Correspondence - County Clerk

2013 Bicentennial Celebration

 

A sample clerk correspondence
Record Series Correspondence - County Clerk
Indexes Index
Sample of Record Series View a sample record
Location Warren County Records Storage & Archives
Format Handwritten letters, forms & lists
Arranged Chronological
Volume 0.25 cubic ft
Department County Clerk
Legal Restrictions None
Use Restrictions Staff will access all records and must approve all requests for copies.
Historical Background During the period covered by this record series, the county clerk was the official recorder or registrar of deeds, mortgages, oaths and other legal documents such as: contracts, incorporations, assignments, etc. The clerk was also Clerk of the Courts and as such was responsible for recording and storing all court documents including: affidavits, judgments, indictments, convictions, incompetent papers, etc. In the 19th century, the clerk often conducted searches of land title, mortgages and legal documents, a process that was discontinued in the 20th century, in favor of using private title or abstract companies.
Description of Record Series This record series is comprised of a miscellaneous group of handwritten letters, forms and lists created by or sent to the County Clerk. A large portion of the collection appears to be the papers of Thomas Archibald, a 19th Warren County Clerk. One document of note in this collection is the Dec. 2, 1864 filing of a record of deaths for 1863 in the Town of Stony Creek, Warren County, NY.
Purpose of Record To document and provide a record of communication to and from the County Clerk during the 19th and early 20th century. Today, routine correspondence including cover letters are retained just one year, while correspondence containing legal, fiscal or administrative information are retained six years. While by no means complete, this collection provides a unique "window" into the routine correspondence of a 19th century county clerk.
Other Formats None
Finding Aids Partial index 1839 - 1844. Series locations on inventory database.
Related Series Deeds, Mortgages, Incorporations, Judgments, Criminal Indictments and Convictions