Research

Scope and Content Note

The Legislature referred some petitions it received to the attorney general for comment. The reports summarize petition arguments, give legal opinion supporting or rejecting arguments, and occasionally suggest an alternative course of action. The series also contains related documents such as original petitions, supporting affidavits, and reports of the surveyor general and the comptroller.

The records concern: claims of heirs to estates of a deceased person, including widows of persons whose estates had been confiscated; dower rights (widow's right to one-third of estate); land conveyances, claims, and disputes, often related to forfeited estates; rights of aliens or newly naturalized citizens to inherit or own real property; leasing of state or private land; compensation for land lost to Vermont in the boundary dispute; dissolution of marriage contracts and alimony; proposed legal provisions against cruelty to slaves; and compensation for damage to boats on the Erie Canal.