Middle Island, New York legal notes
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Abstract
The Middle Island legal notes are recorded in a single bound notebook and span the period 1774 to 1776.
Historical note
Middle Island, New York is a hamlet within the Town of Brookhaven, located in Suffolk County, Long Island. Its history dates to 1766 when the first Presbyterian church was built in the area and the village of Middle Island developed around it. Middle Island's name derives from its distinction of being located approximately halfway between the Long Island Sound to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single volume.
Scope and Contents
The Middle Island legal notes are recorded in a single bound notebook and span the period 1774 to 1776. The notes are handwritten and list descriptions of legal cases, including the month and year during which the case was brought to court, the persons involved in each case, whether a plea was entered by the defendent, or whether a judgement was rendered due to the absence of a plea. On the page before the page titled "A" is a list of names and corresponding dollar amounts, possibly indicating the settlement amounts for various cases.The notes do not clearly indicate whether the trials documented were criminal or civil trials. The creator of the notes is unknown. Names that recur frequently in this document are Sarah Woodhull and Elias Matthews.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The materials in this collection are in the public domain.
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Middle Island legal notes, 1973.121, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquistion unknown. The notes were formally accessioned in 1973.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This finding aid was revised by Dee Bowers in 2025. Portions of the revised description were written by Cecilia Wright as part of a project to assess and improve access to archival collections in CBH's holdings that relate to Long Island, made possible thanks to the generosity of The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
