New York State Circuit Court (1st Circuit) Trial Calendars, Rough Minutes, Pleadings, and Other Papers

Chronological by date (calendars and rough minutes).

This series includes trial calendars, rough minutes of trials and inquests, pleadings, and other documents relating to civil cases commenced in the Supreme Court of Judicature and noticed for trial in the circuit court for New York City and County (1st circuit).

Calendars contain lists of cases to be tried in terms of the circuit court, though in many instances no trial occurred. Rough minutes contain minutes of jury trials of issues of fact, and of jury inquests to determine money damages owing to a plaintiff if the defendant confessed or failed to plead. The calendars span the years 1787-1846, the rough minutes, 1787-1832, but there are gaps in the chronological sequences.

Other documents include reports of referees (late colonial arbitration proceedings); plaintiff's declarations (initial pleading in a civil action); nisi prius rolls, issue rolls, and circuit rolls (pleadings by plaintiff and defendant prepared for trial); recognizances; notes of issue; affidavits of motions and draft rules; affidavits of merits; writs of venire facias juratores and juror lists; a few jury verdicts; and other documents. Almost all documents relate to proceedings in New York City. A very few concern trials in other counties.

JN511Series JN511, Account Books of Costs

JN512Series JN512, Accounts of Fines in Circuit Court and Court of Oyer and Terminer, New York County

JN517Series JN517, Trial Calendars

JN518Series JN518, Engrossed Minute Books

JN598Series JN598, Rough Minute Books

JN522Series JN522, Pleadings and Other Civil and Criminal Court Documents

JN535Series JN535, Pleadings and Other Civil Court Documents

JN554Series JN554, Writs of Venire Facias Juratore.

Documents were found in several locations in the New York County Clerk's Office and assembled by staff of the Unified Court System. This collection is the small remnant of several much larger series of documents that were destroyed, probably in the early twentieth century.

Use and reproduction of fragile documents may be restricted.