What does Letitia Carson’s court record show?
A guided research trail · four stops · about 9 minutes
Credit and original
From Bob Zybach’s published Letitia Carson research at orww.org. Creator’s original image
Follow a claim, an answer and two jury decisions. The spelling is the clerks’ own; Jan and John Meranda made the transcriptions.
Read the question, open the source, and keep an observation at each stop. Source links open in a new tab so your place here stays put. Download or print your notes and source links when you finish.
Four connected sources to explore
Stop 1 of 4
What did she ask the court to recognize?
Read the September 1854 complaint on page 14. What work does it describe, over what years, and what payment does it seek?
The complaint, page 14Keep the speaker or author, original work, and page or recording time with what you noticed.
Compare, download or print your notes ↓Stop 2 of 4
How did the administrator answer?
Read Green B. Smith’s answer on page 21. Separate what he alleged from what the court later decided. This page contains his assertion that Letitia was enslaved.
The answer, page 21Keep the speaker or author, original work, and page or recording time with what you noticed.
Compare, download or print your notes ↓Stop 3 of 4
What did the first jury decide?
Read the May 1855 judgment on pages 32–33. Then use the document register to find the original scan: transcription and image are two ways of checking the record.
The first judgment, pages 32–33 Open the May 12, 1855 judgment scan record ↗Keep the speaker or author, original work, and page or recording time with what you noticed.
Compare, download or print your notes ↓Stop 4 of 4
What happened in the later case?
Read the October 1856 jury decision on page 61. Compare the second decision with the first; follow the adjacent papers if you want the fuller case.
The later jury decision, page 61Keep the speaker or author, original work, and page or recording time with what you noticed.
Compare, download or print your notes ↓Your reading notebook
Put the sources together
Keep an observation at each stop, then compare what you found. A useful note names the speaker or author, the original work, and a page or recording time. Distinguish what the source says from what you think it means.
Notes stay in this browser; the Library does not receive them. They do not travel with a shared link or move to another device. Download a copy to keep them.
America’s School Trust Library · The Zybach Collection
What does Letitia Carson’s court record show?
Follow a claim, an answer and two jury decisions. The spelling is the clerks’ own; Jan and John Meranda made the transcriptions.
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/trails/letitia-in-court/
Read the sources, keep an observation from each, and compare them. Add the original author or speaker, work, and printed page or recording time to each note. The links below help another reader find your evidence.
1. What did she ask the court to recognize?
Read the September 1854 complaint on page 14. What work does it describe, over what years, and what payment does it seek?
- The complaint, page 14
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/letitia-carson/writings/carson-v-smith-transcriptions/#p14
Observation and citation
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. How did the administrator answer?
Read Green B. Smith’s answer on page 21. Separate what he alleged from what the court later decided. This page contains his assertion that Letitia was enslaved.
- The answer, page 21
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/letitia-carson/writings/carson-v-smith-transcriptions/#p21
Observation and citation
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. What did the first jury decide?
Read the May 1855 judgment on pages 32–33. Then use the document register to find the original scan: transcription and image are two ways of checking the record.
- The first judgment, pages 32–33
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/letitia-carson/writings/carson-v-smith-transcriptions/#p32 - Open the May 12, 1855 judgment scan record
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/letitia-carson/documents/1854-1857-carson-vs-smith/#18550512-judgment
Observation and citation
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4. What happened in the later case?
Read the October 1856 jury decision on page 61. Compare the second decision with the first; follow the adjacent papers if you want the fuller case.
- The later jury decision, page 61
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/letitia-carson/writings/carson-v-smith-transcriptions/#p61
Observation and citation
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What do the sources show together?
Where do they agree or differ? What would you check next?
________________________________________________________________
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Reading questions prepared by the Library with Codex assistance. Notes are the reader’s own. Source links are reading aids; add the original work’s citation before using them in your research. Source texts retain their authorship and rights.
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