Tom Negro Costs Collection, 1790
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:13:56 PM
Added description
Description
Tom Negro Costs Collection, 1790
Overview
The Tom Negro Costs Collection, 1790 is a digitized assemblage of three cost‑record documents from the New Haven County Superior Court, preserved by the Connecticut State Library. The collection documents the financial outlays incurred in the apprehension of two enslaved individuals—Tom Negro and Prince Negro—and the subsequent fee for apprehending Tom Dobinson. All items are dated in January 1790 and are presented in English.Background
The records were prepared by attorneys Moner Bishop and Eber Kelsey, with the advertisement of Abraham Augur and the involvement of Jas. Wolcott. They reflect the administrative procedures of early‑nineteenth‑century Connecticut courts, particularly the legal mechanisms used to enforce slave‑owner claims and the costs associated with law‑enforcement actions. The collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County court project, specifically the “Black, African American, and Indigenous” (BAAI) focus, and is indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject field.Contents
- Cost Record 001 – “Cost for taking up Prince Negro” (£6.0.0), dated 29 January 1790, addressed to Moner Bishop.
- Cost Record 002 – “Cost for apprehending Tom Negro” (£1.10), dated 12 January 1790, addressed to Eber Kelsey.
- Cost Record 003 – “Fees for apprehending Tom Dobinson,” dated 1790, with no specific address noted.
Each record is available as a high‑resolution JPEG and a TIFF image, accompanied by metadata that links the documents to the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject index. The images capture the original handwritten entries, including the State of Connecticut header, the dates, and the monetary amounts.
Scope
The collection covers a narrow temporal window (January 1790) and geographic focus on Guilford and New Haven, Connecticut. It addresses legal costs associated with the apprehension of enslaved individuals and is relevant to scholars of African American history, 18th‑century legal practices, and New Haven County court records. The collection does not include any ancillary documents such as court orders or trial transcripts; it is limited to the cost‑record entries themselves.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@tom_negro_costs_collection:collection {title: "Tom Negro Costs Collection, 1790", created: @date_1790, institution: @connecticut_state_library, language: "en", subjects: ["Legal costs", "Apprehension of individuals", "African American history", "New Haven County", "18th century legal documents"], description: "Collection of documents related to the costs incurred for apprehending Tom Negro in 1790, including expenses for taking up Prince Negro and apprehending Tom Negro.", place: [@guilford_ct, @new_haven_ct]}
@connecticut_state_library:organization {full_name: "Connecticut State Library"}
@guilford_ct:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@new_haven_ct:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@connecticut:place {type: "state", country: @united_states}
@moner_bishop:person {full_name: "Moner Bishop, Esq.", role: "Attorney"}
@eber_kelsey:person {full_name: "Eber Kelsey, Esq.", role: "Attorney"}
@abraham_augur:person {full_name: "Abraham Augur", role: "Advertiser"}
@jas_wolcott:person {full_name: "Jas. Wolcott"}
@tom_negro:person {status: "subject of apprehension"}
@prince_negro:person {status: "subject of apprehension"}
@tom_dobinson:person {status: "subject of apprehension"}
@tom_negro_costs_collection -> created by -> [@moner_bishop, @eber_kelsey, @abraham_augur, @jas_wolcott]
@file_pinax -> metadata for -> @tom_negro_costs_collection
@cost_record_001:document {type: "Cost for taking up Prince Negro", amount: "£6.0.0", date: @date_1790_01_29, addressed_to: @moner_bishop, source: @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg}
@cost_record_002:document {type: "Cost for apprehending Tom Negro", amount: "£1.10", date: @date_1790_01_12, addressed_to: @eber_kelsey, source: @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg}
@cost_record_003:document {type: "Fees for apprehending Tom Dobinson", date: @date_1790, source: @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_004_jpg}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg -> depicts -> @cost_record_001
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_jpg -> depicts -> @cost_record_002
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_004_jpg -> depicts -> @cost_record_003
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_003_tif -> related to -> @cost_record_001
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_004_tif -> related to -> @cost_record_003
@date_1790_01_12:date {description: "12 January 1790"}
@date_1790_01_29:date {description: "29 January 1790"}
@nhsc:collection {abbreviation: "NHSC", full_name: "New Haven County Superior Court Files", description: "Record Group 3, Connecticut State Library"}
@baai:concept {full_name: "Black, African American, and Indigenous", description: "Focus area for New Haven County court project"}
@cases_papers:concept {description: "Case files and related papers of New Haven County Superior Court"}
@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject-index field for BAAI cases and papers within NHSC", related_to: [@nhsc, @baai, @cases_papers]}
@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject -> used in -> @tom_negro_costs_collection {field: "subject"}Metadata
Files (4)
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_NegroPrinceTomZadock_003.jpgJPEG
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
OCR Text
Fees for Apprehending Tom Dobinson 1790
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:13:56 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:30:48 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:36:53 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:24:41 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Tom_Negro_costs_1790"
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