Research

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of certificates that document payments and commutation of annual quit rents. The earliest certificates are completely hand written and signed by the comptroller and the state treasurer. Later certificates are printed forms, two per page, with information filled in. Type of information provided is consistent throughout the series, including patent number; payee; patentee; lot number or other description; acreage; amount, interest, and total paid; and date of certificate.

Volume 1 of the series contains chronological entries of receipts of quit rents (1754-1765).There is a gap in the records between 1765 and 1806. Dates for several volumes overlap. It is unknown if the records were created separately or bound out of sequence, and the reason why that may have been done.