Samuel Wyllys papers (Ms.Wyllys)
Brown University Library
Box ABrown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
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.
