There’s no record. All the records are gone. No one knows what happened to it. Don’t give up — something may turn up. An article in the Maine Antique Digest tells the story of auctions of major collections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania artifacts, memorabilia, maps, manuscripts and official records.
One amazing purchase at a 2005 auction was on behalf of the New Jersey State Archives. This was a collection of 17th century New Jersey records that had been in private hands for 300 years. For more details on the collection, finding aids, and an article about it from the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (September 2005) check out the state archives page on the Proprietors and Adventures: A Rediscovery of Colonial New Jersey.
Many items pertained to Benjamin Franklin, Western history, family history, Lewis & Clark, Indian affairs, printing history and that’s just a small portion of the items auctioned off. Be sure to read the article. One reality will sink in and that would be the fact that some of the purchases were made by private collectors. Maybe one day they will sell or donate the items.
© 2009, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.
