Three
collections were selected for documenting economic losses:
Damage
Claims, 1776-1782 (1,077 leaves to be treated)
– New Jersey’s legislature authorized the inventorying
of wartime damages to property by both American and British
forces. While no payments were ever made on the claims,
the documentation provides excellent evidence of destruction
and losses resulting from military engagements, foraging
of troops, and commandeering of goods. See Before
and After Photographs for sample volume.
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Lost
Deeds Files, 1776-1795 (168 leaves to be treated)
– Wartime turmoil and the destruction of buildings
resulted in the loss of legal papers such as land titles.
This fascinating series of filings in the New Jersey Supreme
Court provides accounts of families who lost their deeds
during the war. See Before and
After Photographs for sample document.
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Shopkeepers
Licenses, 1781 (99 leaves to be treated) –
To prevent commerce with the British and their sympathizers,
the state required shopkeepers in counties bordering the
enemy territory of New York to petition for a license to
sell goods, and to provide witnesses attesting to their
loyalty to the newly formed state government.
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