Box 1

A partly printed document written and signed by Ebenezer Brenton, clerk, directing the sheriff to attach the property of Constant Church, of Freetown, to the value of £30, to compel his appearance before the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas to answer the complaint of Thomas Creaghead, of White Clay Creek, Pennsylvania, for failure to pay a promissory note; with endorsement of Josiah Winslow, deputy sheriff. 

A document written and signed by Ebenezer Brenton, clerk, directing the sheriff to summon Benanuel Bowers, of Swansea, to appear before the Bristol County Inferior Court of the Common Pleas to answer the complaint of Henry Bragg, of Bristol, for failure to pay a £19 debt; with endorsement of Charles Church, sheriff. 

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to attach the property of Squier Allen and Joseph Allen to the value of £15, to compel their appearance before the Bristol Count Inferior Court of the Common Pleas to answer for an unpaid debt of £14 8s to Joseph Barney, of Rehoboth; with endorsement of Daniell Hunt, deputy sheriff. 

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to attach the property of Thomas Homan, of Rehoboth, to the value of £6, to compel his appearance before the Bristol County Inferior Court of the Common Pleas to answer the complaint of Nathaniel Cooper, for an unpaid debt of £2 16s; with endorsement of Daniell Hunt, deputy sheriff. 

A memorandum written and signed by George Leonard, a Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Anna Cobb alias Scoley, of Norton, in the amount of £10, with Grover Scoley and Samuel Holmes as sureties in the amount of £10, on condition of her appearance before the Court of General Sessions to answer a charge of fornication. 

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to attach the property of Samuel Clark, of Middleborough (Plymouth County), to the value of £25, to compel his appearance before the Bristol Count Inferior Court of the Common Pleas to answer the complaint of Seth Pope, of Dartmouth, for an unpaid debt of £18 5s 2p; with endorsement of John Briggs, deputy sheriff. 

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to recover the sum of £7 9s 2p plus fees from John Clap, of Rochester (Plymouth County, to satisfy a judgment at the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas in favor of Samuel Willis, for a debt of £3 17s 6p plus costs of suit and fees; with endorsements on the reverse by Willis and Edward Winslow, deputy sheriff, recording partial payments. 

A document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the constables of Easton to convene a town meeting to select two men to serve as jurors at the next sessions of the Bristol County Court of General Sessions and Inferior Court of Common Pleas; with endorsement on the reverse by Thomas Randell, constable. 

A document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the constables of Tiverton to convene a town meeting to select two men to serve as jurors at the next sessions of the Bristol County Court of General Sessions and Inferior Court of Common Pleas; with endorsements on the reverse by John Davenport and Chaplin Cook, constables.

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to summon Joseph Tisdale of Taunton to appear before the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas to answer a complaint by Jeremiah Wetherell (Witherel), alleging that Tisdale removed a quantity of shingles, valued at £11 5s, from the landing at Taunton Neck without Wetherell's permission. With three endorsements on the reverse, describing Tisdale's defense. 

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to recover the sum of £48 18s 6p plus fees from Samuel and Bezaliel Thrasher, both of Taunton, to satisfy judgment in favor of Lot Strange and Samuel Hathaway, both of Freetown, by the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas; with endorsements on the reverse by Strange and Hathaway, and Samuel White, deputy sheriff, recording partial payments. 

A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to attach the property of John Marshall, of Freetown, to the value of £50, to compel his appearance before the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas to answer for a debt of £176 owed to David Evins, also of Freetown; with endorsement on the reverse by Samuel White, deputy sheriff. 

A document written on a printed writ of attachment form and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to summon Israel Peck, of Rehoboth, to appear before the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas to answer for a debt of £120 owed to William Ellery and Job Almy, both of Newport, Rhode Island; with endorsement on the reverse by Charles Church, sheriff. 

