Samuel Wyllys papers, 1638-1757

(bulk 1663-1698)

John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	Samuel Wyllys papers
Date range:	1638-1757, (bulk 1663-1698)
Creator:	Wyllys, Samuel, 1631-1709
Extent:	3.5 Linear feet
Abstract:	Annmary Brown Hawkins inherited from her father a collection of colonial documents compiled by Samuel Wyllys, a magistrate of Connecticut from 1654 to 1684, and other members of his family. The collection, covering the period from 1638 to 1757, comprises half of the original collection; the other half (1694-1726) is owned by the Connecticut State Library. These early papers pertain to Indian affairs, colonial wars, civil and criminal cases. The witchcraft trials of 1692 to 1693, as revealed in the testimony of witnesses in the Oyer and Terminer Courts, are of particular interest.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms.Wyllys

Scope & content

The Samuel Wyllys papers are principally concerned with the business of the government of the colony of Connecticut. The papers, the bulk of which date from 1663-1698, contain miscellaneous government and legal papers pertaining to Indian relations, colonial wars, and civil and criminal cases. Depositions of cases of witchcraft, assault, theft, drunkenness and other crimes tried in Connecticut can be found in the papers. A notebook labeled Ms. 377 (Series 1) contains copies of some of the original records of witchcraft cases. A few papers in the collection relate to Wyllys family matters.

The folder labeled Ms. 376 in Series 3 is misleading since the contents of this folder are not original court records but consist of an "Explanation of Wyllys Manuscript Transcriptions", a summary of the "Oyer and Terminer Court Records of Trials for Witchcraft in Connecticut, 1662/63-1693", and transcriptions of these documents. Series 3 also contains transcriptions of records from the Connecticut State Library labeled Ms. 18 - 37.

The Wyllys papers came into the hands of the Brown family of Providence at some point, likely in the late 18th or early 19th century, and were later split between members of the family. The portion of the collection held by the Brown University Library was passed from Nicholas Brown III (1792-1859) to his daughter, Annmary Brown Hawkins (1837-1904). After the death of Mrs. Hawkins in 1904, her husband deposited the papers in the Annmary Brown Memorial, which became part of Brown University in 1948. The remaining portion of the Wyllys papers was held by John Carter Brown until his death in 1874, and were transferred to the Connecticut State Library by his widow sometime thereafter. Both the John Hay Library and the Connecticut State Library have copies of portions of the Wyllys papers held by the other institution.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Disbrow, Mercy Holbridge, ca. 1637-ca. 1715
• Pynchon, John, 1621-1703
• Winthrop, John, 1638-1707
• Wyllys, Samuel, 1631-1709

Subject Topics

• Connecticut--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
• Court records--Connecticut
• Trials (Witchcraft)--Connecticut

Occupations

• Colonial administrators
• Judges
• Public officers

Document Types

• Judicial records

Subject Topics

• Government, Politics and Law

Arrangement

The Wyllys papers were organized some time ago. The manuscripts were numbered in sequence, and are currently arranged by manuscript number rather than by date or author. This scheme of arrangement is only roughly chronological. Further, while most of the documents in the collection were authored within the lifetime of Samuel Wyllys, if not directly composed by him, there are several documents that post-date Wyllys by a number of years and were clearly authored by others.

The collection has been arranged in three series:

• Series 1. Court records
• Series 2. Court records transcriptions
• Series 3. Background information

Users should note that the original manuscripts are contained in Series 1. Series 2 and 3 consist of supplementary materials. Each court record in the collection was assigned a Ms. number. Court records pertaining to witchcraft were also assigned a W- number.

The folder labeled Ms. 376 was moved from Series 1 to Series 3 because the contents of this folder are not original court records but consist of an "Explanation of Wyllys Manuscript Transcriptions", a summary of the "Oyer and Terminer Court Records of Trials for Witchcraft in Connecticut, 1662/63-1693", and transcriptions of these documents.

Biographical note

Samuel Wyllys was born in Fenny Compton (Warwickshire), England in 1631, the son of George and Mary Smith Wyllys. The family joined the Puritan Great Migration to Massachusetts a few years later, and established a new home at Hartford by 1638. Samuel attended Harvard College, and graduated in 1653. He was subsequently elected a Connecticut magistrate in 1654, at the tender age of twenty-two, and re-elected every year until Connecticut received its charter in 1662. After that, Wyllys was elected an Assistant to the colony's governor, a post to which he was also returned many times. He was later a commissioner to the New England Colonies.

Wyllys married Ruth Haynes, daughter of the first governor of the colony of Connecticut, in 1654. They had three daughters (Mary, Mehitable and Ruth) and a son named Hezekiah. Wyllys died at Hartford on May 30, 1709.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Alternate form:	Digital facsimiles of items from this collection are available from within the online finding aid. This collection has also been microfilmed.
Preferred citation:	Samuel Wyllys papers, Ms. Wyllys, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Samuel Wyllys papers were bequeathed to the Annmary Brown Memorial by General Rush C. Hawkins (1831-1920). They became part of the Brown University Library's collections when the University acquired the Annmary Brown Memorial in 1948.
Custodial history:	Annmary Brown Hawkins inherited this portion of the Wyllys papers from her father, Nicholas Brown. The other portion of the Wyllys papers were originally held by John Carter Brown, but were donated to the Connecticut State Library at some point after his death by his widow, Sophia Augusta Brown.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Betts and edited by Holly Snyder.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-04-02

Additional Information

Related material:	RESOURCES BEYOND BROWN:A related collection of Samuel Wyllys papers is located at the: Connecticut State LibraryA biography of Samuel Wyllys' father: Gov. George Wyllys biography (Connecticut State Library)Additional information about the witchcraft trials in Connecticut: Witches and Witchcraft (Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries)Connecticut Witch Trials (Legal Brief, prepared for the Connecticut General Assembly)
Location/Existence of copies:	Digital facsimiles of items from this collection are available from within the online finding aid. This collection has also been microfilmed.
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Samuel Wyllys papers

Inventory

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