Simsbury Free Library Quarterly

Elisha Cornish, 18th Century Man of Law

Volume 7 Issue 2 Summer 2000

His Ledger Lists More Than Two Thousand Legal Services

Elisha Cornish’s account book shows the multiplicity of occupations that men often had during the late colonial and Revolutionary War periods, but his interest in all aspects of the law predominates. The account book, along with public records, reveals that he evolved over the years from holding law enforcement positions to serving as an attorney. He began the account book in 1752 and made his last entry in 1793, a year before his death. In it he recorded accounts for at least 573 clients and mentioned over 2900 names of individuals. They are a mix of Simsbury townspeople and others whose residence cannot always be determined. A few, like Oliver Ellsworth, are very distinguished persons. A few are debtors or criminals whom he must commit to prison. The preponderance of the entries are for legal services, but a significant number of entries record various other types of assistance that he provided for his clients and their animals.

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Francis Barnard of Simsbury (1719-1789)

Volume 7 Issue 1 Spring 2000

His Seven Sons Fought in the Revolutionary War

Although not one of the very earliest families of Simsbury, that of Francis Barnard extends back over two and a half centuries in town, and few families anywhere can claim the distinction of having as many participants in the American Revolutionary War as this family can.

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Some Services in 18th Century Simsbury

Volume 6 Issue 4 Winter 1999-2000

David Phelps Jr.’s Profitable Sidelines

If a newcomer to Simsbury in 1775 had asked David Phelps Jr. what he did for a living in addition to farming, he would have told the man about the many enterprises that brought him extra income. “Oh, I do a lot of fetching and carting,” he might have begun. His account book, inherited from his father David Phelps Sr. in 1760, records an active transport business. Townspeople relied on Phelps to haul all manner of things for them and they also rented his team of oxen, sometimes with a cart or sled, to do their own hauling.

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Locating Ancestors’ Naturalization Records

Volume 6 Issue 3 Fall 1999

And What You Can Expect When You Find Them

For those with immigrant ancestry, the usual object of a genealogical search is to determine the place of birth. For the purpose of this discussion, an immigrant is one who arrived in the United States after 1789. Colonial immigration is not the subject at hand. There are two government-related documents that may provide a place of birth. These are immigration records and naturalization records, otherwise known respectively as passenger arrival records and citizenship records. This article will deal with the latter.

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