Ancient Documents - Help
What is the MacCracken Index and how do I use it?
In 1954, Dutchess County Clerk Frederic A. Smith invited Dr. Henry Noble MacCracken, the recently-retired President of Vassar College, to examine the Ancient Documents Collection.
At this time, the collection was completely unprocessed.
MacCracken reported that the documents had “tremendous genealogical and historic value” and recommended that they be indexed for improved access.
Over the course of 1955, Dr. MacCracken and staff from the County Clerk’s Office inventoried all of the records in the collection that they could locate dating from 1721 to 1800.
They recorded the data on small memorandum cards, which County Clerk Smith compiled into two large index volumes, organized by surname.
The index volumes are presented here in a fully searchable PDF format.
Researchers may search by name, year, location, document type, and document number.
For further information on the Ancient Documents Project and a guide to searching the collection, please visit https://www.dutchessny.gov/AncientDocuments.
Note common abbreviations used in the MacCracken Index:
- Char. = Charlotte
- Decla. = Declaration
- Def. = Defendant
- Fred = Fredericksburgh (modern Pawling)
- Indict = Indictment
- Inq = Inquiry or Inquisition
- NE = Town of North East
- Pok = Poughkeepsie
- Recog = Recognizance
- S.E. = Town of South East
- S. P. = Hamlet of Salt Point
- Wash. = Town of Washington
Party Types
The following is a list of the party types that appear on the ancient documents.
These party types will appear in parenthesis after the party name in the search results.
- Administrator (Admin.)
- Assignee - Individual tasked with acting officially on behalf of another person. For example, a third party paying a bond (though not mentioned in the bond), or in insolvent debtor cases the person who settles the debts on the debtor’s behalf.
- Assistant (assist.) Judge
- Attorney - for Def. or Plain. (sometimes listed as atty.)
- Clerk
- Coroner
- Creditor - Seen mostly in bonds or bills, person to whom money is owed.
- Debtor - Seen mostly in bonds or bills, person who is borrowing money. Often then appears as the defendant in a debt trial.
- Deceased
- Defendant (def.)
- Deponent (Dep.) - Anyone giving evidence, in recognizances where the individuals named are required to appear at court to provide testimony, they should be labeled as deponent.
- Elizor - Temporary Sheriff (Eliz.)
- Executor
- Former Sheriff
- Grantee - Someone buying a piece of property.
- Grantor - Someone selling a piece of property.
- Heir - Someone inheriting an estate.
- Host - Person at whose home or establishment a legal proceeding (such as an inquisition) takes place.
- Infant Guardian
- Judge / Justice
- Jurors / Jury
- Land Owner (used on controversy over roads / problems with roads)
- Owner (generally associated with manumissions of slaves)
- Petitioners
- Plaintiff (plain.)
- Plegis - Pledge. Also, someone called in a acquietandas plegiis writ, or an acquietandis plegiis writ, both related to sureties for a debt.
- Road Commissioner
- Sheriff
- Slave
- Surety - Persons on bonds or recognizances who swear to pay bail or other monetary stake for a third party’s good behavior.
- Tenant
Offenses
The following is a list of the offenses that appear on the historical documents.
- Abuse
- Aiding a Fugitive
- Assault
- Assault & Battery
- Breach of Peace
- Controversy Over Roads
- Debt
- Coroner Testimony
- Counterfeit Bills from Massachusetts
- Defamation & Slander
- Extortion
- Felony/ Fraud Constable Election Scandal
- Forgery
- Land Disputes
- Land Partition
- Making Counterfeit Coins
- Negligence (controversy over roads)
- Perjury
- Theft
- Vandalism
Record Types
The following is a list of the record types contained within the historical documents.
- Account
- Affidavit
- Affidavit of Service
- Agreement Between Parties
- Allowance for the Poor
- Appeal
- Arbitration
- Arbitration Award (see award of referees)
- Articles of Agreement
- Award of Referees
- Bail Bond
- Bail Note
- Bail Piece
- Bench Warrant
- Bond
- Bond to Prosecute
- Call for Jurors (Venire)
- Case Summaries
- Certificate
- Certificate of Attachment
- Citation
- Confession of Judgment
- Controversy of Roads
- Cost
- Counter Part on Lease
- Court Minutes
- Court Order
- Court Summary / Court Summaries
- Court Transfer
- Coverletter
- Creditors List (insolvent debtor)
- Declaration
- Defendant Prayer
- Demurrer
- Deposition
- Discharge Discharge of Debt
- Discharge of Recognizance
- Distraint
- Distringas
- Elizor
- Entry of Record
- Escheat
- Evidence
- Examination
- Fieri Facie
- Fragment
- Grand Jury Indictment
- Indictment
- Inquiry, Notice of
- Inquiry, Writ of
- Inquisition
- Insolvent Debtor (packet of material relating to)
- Insolvent’s Oath
- Judgment
- Judgment Roll
- Justice of the Peace Record
- Justification of Bail
- Letter of Appointment (for attorney)
- List of Jurors
- Memorandum
- Memorial, Summons
- Mittimus
- Motion of Set Off
- Municipal Officers (list of)
- Narration (Narr.)
- Nolle Prosequi
- Non Suit
- Note
- Note for payment
- Notice of Inquiry
- Oath of Allegiance
- Oath of Assignee
- Oath of Creditor
- Order of Bastardy
- Order of Removal
- Penal Bill
- Plea
- Power of Attorney
- Presentment
- Recognizance
- Recognizance in Bastardy
- Record (Case Record)
- Rejoinder
- Relinquishment
- Replevin
- Replication
- Report of Referee
- Road Commissioner Report
- Rule of Reference, Report
- Ruling
- Satisfaction
- Scire Facias
- Summons
- Warrant
- Warrant for Arrest
- Warrant for Penalty
- Warrant of Attorney
- Warrant to Confess Judgment