Suffolk County Register of Probate Richard Iannella discovered the sale last
week while researching Isaac Addington, who was a lawyer, a judge and the first
Secretary of the Colony. Addington also served on the grand jury that charged
the defendants in the Salem witch trials.
Iannella found a description of an auctioned 1697 will on the Internet that
was signed by Addington and William Stoughton, another colonial judge. He
subsequently checked the files at the state archives, and found the documents
missing.
''With these colonial documents gone, there's a hole in colonial history,''
Iannella told the Boston Herald. ''It's a travesty to think that someone would
want to profit on the past.''
The papers were sold by History Makers auction house in Indianapolis. Steve
Nowlin, owner of History Makers, said he bought the documents from New York's
Swann Galleries Auctioneers and Appraisers in 1992.
He declined to say at what price he sold the documents.
Secretary of State William Galvin, who has recovered many stolen documents
including a letter from George Washington, said official Massachusetts records
always belong to the state, and that Massachusetts Probate Court records can't
be auctioned off to private parties.
Papers have been stolen from the courthouse in the past and sold as
memorabilia. Last year, a Suffolk County probation officer admitted stealing
nearly two dozen old-time baseball players' wills and other documents from
around the country.