Guide to the Hand Family Papers,
[ca.1788]-1933.

Augustus C. Hand left Vermont in 1830 to become Surrogate of Essex County and Post-master of Elizabethtown, New York. Around 1840 he built a law office, and served one term in Congress from 1839-40. Many of his descendants, including Richard L. Hand, Samuel Hand, Clifford A. Hand, Augustus N. Hand, Learned Hand, and Arthur V. Savage, have also joined the legal profession, and have been active in the New York State Bar Association, and local, state, and national politics.

Volumes include diaries of M.S. Hand, 1855-80; two 1866 diaries about R.H. Hand's tour abroad; Francis W. Lawrence diaries, 1865-1905; Augustus N. Hand diaries, 1881; L.L. Lawrence diaries, 1908-19; and four unidentified diaries, 1863, 1864, 1906, and 1907; three scrapbooks of clippings, ca.1857, ca.1875, and ca.1885, and three family scrapbooks; two volumes with plays; a cookbook of Susan E. Tomlinson; and notebooks of A.N. Hand and Richard L. Hand; two schoolbooks and syllabi; and 42 hardbound letter volumes. Legal volumes, 1830-1912, include law registers, chancery registers, volumes of briefs, abstracts, daily legal journals, notebooks, letterpress copybooks, 1871-96, legal statements, book of counsel, and indexes to some of the volumes for the law firms of Hand & Hale; Hand, Hale & Hand; A.C. and R.L. Hand; and Hand, Kellogg, Hale/Hand, Hale. Financial volumes, 1788-1924, include school and college account books of Clifford A. Hand; A.C. Hand account books; family account and expense records and accounts of estates; logging, farming, produce, and butcher account books; and legal account books of justice court; family financial journals and journals of accounts, debits, and credits; family members' personal ledgers; collection books; bankbooks; daybooks; cashbooks; and indexes and memorandum to many accounts; also, checkbooks, 1868-1933; and telegraph stub books, 1873-81.

Also, four volumes of History of Congregational Church, 1888; one volume of Central Military Committee; one book of postcards; and miscellaneous family volumes. Personal papers include photographs, newspaper clippings, invitations, programs, visiting cards, genealogy chart, and paternal ancestry of Susan Train Hand. Also included are dated deeds, 1795-1933; extensive family and business correspondence, checks; printed material; and broadsides.

Arranged by record type.