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October Third Thursday Program: Uncovering New Haven: Finding Hidden Treasures in the New Haven Court Records, 1666-1855
October 21, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Court records 
offer an intriguing glimpse into the past. Not only do they reflect the laws, ethics, morals, and customs of their times, they also document all those who interacted with the court system, from the elites to the enslaved. For those on the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy, a court case may be the only documentation of their existence—especially given that the enslaved, indentured servants, and others without standing were often the subjects of lawsuits, but not plaintiffs or defendants. Court records therefore provide a key resource for historians, researchers, genealogists, and others seeking knowledge of who we are and where we came from.
offer an intriguing glimpse into the past. Not only do they reflect the laws, ethics, morals, and customs of their times, they also document all those who interacted with the court system, from the elites to the enslaved. For those on the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy, a court case may be the only documentation of their existence—especially given that the enslaved, indentured servants, and others without standing were often the subjects of lawsuits, but not plaintiffs or defendants. Court records therefore provide a key resource for historians, researchers, genealogists, and others seeking knowledge of who we are and where we came from.In honor of Archives Month, Project Archivist Sarah Morin will give an overview of the New Haven County Court Records dating from 1666-1855 and highlight several of the interesting, amusing, tragic, and sometimes infuriating cases that we’ve discovered in the course of preserving these records. If you are interested in this program please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/x/185081201857