Theophilus Parsons Papers, 1762-1809.

ArchivalResource

Parsons, Theophilus, 1750-1813. Theophilus Parsons Papers, 1762-1809.

Theophilus Parsons Papers, 1762-1809.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/62862367

Theophilus Parsons was a lawyer, a justice of the peace, a judge, and ultimately Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This collection consists primarily of writs issued by justices of the peace of Essex County, Massachusetts, and by the Court of Common Pleas. The writs specify the common law causes of action, such as Writ of Scire Facias, Writ of Debt, and mostly Writ of Trespass on the Case. Other documents state the nature of the plaintiff's complaint without specifying the cause of action. The writs and pleadings are an interesting part of the history of American law, providing researchers with the forms of civil and criminal litigation in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Also included in the collection is a memorandum book of Theophilus Parsons, in which he made notes on English law, both ancient and modern, descriptions of London, weights and measures and other information he apparently deemed important.

3 boxes (3 linear feet).

Peabody Essex Museum