Request This Item

Sussex County (Del.) Sheriff records

68 oversize folders (28 linear feet)

(1903 – 1995)

bulk 1935-1985

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier 2012.131
Creator(s) Sussex County Sheriff’s Department
Acquisition

The Sussex County Sheriff’s records were donated to the Nabb Research Center by Daniel Parsons, November 15, 2012.
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding aid written by John Plinke, February 2014.
Related Materials None
Separated Materials See Nabb Center Staff
Abstract

The Sussex County Sheriff records document court cases from 1903-1995 in Sussex County, Delaware. The collection contains financial records for the court and sheriff’s department as well as specific records of costs and outcomes from the court cases occurring from 1903 to 1995. There are records for both the Sussex County Superior Court, as well as the Court of Common Pleas. The records are largely limited to Ledgers, Fee Books and Receipt Dockets. The Ledgers contain basic budgetary information for the Court and the Sheriff’s department, recording costs covered by the court’s budget. The Fee Books record cases by month, with a record of the fees which were to be paid by the court system’s budget. The Receipt Dockets contain information on individual cases and features an index of cases with monetary information and case outcomes.

Administrative History

The Sussex County Sheriff’s department has enforced the law in the southernmost county in Delaware since the first Sheriff took office in 1669.  The Sheriff is elected every two years and many are not reelected.  The Sheriff in Sussex County is charged with enforcing laws and maintaining security in the courts.  The Sheriff is also allowed some autonomy in running programs that promote lawful conduct and exposing youth to legal issues.

Delaware courts use a three-tiered system.  This collection pertains only to the Court of Common Pleas and the Superior Court.  The Court of Common Pleas handles misdemeanors as well as civil cases with a value less than $50,000.  The Superior Court handles high-value civil cases as well as any non-misdemeanor criminal cases.  The court system in Delaware leaves infractions and small civil cases valued under $15,000 to the Justice of the Peace Court.  The Family court handles juveniles and family issues, and Chancery courts handle equity and corporate cases.  Most appeals go to either the Superior Court or the Delaware Supreme Court, which is the state court of last resort in Delaware.

Scope and Content Note

Series I: Receipt Dockets, document individual cases held within the Superior and Common Pleas Court. 

Series II: Fee Books, records of court fees assigned to litigants. This series contains two subseries, Court of Common Pleas, and Superior Court, and each subseries contains the fee books for that court. 

Series III: Financial Records, Records are accounting ledgers for the court and Sheriff’s departments. Ledgers are listed by their numeric designation, found herein.

Arrangement Statement

The Sussex County Sheriff records have been arranged into three series, RECEIPT DOCKETS, FEE BOOKS and FINANCIAL RECORDS.

 

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • Court Records
    • Ledger
    • Civil Rights Movement
  • Corporate Names
    • Sussex County Sheriff's Department
  • Personal Names
    • Elliot, Ray H. ( )
    • Rogers, Stephen E. ( )
    • Steele, Charles W. ( )
  • Location Terms
    • Sussex County (De.)

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

1.      General Index to Dockets, A-Z, 1987-1988

Series I: Receipt Docket

2.      Minutes, 1929

3.      Brittingham, 1931

4.      Martin O. Carey, 1933

5.      Robert J. Clendaniel, 1935

6.      Harley J. Conaway, 1937

7.      Howard J. Suthard, 1939

8.      Records, 1941

9.      Daniel Short, 1943

10.  Ledger, Receipt Docket 1945

11.  LeRoy M. Mitchell, 1947

12.  John L. Cannon, 1949

13.  Unlabeled 1951

14.  Arthur Pittard, 1953

15.  Ledger Receipt Docket, 1953

16.  Frank T. Dickerson, 1955

17.  Walter L. Conaway, 1957

18.  Frank L. Dickerson, 1959

19.  Horace W. Mills, 1961

20.  Harry G. McAllister, 1963

21.  Bryan, 1967

22.  Edward Conaway, 1969

23.  Unlabeled Receipt Docket, 1953

24.  Earl M. Steele, 1971

25.  Ledger, Receipt Docket, 1973

26.  Ray H. Elliot, 1973

27.  Eugene J. Mills, 1975

28.  Stephen E. Rogers, 1977

29.  Ray H. Elliot, 1979

30.  Chas. W. Steele, 1981

 

Series II: Fee Books

Subseries A: Court of Common Pleas

31.  1961

32.  Earl M. Steele, 1971

33.  Ray H. Elliot, 1973

34.  Eugene J. Mills, Stephen E. Rogers, 1975

35.  Ray H. Elliot, 1979

36.  Chas. W. Steele 1981

37.  Stephen E. Rogers, 1983

38.  William L. Jones, 1985

39.  Charles P. Spicer, 1995

 

Subseries B: Superior Court

40.  Ledger, 1938

41.  Ledger, 1939

42.  Ledger, 1940

43.  Ledger, 1963

44.  McAllister, 1963

45.  Ledger, 1969

46.  Unlabeled, 1970

47.  Earl M. Steele, 1971

48.  Ray H. Elliot, 1973

49.  Eugene J. Mills, 1975

50.  Ray H. Elliot, 1979

51.  Chas. W. Steele, 1981

52.  Stephen E. Rogers, 1983

53.  William L. Jones, 1985

54.  Fee Book, Frank T. Dickerson, 1955

55.  Fee Book, undated

56.  Fee Book, undated

 

Series III: Financial Records

57.  Unlabeled, accounts ledger, undated

58.  Journal, accounts ledger, undated

59.  Constable Sales, 1903

60.  General Fund, Journal Entries, 1976-1981

61.  Ledger, 1977

62.  Ledger, 1977

63.  Ledger, 1979

64.  Ledger, 1981

65.  Ledger, 1983

66.  Ledger, 1984

67.  Ledger, 1991

68.  Empty Ledger

 

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

None