John McClellan, Esq. was educated at Yale College. After serving in the Revolutionary War, McClellan began practicing law in his hometown, Woodstock, Connecticut. McClellan was active in local matters, participating in the 1818 State Constitutional Convention. The account books in the collection list the amount of money associated with transactions detailed in the daybooks (1787-1846). Daybooks, labeled A through H by McClellan, detail legal fees charged. Book F contains loose papers with cost estimates regarding the building of a new house in 1830. The final day book seems to pertain to personal expenses. It is also obvious at this point that McClellan was having difficulty writing, and many entries are in others' hands. Loose papers, presumably of John McClellan, Jr., are found after the last entries (1789-1858). One ledger is recorded in the same style as the account books, with money amounts listed but little description (1789-1834). Record books comprise the final portion of the collection, and are a series of nine notebooks with details pertaining to McClellan's law practice (1787-1849). One volume (1826-1831) is not kept in a similar style or the same hand as the others. Additionally, most of the clients listed are from Middlesex County.
