RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_NegroPrinceTomZadock_003.jpg

Tom Negro Costs 1790 Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/3/2025, 7:22:45 PM

Added description

Description

Tom Negro Costs 1790 Collection

Overview

The Tom Negro Costs 1790 Collection is a digitized assemblage of legal cost documents from the State of Connecticut, documenting the financial charges incurred in the apprehension of an individual identified as “Tom, Negro” in 1790. The collection comprises three cost entries, each rendered as scanned TIFF and JPEG images, and is catalogued by the Connecticut State Library as part of the New Haven County Superior Court Files (NHSC) under the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) project.

Background

Created in 1790, the documents were issued by the State of Connecticut in Guilford and New Haven. They were generated in response to an advertisement by Abraham Augur, who sought the capture of Tom for alleged theft of a key. The cost entries were signed by Jas. Wolcott, a local attorney, and directed to attorneys Moner Bishop, Esq., and Eber Kelsey, Esq. The collection reflects early colonial legal practices concerning the apprehension of enslaved or free Black individuals and is a primary source for scholars studying 18th‑century criminal law and race relations in New England.

Contents

  • Cost Entry 001 – £6.0.0 issued to Moner Bishop, Esq., dated January 29, 1790, for “taking up Prime negro by virtue of Abraham Augur’s advertisement.”
  • Cost Entry 002 – £1.10 issued to Eber Kelsey, Esq., dated January 12, 1790, for “apprehending Tom, Negro, by virtue of Abraham Augur’s advertisement for stealing a key.”
  • Cost Entry 003 – “Fees for Apprehending Tom Dobinson,” dated 1790, issued in New Haven.
Each entry is available as a high‑resolution TIFF and a JPEG, with OCR‑extracted text indicating the parties, amounts, dates, and locations.

Scope

The collection covers a single year (1790) and focuses on legal financial records related to the apprehension of a Black individual in Guilford and New Haven, Connecticut. It is limited to the three documented cost entries and their scanned reproductions. The collection is part of the NHSC BAAI project, which seeks to illuminate African American and Indigenous histories within New Haven County court records. It does not include related case files, court transcripts, or broader criminal proceedings beyond the cost documentation.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@tom_negro_costs_1790:collection {title: "Tom Negro Costs 1790 Collection", creator: @abraham_augur, created: @date_1790, subjects: ["Legal documents","African American history","Crime","Apprehension costs","New Haven County"], description: "Collection of legal documents and costs related to the apprehension of Tom, a Negro, in 1790 in Guilford, Connecticut.", places: [@guilford, @new_haven]}

@abraham_augur:person {full_name: "Abraham Augur"}

@guilford:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@new_haven:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@tom:person {status: "Negro"}

@moner_bishop:person {title: "Esq."}

@eber_kelsey:person {title: "Esq."}

@jas_wolcott:person {full_name: "Jas. Wolcott"}

@cost_entry_001:document {amount: "£6.0.0", recipient: @moner_bishop, date: @date_1790_01_29, issued_at: @new_haven, related_person: @tom}

@cost_entry_002:document {amount: "£1.10", recipient: @eber_kelsey, date: @date_1790_01_12, issued_at: @new_haven, related_person: @tom}

@cost_entry_003:document {title: "Fees for Apprehending Tom Dobinson", date: @date_1790, issued_at: @new_haven, related_person: @tom}

@nhsc:organization {full_name: "New Haven County Superior Court Files"}

@baai_project:concept {description: "Black, African American, and Indigenous History project"}

@tom_negro_costs_1790 -> contains -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg

@tom_negro_costs_1790 -> contains -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_004_jpg

@tom_negro_costs_1790 -> contains -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_tif

@tom_negro_costs_1790 -> contains -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_004_tif

@tom_negro_costs_1790 -> part of -> @nhsc

@tom_negro_costs_1790 -> related to -> @baai_project

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg -> documents -> @cost_entry_001

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg -> documents -> @cost_entry_002

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_004_jpg -> documents -> @cost_entry_003

@cost_entry_001 -> signed by -> @jas_wolcott

@cost_entry_002 -> signed by -> @jas_wolcott

@date_1790_01_29 {month: "January", day: 29}

@date_1790_01_12 {month: "January", day: 12}

Metadata

Files (4)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_NegroPrinceTomZadock_003.jpgJPEG
433.49 KB
OCR Text

State of Connecticut Guilford To Moner Bishop, Esq. 1790 Jan'y To taking up Prime negro by virtue of Abraham Augur's the Gorder's Advertisement £6.0.0 New Haven 29th Jan'y 1790 State of Connecticut Guilford To Eber Kelsey, Esq. 1790 Jan'y 12 To apprehending Tom, Negro, by virtue of Abraham Augur the Gorder's Advertisement for stealing a Key £1.10. New Haven Jan'y 29th 1790 Jas. Wolcott

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_NegroPrinceTomZadock_004.jpgJPEG
328.31 KB
OCR Text

Fees for Apprehending Tom Dobinson 1790

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/3/2025, 7:22:45 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/3/2025, 7:18:13 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/3/2025, 7:14:54 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/3/2025, 7:13:35 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Tom_Negro_costs_1790"

Parent

01KBJT1G1C6NZHB9BJD6ZD7DTH

No children (leaf entity)