Calendars provide summaries full enough, for most purposes, to replace the original documents. These summaries are printed in chronological order and do not necessarily reflect the archival ordering of the documents (hence ‘calendar’). They are the primary finding aid for the records that they describe. The State Papers Colonial are the accumulated papers of the secretaries of state relating to colonial affairs from the 16th to the 18th century. This series details papers relating to Colonial America and the West Indies for the period 1574-1739.