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Loose Papers in State Library of Ohio's Rare Book Room

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by Kirstin L Krumsee, State Library of Ohio Practicum Student
 
While conducting my practicum at the State Library, I, along with Shannon Kupfer, Digital and Tangible Media Cataloger here at the State Library, came across a collection of about one hundred and twenty unidentified loose papers in the rare books room. Together we decided to make identifying and archiving these materials a substantial portion of my practicum project. The collection of papers contains a wide array of interesting artifacts, most of which pertain specifically to Ohio.
 
A large portion of the items I came across were related to Samuel Huntington, Ohio’s third governor. The papers in the collection were dated from 1811 to 1816, after Huntington finished his term as governor, but while he served as district army paymaster under then general William Henry Harrison. The documents in the collection consist of pay rolls, receipt rolls, muster rolls, accounts, and payment abstracts overseen by Huntington during the war of 1812.  These documents will likely be of interest to genealogists.
 
Approximately fifteen documents in the collection directly relate to establishing new counties in the Northwest Territory, and the laws governing these counties. A 1799 act from the House of Representatives to regulate marriages, for example, indicates that men and women, “who are not ideots [sic] or of unsound minds, may be joined in marriage.”
 
There are a number of certificates in the collection as well. Two of the certificates were land grants and signed by President James Buchanan.
 
The oldest document in the collection, and in my opinion one of the most interesting, is a 1734 deed reflecting the transfer of property from Joseph and Hannah Sackett to Richard Alsop.  For the sum of sixty-five pounds, Mr. Alsop purchased more than thirty three acres in Queens County, Long Island, New York.   The deed is beautifully written, bearing the signatures of all concerned parties and the red wax seals of the married couple.
 
 
The materials in the collection are viewable on request. To access the two documents online, including transcripts of each, visit the following links: for the deed, visit http://cdm15005.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/p15005coll2&CISOPTR=14 ; to view the marriage regulation act, go to http://cdm267401.cdmhost.com/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/p15005coll2&CISOPTR=26. (NOTE: These are large files and it takes awhile to load)
To see the finding aids for the materials mentioned above, visit http://ead.ohiolink.edu. Please visit the State Library of Ohio to view these materials and other items in the collection.