This document and the one preceding (MSN/COL 2717-68) relate to the case of John Throop, Jr. and Sarah Child, both of Bristol. This second document, dated 8 August 1744, is a warrant directing the sheriff to bring Throop and Child before a justice of the peace to become bound by recognizance to answer the jury presentment of the previous June. The verso bears an endorsement by William Cox, constable, reporting that he arrested Throop, but could not locate Child. 

A Bristol County Court of General Sessions jury presentment signed by Henry Pitts, jury foreman, charging Ebenezer Hodges, an innkeeper in Norton, with allowing "the Game of Card playing & other unlawfull Games" at his house. A note indicates that the jury found the presentment billa vera, and that Hodges pleaded guilty.

A document signed by 23 residents of Swansea, Bristol County, petitioning the Court of General Sessions to deny an innkeeper's license to Enoch Hunt, should he apply for one. The tavern in question is currently licensed to Unice Frankling, who operates it in a manner prejudical to the neighborhood. "And now we understand she is married to Mr Enoch Hunt whome we fear will not Keep Better orders then the woman Did before." 

A partly printed memorandum written and signed by William Bullock, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Sarah Brown, of Rehoboth, in the amount of £5, and Jesse Brown and John Eagles as sureties in the amount of 50s each, on condition that Sarah Brown appear before the Bristol County Court of General Sessions to answer "for her having a Basterd Child Born of her body."

A partly printed memorandum written and signed by Ephraim Leonard, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Samuel Pratt, of Mansfield, in the amount of £30, with Samuel Fisher and John Pratt as sureties in the amount of £15 each, on condition that Samuel Pratt appear before the Bristol County Court of General Sessions to answer an indictment for allegedly assaulting deputy sheriff Jonathan Clap. 

A memorandum written and signed by Benjamin Williams, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording Williams's examination of Betty Chase, a single woman of Freetown, accused of fornication with David Duglas. 

A complaint signed by Lydia (Lidia) Briggs, a single woman of Norton, in which Briggs alleges that John Mory, also of Norton, "Begat me with Childe of a Bstard Child which I am now pregnant with." The complaint is directed to (and written in the hand of) Benjamin Pettingill, Bristol County justice of the peace, and seeks a warrant against Mory. 

A Bristol County Court of General Sessions jury presentment signed by Jacob French, jury foreman, and Seth Padelford, prosecuting attorney, alleging that Ebenezer Peirce, of Taunton, stole twenty-five paper bills of Continental currency, valued at $7 each (for a total of $175, equivalent to £52 10s), from Samuel Hathaway. An addendum indicates that Peirce pleaded and was found not guilty. 

A complaint signed by Silence Burr, a single woman of Easton, alleging that Thomas Randell, also of Easton "did . . . begit her with [a] Basterd childe." The complaint is directed to (and written in the hand of) Benjamin Pettingill, Bristol County justice of the peace, and seeks a warrant against Randell. 

A memorandum written and signed by Isaac Dean, a Bristol County justice of the peace, recording the conviction of William Witherill, of Mansfield, for "swearing five profain Oaths." 

A memorandum written and signed by Ephraim Starkweather, a Bristol County justice of the peace, recording the conviction of Japheth Bicknal, of Attenborough, for "swearing one profane Oath in the following words Viz—by GOD." 

A memorandum written and signed by Elisha May, a Bristol County justice of the peace, recording the conviction of George Brock for "swearing one Profane Oath—in saying by God." 

A Bristol County Court of General Sessions grand jury presentment signed by jury foreman Ebenezer Peck and prosecuting attorney Seth Padelford, alleging that Asher Ellis, of Rehoboth, "did play at Cards" at the tavern of Elkanah French; an addendum indicates that Ellis was found guilty. 

A partly printed memorandum written and signed by Zebedee A. Macomber, a Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Bradford Howland, of Dartmouth, in the amount of $60, with Jaber Barker and Pardon Davoll as sureties in the amount of $30 each, on condition that Howland appear before the Court of Common Pleas to answer an indictment for traveling on the Sabbath.