Legal cases and court orders
Scope and Contents
1790s manuscript record of legal cases for the late 1600s to 1793, mostly Pennsylvnaia in origin, including many in Lancaster County. Possibly in the hand and from the library of Jasper Yeates, though there is more than one hand-writing present.
Dates
- 1693-1793
- Other: Date acquired: 12/07/2013
Creator
- Yeates, Jasper (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Archives and Special Collections of McNairy Library will reproduce Special Collections material to the extent that physical condition and copyright or other legal restrictions permit. Reproduction is available in the form of photocopies and digital images. All reproduction requests must be approved by a member of the professional staff. Decisions will take into account the type and condition of the binding, the brittleness of the paper, the size and the general size and fragility of the item.
Conditions Governing Use
Archives and Special Collections adheres to the provisions of the 1976 Copyright Act and amendments, and follows the minimum standards of educational fair use established under Section 107. In applying these standards, Archives and Special Collections will copy up to 10% of a copyrighted work if the copy is to be used for the purpose of private study, scholarship or research. The department will not copy for the purpose of public performance. Physical condition permitting, the department will copy more than 10% of a copyrighted work only with the written permission of the copyright holder. Multiple copies are not permitted under fair use. For authored works created since 1978, copyright lasts from the creation of the work until 70 years after the author's death. The expiration term for corporate, anonymous, or pseudonymous works is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever occurs first. For works published before 1978, with a copyright notice, the maximum duration of copyright protection is 75 years. Works published before 1978 without a copyright notice are assumed to be in the public domain. Since March 1, 1989, a copyright notice is no longer necessary. Archives and Special Collections reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
Biographical or Historical Information
Born on April 17, 1845 in Philadelphia, Jasper Yeates graduated from the College of Philadelphia in 1761 and studied law at the Inns of Court in England. After being admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1765, Yeates started a law practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, becoming one of the most prominent lawyers in the county. He sided with the colonists before and during the Revolutionary War, serving as chairman of the Lancaster Committee of Correspondence, which was responsible for communicating with the second Continental Congress, and as captain in the Lancaster militia. In 1776, the Continental Congress appointed Yeates to a Commission on Indian Affairs which negotiated the Treaty of Fort Pitt with the Lenape (Delaware) Indians. Following the Revolutionary War, he served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania State Convention which ratified the U.S. Constitution and was appointed by George Washington to a commission charged with negotiating with the participants of the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. In 1791, Yeates was appointed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, a position which he held until his death on March 14, 1817.
Note written by
Extent
1.00 items
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Narratives of various court cases, mostly Pennsylvania, many in Lancaster County, but also Philadelphia city and county, Berks, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, with some from Maryland and New Jersey, and some English cases. Most of the cases recorded are from the colonial period. There are a number of indicators that authorship of the manuscript belongs to Jasper Yeates, the first one being the name "Yeates" written boldly in in on page 6. There are also possibly other signatures of prominent men of the time: Andrew Dunlop, John Hubley, Edward Shippen and George Ross. A watermark for "J.S. & Co." can be found on pages 56-57, 88-89, 115-116, 163-164 and 211-212. (Gravell'sCatalogue of American Watermarks notes that this watermark was found on a Winchester, VA 1790 document, but has no information on the papermaker.)
Technical Access Requirements
The processing fee for photocopying or scanning requests is $10.00/request. There is no charge for Millersville University students, faculty, or staff.
Method of Acquisition
Purchased.
Creator
- Yeates, Jasper (Person)
- Title
- Archon Finding Aid Title
- Date
- 12/03/0002
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the Millersville University Special Collections Repository
9 North George Street
McNairy Library, PO Box 1002
Millersville University
Millersville 17551-302 US
717-871-7134
Special.Collections@millersville.edu