Northampton County papers

The collection deals with the founding and early settlement of Northampton County. It reflects the character and nationality of the settlers, religion, commercial and land enterprises, Indian warfare, and includes letters and documents of men who were prominent in the economic development of the co...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Author: Northampton County (Pa.) (Creator)
Collection:Northampton County Papers
Collection Number:0456
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects:
Physical Description: 27.0 Linear feet 6 boxes, 116 volumes
Summary: The collection deals with the founding and early settlement of Northampton County. It reflects the character and nationality of the settlers, religion, commercial and land enterprises, Indian warfare, and includes letters and documents of men who were prominent in the economic development of the country. There are: land warrants, 1734-1887; surveys, 1705-1886; deeds, 1689-1867; correspondence, 1743-1804; field notes of surveys, 1768-1865; minutes of the Board of Property, 1776-1779; wills, administration accounts, 1682-1860; accounts, 1775-1855; bonds and agreements, 1742-1880; pleas and prosecutions, 1753-1848; tax list, 1816; and miscellaneous papers on land transactions, and municipal, legal, political and domestic affairs, 1706-1880. The collection also contains: commissioners minutes and accounts, 1755-1782; provincial tax assessments, 1767-1782; Northampton County, assessments, 1768-1793; tax rates, 1762-1789; funding tax, 1789; state tax, 1782; supplementary tax, 1781; county treasurer's accounts, 1754-1770; miscellaneous assessments, 1808-1815; indentures, land warrants, petitions for roads, taverns, creation of new townships, oaths of allegiance, indictments, criminal proceedings, details of Indian warfare, military defenses, requests for provisions, arms, ammunition for forts and garrisons, letters on the Moravians in Bethlehem, the Nazareth community, 1727-1858. Among the letters are those of: Edward Biddle, William Bradford, Henry Engel, James Hamilton, Timothy Horsfield, Robert Levers, Thomas Mifflin, Thomas McKean, Jacob Orndt, William Parsons, Richard Peters, Nicholas Scull, Jonathan Sergeant, William Shippen, Bishop Spangenberg, Daniel Stroud, Edward Tilghman, Conrad Weiser, and others. Included in the collection are: provincial tax receipts, 1776; duplicates for county tax, 1770; tax and assessment book, 1779; county tax, 1786; duplicates of provincial tax, 1789; duplicates of county tax, 1766, 1788; letters and documents on the Revolutionary War, transportation, litigations, commerce, politics, grand jury, indictments, marriage contracts, domestic affairs, 1749-1783; surveys, surveyors' returns to the general office, 1776-1865; tax lists, papers on the Continental Army, Connecticut claimants, muster rolls, bonds, legal instruments, list of constables, 1765-1859; Bethlehem materials, letters about the number of people killed by the Indians, 1755-1757, Indian accounts, Quakers and their conduct at Easton, Nazareth community affairs, drafts, bills of sale, 1765-1859. Other papers are: surveys and deeds, 1689-1867; Bethlehem and vicinity papers, 1741-1886, containing letters and documents on the settling of Bethlehem and adjacent areas, surveys and drafts of lands, details of Indian warfare military protection, means of defense of Forts Norris, Allen and Hamilton; petitions for new roads and tavern licenses, constables' returns, records of prices of food; minutes of the Committee of Observation and Inspection of Northampton County, 1774-1777, with Major Robert Traill's report of the proceedings of the Committee of Safety, on the execution of measures adopted by the Continental Congress; manuscript histories of Northampton County, by Matthew S. Henry, 1851, with notes on development of townships, education, religion, witchcraft, trade, Revolutionary War, Indian affairs, court cases, names of taxables, assembly proceedings. There are also several volumes of sundry county records, one of which, titled "Miscellaneous Manuscripts, 1778-1797," contains a register of enslaved people in 1780, which includes names, slaveowners, and their locations. Documents on the founding of Easton published in the P.M.H.B., 38 (1914): 110-114.