> Dear Members of the New Jersey History Community, > > On June 21st, a number of vital Colonial New Jersey documents, a once in a > lifetime opportunity, will go to public auction at Christie's. > These are the only such collection of important early American Colonial > Records remaining in private hands! > > Joseph Klett and Karl Niederer at the state Archives, Chad Leinaweaver at the > New Jersey Historical Society, and Ron Becker of the Rutgers University > Library Special Collections have reviewed the documents and report they hadn't > seen anything like these colonial New Jersey documents come into the open market. > > The estimated gavel price is about $375,000; more than the acquisition funds > of the Archives, Historical Society and Rutgers Special Collections budgets > put together, and by several times. > > The only way we can preserve these documents for the public is by urging the > Governor, Richard Codey, and the Senators and Assemblymen to use funds in the > Public Records Preservation Account, established just over a year ago, to > purchase them as "historical materials." To date, over $39M is in that > account, but none has been released for the acquisition purposes of the law. > > You need to call your Senators, your Assemblymen, and the Governor's office > now to get authorization to use those funds RIGHT NOW. > > We can do this. There is little time but we are requesting the use of funds > already in hand and only in need of authorization. The Governor needs to know > we want this done, and that it is in the public's interest, and that members > of the Legislature are eager to see it done. > > We will find our friends in the legislature to introduce motions; you need to > call your friends and representatives to get their support. > > Please, please lend yourself to this letter/email writing campaign now. > Here are some of the things you will be saving and making available to New > Jersey History: > > The first Minute Book of the East Jersey Proprietors, 1664-1683, East Jersey > Governor Robert Barclay's copy. > > The first printed map of New Jersey. about 1677 by John Seller; > > Manuscipt maps by Philip Wells of New York Harbor and Amboy Point, 1683; > > Robert Morden's map of "ye English Empire . . .New Jarsey, 1684-5; > > The list of the all the names of the Adventurers . . .Proprietors of West > Jersey, 1697; > > Samuel Smith, the History of the Colony of Nova-Caesaria, 1765, the first > published history of the state; and that is just a few of the maps, minutes, > Bills in Chancery, Acts of the General Assembly, manuscripts and more. > > Surely, these are worth all our phone calls, letters and emails. > > Respectfully, David A. Cowell, President of the Advocates for New Jersey History Search for NJ Legislators: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp -- Michelle Tucker Chubenko Professional Genealogist: http://www.chubenko.us/profgen/index.htm "Things don't turn up in this world until somebody turns them up." - James A. Garfield ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ukraine WorldGenWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ukrwgw/index.html NJGenWeb: Monmouth County - http://www.rootsweb.com/~njmonmo2 OKGenWeb Adair Co.: http://www.rootsweb.com/~okadair/adaircty.htm AdairCoArch: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/adair/adair.html Shell'sHomePg: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mchub/shell.htm