Research

Scope and Content Note

These are draft reports on the Chancery Fund submitted to the state assembly. The reports were occasionally requested from the Register and Assistant Register by legislative resolution. Informational content of each report varies depending on what was requested.

The 1825 report contains a list of deposits made with the register that remained in custody of the court at the time of the report. Each entry on the list contains the date of deposit, title of the case, the ledger's page on which the balance appears (ledgers are not in Archives), and amount of money remaining with the court.

The 1835 reports consist of narrative statements of the amount of money received by the register and the assistant register for services rendered and the amount of expenses incurred in the course of their official duties between January 1834 and January 1835. The salary for each court employee is included as an expense.

The 1838 report contains a list of all funds remaining with the court and how they were invested. Each entry contains title of the case, amount of money on deposit with the court, how the money was invested (i.e., "mortgage," "with Bank of Albany"), date that was invested, and to whom the funds belonged at the time of report. The rate of interest appears for entries in the assistant register's report while in the register's, a statement as to how long the money was invested frequently appears. Also included is the director's draft replies to inquiries made by the assembly.

A copy of the assembly's resolution requesting the report is included with both the 1825 and 1838 reports. Published versions of all reports appear in the Assembly Documents for the appropriate year; a copy of the published 1938 report is included in this series.