05/29/2026
Recently, the State Archives recovered a missing 1777 New Jersey enrolled law from the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia. The law is entitled “An Act to exempt Isaac Collins, and four Workmen to be employed in his Printing Office, from actual Service in the Militia.” Isaac Collins was a State printer, and the Revolutionary government depended on his shop to print New Jersey money and militia pay certificates, forms, laws, and other types of documents. We believe this manuscript went missing from the State House basement vaults of the Secretary of State’s Office in the 1950s, at the same time that many others were taken by a known thief. The document has been listed as missing and reported to the FBI and State Police on the State Archives “Public Records Recovery and Amnesty” website. The Director and staff of the Rosenbach learned of this and voluntarily transferred the document to the State after the Archives demonstrated that it was formerly located in the State House. We thank them for their professionalism and courtesy.
