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Original Connecticut civil court writ dated December 5, 1826, signed “Wm. S. Holabird” as Justice of the Peace at Winchester, Litchfield County.
William S. Holabird later served as U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, representing the federal government in the famous Amistad litigation, and as lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1842 to 1844. This document survives from his earlier local legal career, approximately thirteen years before the Amistad proceedings began. Its subject is a separate civil debt case.
The action was brought by Luman Wakefield of Winchester against Orin Cleaveland of Barkhamsted over a promissory note dated June 12, 1824, for $16.51 plus interest. Cleaveland was summoned to appear before Holabird on December 16, 1826, at two o’clock in the afternoon.
Wakefield is identifiable with the local physician Dr. Luman Wakefield, who represented Winchester in the Connecticut legislature in 1826–1827. Cleaveland may be the schoolmaster Orrin Cleveland, son of Rufus of Barkhamsted, known in the Winsted area during this period; that biographical identification remains tentative.
On the reverse, Constable George H. Clarke signed a return recording that a copy was left at the defendant’s usual place of abode. His charges include eight miles of travel for 40 cents and 12 cents for service. Further docketing records $18.98 in debt and $1.64 in costs, totaling $20.62, with an execution-issued notation dated December 16, 1826.
An early American legal document with a recognizable historical autograph, local medical and political associations, and detailed evidence of how a small debt moved through a Connecticut justice’s court.
One original sheet, partly printed and completed in period handwriting, with manuscript entries on both sides. Approximately 6¼ × 8¼ inches; please see the photographed rulers.
Condition: Age toning, spotting and staining, old folds, multiple holes and tears, and edge chips/losses. Some losses affect portions of the text. Most main entries and the Holabird signature remain legible. Please examine all photographs closely for the complete condition. No third-party autograph authentication is represented.
Type: Civil Court Writ / Debt Summons
Date: December 5, 1826
Time Period: 1800–1899
Signed: Yes
Signed By: William S. Holabird; George H. Clarke
Autograph Authentication: Not authenticated
Plaintiff: Luman Wakefield
Defendant: Orin Cleaveland
Location: Winchester and Barkhamsted, Connecticut
County: Litchfield
Country of Origin: United States
Material: Paper
Format: Partly printed with manuscript entries
Number of Sheets: 1; writing on both sides
Approximate Size: 6¼ × 8¼ inches
Language: English
Subject: Early American Law; Connecticut History; Debt Collection
Historical Association: William S. Holabird, later Amistad government attorney
Condition: Toning, staining, folds, holes, tears and edge losses
