The greater part of the Dinsmore collection, some 1200 items, consists of Rockingham County court records, retained by Dinsmore during his years as a member of the judiciary. These records range in date from January 1797 to November 1813. The majority are either writs of attachment or writs of execution issuing from minor civil suits, especially debt cases. All are signed by Dinsmore in his capacity as justice. Many of the writs of attachment are accompanied by bills, promissory notes, or other records relevant to the case; in some instances these are still affixed to the writs. Such attendant documents are also typically signed by Dinsmore. Most of the writs bear endorsements, often by the sheriff or officer to whom the document is directed, and some bear calculations of damages and court costs. There are also a small number of papers pertaining to criminal cases. Other, less extensive series in the collection include: land records (21 items, including 10 deeds to parcels of land acquired by John Dinsmore, Jr.); financial records (50 items, mostly account sheets and receipts); records issuing from Dinsmore's position as a proprietor of the Londonderry Turnpike (42 items, mostly receipts, 1805 to 1810); and papers relating to the settlement of Dinsmore's estate (44 items, 1814 to 1822). These latter include inventories of Dinsmore's real and personal estates, and an estate ledger kept by the executor, Dinsmore's eldest son, James (1788-1872).