Question: In 1778, my Litchfield, Conn. ancestor was sued for 3,000 pounds for beating up a man in a neighboring town. Three thousand pounds sounds like a great deal of money - how much would that be worth in today's terms?
Answer: In 1778 the value of 3,000pounds would be in 2011 dollars worth $ 442,656.17
The following website is where I did the conversion for you - http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm