Scope and Contents

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. 

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A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to recover a sum of £10 6p plus fees from David Seaberry, a mariner of North Yarmouth, Maine, to satisfy judgment in favor of Aaron Bourne, of Bristol, by the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas. With an endorsement on the reverse by Joseph Glaistead, sheriff of York County, indicating that he could not locate Seaberry.

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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A memorandum written and signed by Thomas Terry, a Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Marey Whelch, described as a spinster from Taunton now residing in Freetown, in the amount of £5, on condition that she appear before the Bristol County Court of General Sessions to answer charge of fornication with Lot Strange. 

Scope and Contents This document and the one following (MSN/COL 2717-69) relate to the case of John Throop, Jr. and Sarah Child, both of Bristol. This first document, dated "the Second Tuesday of June" 1744, is a Bristol County Court of General Sessions grand jury presentment against Throop and Child, the sister of Throop's late wife and herself a widow, charging that the two had "Conversed together as man & wife." Appended to the presentment is the name of Nicholas Thomas, foreman of the jury; the...

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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. 

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A document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to bring Joseph Raynolds, Jr., of Bristol, before a justice of the peace to become bound by recognizance to appear before the Bristol County Court of General Sessions to answer a jury presentment charging him with working as a currier, tanner, and shoemaker without license; with endorsement on the reverse by William Cox, constable.

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A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to attach the property of Nathaniel Bosworth and Thomas Lawton to the value of £400, to compel their appearance before the Bristol County Inferior Court of Common Pleas to answer for a debt owed to William Ellery and Job Almy, both of Newport, Rhode Island; with endorsements on the reverse by Charles Church, sheriff.

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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.

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A memorandum written and signed by Samuel White, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording the conviction of Stephen Baker for "uttering one profane Curse." 

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A document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the sheriff to summon the selectmen of Swansea to come before the Bristol County Court of the General Sessions to answer a grand jury presentment charging them with failing to perform maintenance on "Milses" (Myles) Bridge over the New Meadow River. The endorsement of Eleazer Luther, deputy sheriff, appears on the reverse. 

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A partly printed document written and signed by Timothy Fales, clerk, directing the constables of Berkeley 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 of John Burt, Jr., constable. 

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A document written and signed by Timothy Fales, directing the constables of Rehoboth 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 of Israel Daggett, constable. 

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A document written and signed by Timothy Fales, directing the constables of Swansea 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 of Elisha Chase, constable. 

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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." 

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A partly printed memorandum written and signed by Thomas Bowen, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording the conviction of Daniel Allen, Jr. for profane swearing. 

Scope and Contents A partly printed memorandum written and signed by Benjamin Williams, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Stephen Wilbore of Taunton, on behalf of his underage son, Stephen Wilbore, Jr., in the amount of £60, and Robert Liscomb and Apollon Leonard, as sureties in the amount of £25 each, on condition that Wilbore, Jr. appear before the Bristol County Court of General Sessions to answer the complaint of Lucinda Lambert "for begetting her with child...

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A partly printed memorandum written and signed by Thomas Gilbert, Bristol County justice of the peace, recording a bond of recognizance entered by Joannah (Joanna) Read, of Berkeley, in the amount of £5, and Nathaniel Ralph, of Freetown, as surety in the amount of £5, on condition that Read appear before the Bristol County Court of General Sessions of the Peace to answer "for her haveing a Bastard Child begotten of her body."

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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."

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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A Bristol County Court of General Sessions grand jury presentment signed by Jacob French, jury foreman, and Seth Padelford, prosecuting attorney, accusing Job Smith of Taunton with overcharging Joseph Tisdale for a hundredweight of flour. A note indicates that the jury found the presentment a "true bill." 

Scope and Contents This document and the one following (MSN/COL 2717-88) pertain to a case involving several residents of Freetown, Massachusetts, whose activities appear to have aroused the suspicions of the Freetown and Berkley committees of inspection. This first document, dated 18 April 1777 and written by Jacob French, Berkley committee chairman, is a petition addressed to Elijah Dean, jailer for Bristol County. French reports that the committee has examined Simeon and Ezra Chase, both of Berkley, along...

Scope and Contents This document and the one preceding (MSN/COL 2717-87) pertain to a case involving several residents of Freetown, Massachusetts, whose activities appear to have aroused the suspicions of the Freetown and Berkley committees of inspection. This second document, dated 2 May 1777 and addressed to the Bristol County Special Court of Sessions, is a deposition written and signed by Joshua Hathaway, of Freetown, who was present during the earlier examination by the Freetown committee of three of the...

Scope and Contents This document, written and signed by John White, town clerk, and addressed to the justices of the quorum for Bristol County, performs two functions. First, it informs the justices that, in accordance with an act passed by the Massachusetts General Court, the citizens of Mansfield have chosen Elijah Dean to "procure Evidence against any person" suspected of loyalist sentiments; second, it reports that the selectmen of Mansfield have identified Zepheniah Hodges as "a person suspected to be...

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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. 

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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.