1795 New Haven County Superior Court Expense Records – Black, African American, and Indigenous History Collection

Overview

This collection comprises digitized court‑expense ledgers from the New Haven County Superior Court, created in 1795 by court clerks Joseph Peck, Joseph Dickey, and Prince Perkins. The documents record the State of Connecticut’s reimbursement of lodging, bedding, transportation, and other costs incurred for litigants identified as Black or Indigenous. The collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous History) project, which focuses on legal records involving people of African and Indigenous descent.

Background

Joseph Peck, a court clerk, produced a ledger on 6 August 1795 detailing expenses for Jabez Albee and Prince Perkins during 5 May–6 August 1795. The State paid the clerk on 16 August 1795 for these costs. Joseph Dickey’s ledger records expenses for the case of Alby & Emma. Both ledgers were compiled by clerks active in late‑18th‑century New Haven and later acquired by the Connecticut State Library. The collection reflects the administrative practices of the period and the economic burdens borne by litigants of African and Indigenous heritage.

Contents

• Peck Ledger – lists boarding, bedding, court trips, and clothing for Albee and Perkins; includes payments of $6.06 and $6.26 respectively.
• Dickey Ledger – records line items for Alby & Emma’s case.

Both documents are available as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans, accompanied by metadata that records creators, dates, subjects, and controlled terms such as “Court Expenses,” “Legal Documents,” “African American History,” and “New Haven County.”

Scope

The collection covers the fiscal period 5 May–6 August 1795 in New Haven, Connecticut, focusing exclusively on court‑expense documentation for litigants identified as Black or Indigenous. It does not include subsequent court proceedings, other litigants, or ancillary documents beyond the expense ledgers.