Record Books of Justice of the Peace Stephen Platt

Collection — Container: Manuscript Shelves

Identifier: MSS 2019.0017

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection comprises two ledgers of cases heard and ruled on by Stephen Platt, Justice of the Peace for the Town of Freehold between 1792 and 1799. The cases within each ledger relate primarily to civil complaints, and the decisions rendered generally resulted in the payment of settlements. Both of the books are covered with a sheet of brown paper and bound with linen thread, though the first ledger has separated into two blocks.

Dates

Majority of material found in 1792-1797

Biographical / Historical

At the time of publication of this finding aid there was little information available about Stephen Platt. As Justice of the Peace of the Town of Freehold in Albany County Mr. Platt served a geographic area that comprises the modern Townships of Greenville and Durham, New York along with their related hamlets. the Town of Freehold was created by a division of the District of Coxsackie while still part of southern Albany County prior to the creation of the County of Greene in March of 1800.

The role of Justices of the Peace during this early period in the history of the United States is a subject of ongoing scholarship, and the role was taken quite seriously by those chosen to fill it. The job, as a fundamental manifestation of the concept of self-governance, was considered an important role as it presented an opportunity for the average citizen to be the interpreter and arbitrator of the law in a variety of civil and criminal cases.