Manuscript Group 897, David Bayard Ogden (1775 – 1849), Lawyer Legal notebook, No Date

Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs

Manuscript Group 897, David Bayard Ogden (1775 – 1849), Lawyer

Legal notebook, No Date, 0.2 linear feet / 1 volume

Call Number: MG 897

Summary


Summary:

Notes on elements of Anglo-American law derived from Sir William Blackstone’s Commentaries, other legal treatises, and law reports.  The earliest notes were taken by David Bayard Ogden, who in 1803 began to practice law in New York City and was known for the cases he argued before the United States Supreme Court.  His legal notebook was continued in three other hands.  The volume’s cover bears the names of Ogden and also John I. Young, who was a lawyer in New York around the years 1834-1836.  Inserted in this volume is a letter from Ogden to Young, dated August 16, 1844, concerning Ogden’s invitations to attend Whig Party meetings in Pompton Plains and Essex County, New Jersey.

Biographical Note:

David Bayard Ogden, a descendant of John and Jane Ogden who immigrated to America from England in 1640, was born on October 31, 1775 in Morrisania, New York.  He was the eldest of the twelve children of Euphemia Morris and Samuel Ogden.

David B. Ogden received a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 1792 and then studied law with his uncle, Abraham Ogden.  He was admitted to the bar as an attorney in 1796 and as a counselor in 1799; and settled in New York City where he set up a law practice.

David B. Ogden married Margaretta Ogden with whom he had eight children: Samuel M., Sarah Ludlow, Gouverneur, Thomas L., Euphemia, Eliza de Luze, Frances L., and David Bayard, Jr.  He died on Staten Island, New York on July 16, 1849.

Provenance Note:

The source of this volume is unknown.

Scope and Content Note:

These papers consist of an undated legal notebook apparently used by David B. Ogden. The inside cover of the volume is inscribed with two names: David B. Ogden and J.I. Young, the first of which is handwritten, while the latter is stamped on. The volume seems to be written in three different hands, one of whose is David B. Ogden’s.

The volume contains notes on legal terms and actions such as “Abandonment” and “Abatement.” These terms come from Sir William Blackstone’s Commentaries and are listed alphabetically. Inserted into the volume is a loose letter from 1844 written by David B. Ogden to John I. Young pertaining to Ogden’s presence at a Whig meeting in Pompton Plains, New Jersey.

Related Collections:

Manuscript Group 219, John Ogden, Jr. (1743-1815) Journal

Manuscript Group 292, Ogden-Ford Family (Cumberland County, NJ) Papers

Manuscript Group 386, Ogden Family (Newark and Elizabeth, NJ) Papers

Manuscript Group 905, Ogden Family (Newark and Elizabeth, NJ) Papers

Manuscript Group 1174, Joseph G. Ogden (1780-1817) Daybook

Manuscript Group 1175, John Ogden (1799-1877) and James Crawford Ogden (1831-1916) Daybooks

Manuscript Group 1211, Jennie Ogden (1849-1880) and Jennie Ogden Miller (1880-1938) Papers

Manuscript Group 1379, Maureen B. Ogden Papers

Processed by Kim Charlton, October 1999 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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