Skip to main content

Kirby, Ephraim, 1757-1804

 Person

Biography

Ephraim Kirby is known as America's first court reporter. Kirby studied at Yale but did not graduate, and he fought in the Revolutionary War in the Calvary. In 1787 he received an honorary master’s degree from Yale College. He was a lawyer and a member of the Connecticut legislature from 1791-1801. Kirby created the first published volume of law reports in America, and he was the first Superior Court Judge of the Mississippi territory in the area that is now Alabama. He was the first General Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons of the United States. His four daughters attended the Litchfield Female Academy, and his son attended the Litchfield Law School.

Citation:
Author: Benjamin Bradley

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Ephraim Kirby Case Reports

00-2011-106-0

 Collection
Identifier: 00-2011-106-0
Scope and Contents

The Ephraim Kirby Case Reports collection (2011-106-0) is a copied collection of case reports created by Ephraim Kirby. The span of cases ranges from 1785 to 1789. There is a typed transcript of some of the cases from the collection included in the folder. Cases that are in reports range from cases about divorce, false imprisonment, and burglary. The cases are from around the state of Connecticut from Litchfield to New London Counties.

Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1785-1789; Other: Date acquired: 05/06/2012

Ephraim Kirby Legal Notes

00-1899-2-0

 Collection — Box Box 21A
Identifier: 00-1899-2-0
Scope and Contents The Ephraim Kirby Legal Notes collection (1899-2-0) is a bound volume containing notes and reports made by Ephraim Kirby when he was a law reporter. The notes and reports found in this volume were used to create the first published collection of law reports in the United States. The creation of the law reports was started to begin to differentiate United States common law from England’s common law. The cases found in this bound volume can be found in the published version, but the published...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1785-1787; Other: Date acquired: 11/30/1898

Additional filters:

Subject
Connecticut 1
Connecticut. Supreme Court of Errors 1
Courts 1
Courts -- Connecticut 1
Lawyers -- Connecticut 1
∨ more
Reports 1
+ ∧ less