Guide to the Sussex County (N.J.)Indentures and Documents 1738-1885 (bulk 1800-1857) MG 1604
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 1738-1885 (bulk 1800-1857) 52 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07102 Contact: NJHS Library Phone: (973) 596-8500 x249 Email: library@jerseyhistory.org URL: https://www.jerseyhistory.org © 2004 All rights reserved. The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher Inventory prepared by Rebecca J. Haupt. Finding aid encoded by Julia Telonidis. October 2004. Production of the EAD 2002 version of this finding aid was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Finding aid written in English. Historical NoteIn 1783, Charles Rhodes was appointed County Clerk of Sussex County and would be reappointed in 1788 and 1793, dying while in office in 1800. While there is no connection made between the documents and the indentures, the additional documents are from the Arvis family, descendents of Charles Rhodes. One item is from Rhodes himself about missing records and a possible lawsuit. Rhodes, as clerk in Sussex County, would have access to the records of the County, and possibly this includes the indentures. The dates of the indentures do spread over a greater time period than when Rhodes served; however, his position as County Clerk allows for a connection between the indentures and the items belonging to the Arvis family. Scope and Content NoteThe collection consists of both indentures and other documents, and is arranged first by type and then chronologically therein. The majority of the papers are indentures or bonds. Most contain at least one person or party from Sussex County and therefore, nearly every indenture includes some mention of the county. Monmouth county appears often as well with reference to travel or land extending to the Freehold area. Most of the indentures detail the land settlement claims and include a statement by the parties of the contract that mark their appearance before the court judge granting the settlement. The indentures are docketed and include the date of their receipt by the Sussex County Clerk’s Office. While the indentures make up a majority of the documents, there are other items included in the collection as well, such as surveys and receipts of payment to the sheriff or other officials. These early receipts are for sums of money expressed in the British pound, later receipts are expressed in dollars. The collection also contains a diagram showing the location of the seating of the members in New Jersey’s Eightieth Legislative Assembly from 1856. A manuscript document entitled “The Political Demagogue,” written by C. Arvis dated January 13, 1843, provides a political commentary or editorial of the time. It criticizes the typical politicians of the day arguing that too many people rush into politics without being adequately prepared and this leads to a life of mediocrity for the politicians and the community. Arvis questions the morals and values of the new politicians, who worship cunning rather than wisdom and consequently have lost honor and can never be considered statesmen. The last document is a personal letter sent by Charles Arvis to his cousin. In the letter, the family lineage is traced to the correspondent’s great great-grandfather Joseph Rhodes who lived in Horton Yorkshire, England and his heir Charles Rhodes, the correspondent’s great-grandfather who immigrated to the America. The letter concludes with a description of the living members of the Arvis family. ArrangementThis collection is arranged first by type and then chronologically therein. Return to the Table of Contents Return to the Table of Contents Related MaterialManuscript Group 915, Baldwin-Reeve Family (Millburn Township, NJ) Manuscript Group 1053, Robert Family (Newark and Camptown, NJ) Manuscript Group 1205, Mark D. Ewing Collection, 1706-1865 Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred CitationThis collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 1604, Indentures and Documents, 1738-1885, The New Jersey Historical Society. Acquisition InformationDonated by Raymond Mosley to the New Jersey Historical Society in February 2003. Processing InformationMany of the indentures and documents are extremely worn; some are torn and many are difficult to read. A number of the of the items were repaired with tape prior to their arrival at The New Jersey Historical Society-no attempt was made to remove the adhesive tape during processing. The most fragile items have been housed individually in acid-free paper inserts; these materials should be handled with care. Return to the Table of Contents Container List
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