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Interpreting the Evidence

Things Left Behind

Student View

About this Activity

  • Documents in this Activity:
  • Historical Eras:

    Revolution and New Nation (1754 - 1820s)

  • Thinking Skill:

    Historical Analysis & Interpretation

  • Grade Level:

    Middle School
    High School

  • Topics:

    Community

  • Primary Source Types:

    Written Document

  • Regions:

    Central New York
    New York State

  • Creator:

    NYS Archives Partnership Trust Education Team

  1. Load Estate Inventory for John L. Hardenbergh, 1806 in Main Image Viewer
  2. Load Estate Inventory for John L. Hardenbergh, 1806 in Main Image Viewer
  3. Load Estate Inventory for John L. Hardenbergh, 1806 in Main Image Viewer
  4. Load Estate Inventory for John L. Hardenbergh, 1806 in Main Image Viewer

Suggested Teaching Instructions

Document Description
Estate inventory for John L. Hardenbergh one of the founders of Auburn, New York, 1806.

Questions
Sort the items into categories.
Make at least one generalization about John Hardenbergh for each category.

Historical Challenges
Ask students to create an inventory of their bedrooms. Are students able to identify which student belongs to which inventory based on the items listed?
Research the laws relating to the gradual abolition of slavery in New York. Find out how many slaves were recorded in the 1800 Federal census in New York.

Historical Context
Many wills in the 18th and 19th centuries included an inventory listing all the possessions of the deceased in order to calculate the value of his or her estate for payment of estate taxes. Estate inventories can tell us a lot about the life of the deceased, including how wealthy or poor they were, what work they did, how they and their family lived, and more. Wills and inventories are found in the Surrogate Court of every county in the State. John L. Hardenbergh was one of the founders of Auburn, New York. This inventory is from the Cayuga County Surrogate's Court, Auburn, New York.

Essential Question
How does personal property help to tell a person's story?

Check for Understanding
Using evidence from the document, write a historical narrative of John Hardenbergh's life.

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