Miscellaneous Collection, 1732-2001

The materials in this collection are many and varied, gathered by the Archives staff over time, and do not belong to any other pre-existing collection. Except for a handful of items, the documents relate to Monmouth County. Included are insurance policies, letters, small maps, court cases, indentures, bonds, testimonies and affidavits. Many of the records are undated. Those that have dates are arranged chronologically in folders. The bulk of the records date from the 19th century.

The content of the records is widely diverse, spanning three centuries, and many different subjects. Except for a few photocopies, materials are original documents. Records deal primarily with Monmouth County, with a small handful of documents from other locations such as Hudson County and Trenton, New Jersey, Maryland, New York City, and Pennsylvania. The earliest documents are handwritten and some are very difficult to read.

A number of names from the founding families, such as Allen, Conover, Hendrickson, Longstreet, and Throckmorton, are scattered throughout the documents. Records range from a recipe for a horse tonic to checks from local banks and account books for several state lotteries. A great many are related to court cases, including recognizances, letters from attorneys, and warrants for witnesses.

Other documents with historical significance include the printed booklet containing a sermon first preached in Keyport, NJ, in 1867, called “A Sermon on Behalf of The Southern Sufferers,” entreating the listeners for donations to help the ravaged poor of the South following the Civil War. An apprenticeship agreement from 1752 goes into great detail regarding the rules which the apprentice must follow, saying he “not play at cards or dice,” nor “haunt ale houses.” In addition, there is a contract from 1876 with the City of Long Branch to construct the water supply to the city, including water hydrants.

Other subjects are well represented, such as the many notes from doctors and employers excusing people from attending court. There is a small collection of insurance policies, many of which are on large, illustrated sheets. There are also more than one hundred consent forms from residents in Keyport, agreeing to the construction of the Keyport & Matawan Horse Railway in 1887.

This collection is open to researchers.

There is a database for the collection available at the Archives. The database includes pertinent notes about several of the documents, which might list other names involved, relations to other folders, locations, and more.

Original documents and photocopies are arranged chronologically in five archival boxes, with folders containing undated documents in the front of the collection. In order to maintain the chronology, folder number order is somewhat fluid, as records are added or removed from the collection. When a folder contains a range of dates, the folder is filed according to the earliest date. Some items have been collected in single subject folders, such as Promissory Notes, and arranged chronologically within. Some subject files, like those pertaining to the County Jail, contain numerous documents and are sorted into subfolders under a common heading. Larger documents, such as the Navesink Bridge Company Bond Certificates, are laid flat in one document box. A folder number with a decimal does not necessarily indicate a relationship to the whole number before it.

Monmouth County Archives
125 Symmes Drive
Manalapan, NJ 07726
Phone: 732-308-3771

This collection was gathered over time by the Archives staff through the processing of various other materials, and processed by Mary Hussey in 2016.

This finding aid was created by Mary Hussey on May 30, 2016, and updated on May 2018.

This Container List is an abridged version of the folder list, without reference to any subfolders or other names. The Bearer Bonds and Insurance Policies are not arranged in numbered folders, as they are large documents, laid flat. The full folder list can be seen at the Archives in the database, and in hard copy.