Series 5: Legal Papers, 1665-1817, inclusive

Series 5 contains Legal Papers. For purposes of this arrangement, Legal Papers refers to those papers such as wills, contracts, conveyances, deeds, etc. that do not pertain to court cases. Because most of the legal papers in the collection have to do with the sale or transfer of lands in New Jersey, legal papers are arranged by county. The papers are then arranged chronologically within the county. Usually the parties to the land transfers are members of the Board of Proprietors transferring property among themselves, or to and from other holders of large tracts. In some instances, however, the parties are settlers (or proprietors), and Indians. Occasionally appearing among the legal papers are leases from landlords to tenants.

In addition to the legal papers in boxes 12 -19, there are seven oversize deeds in the collection. These oversize items are not foldered, and are in boxes 59 and 60.