RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_NegroPrinceTomZadock_005.jpg

Zadock Negro Costs 1790 Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:13:56 PM

Added description

Description

Zadock Negro Costs 1790 Collection

Overview

The Zadock Negro Costs 1790 Collection is a set of archival documents produced by the State of Connecticut on February 28, 1790. It is housed in the Connecticut State Library and forms part of the New Haven County Superior Court files, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous (BAAI) subject index. The collection comprises a cost ledger and a contemporaneous letter addressed to Joseph Peck, detailing expenses incurred in boarding and caring for several African‑American prisoners—Zadock Negro, Prince Negro, Tom Negro, and others—in New Haven County.

Background

During the late 18th century, New Haven County maintained a board of trustees responsible for the care of prisoners. The ledger reflects the administrative practices of the period, listing costs for board, blankets, firewood, coal, and other necessities. The letter to Joseph Peck, signed by State Attorney Erastus Wolcott, confirms the ledger’s authenticity and outlines the financial obligations of the board. The collection illustrates the fiscal responsibilities of local government toward incarcerated individuals, a topic of growing scholarly interest in African‑American legal history.

Contents

  • Costs Ledger (image of a handwritten bill): enumerates weekly board costs for each board member, blanket purchases, firewood and coal expenses, and payments for prisoner quarters on a vessel.
  • Letter to Joseph Peck (document): a formal communication referencing the ledger, addressed to the board of trustees and signed by Erastus Wolcott.
  • Metadata and Indexing Data: includes subject headings (African American history, legal costs, prisoner board), place (New Haven County), and institutional provenance (Connecticut State Library).
  • Supporting Entities: names of board members (Samuel Osborn, Joseph Dickinson, Levi Leach, Enock Cooper, Bains) and prisoners (Tom Negro, Prince Negro, Zadock Negro).

Scope

The collection covers a single fiscal period in early 1790, focusing on the economic aspects of prisoner care in New Haven County. It is geographically limited to Connecticut and thematically centered on legal costs, prisoner board, and the administrative oversight of African‑American inmates. The documents provide primary evidence for scholars studying 18th‑century criminal justice, state fiscal policy, and the lived experiences of African‑American prisoners in colonial America.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@zadock_negro_costs_1790:collection {title: "Zadock Negro Costs 1790 Collection", creator: @state_of_connecticut, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1790_02_28, language: "en", subjects: ["African American history", "Legal costs", "Prisoner board", "New Haven County", "18th century"], description: "Collection of documents detailing costs associated with boarding prisoners, including Zadock Negro, Prince Negro, Tom Negro, and others, in New Haven County, Connecticut in 1790.", place: @new_haven_county, source: "PINAX"}

@file_pinax:file {type: "metadata", format: "PINAX", related_to: @zadock_negro_costs_1790}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_005_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "OCR of cost ledger for New Haven County Superior Court BAAI cases and papers", related_to: @zadock_negro_costs_1790}

@costs_ledger:document {title: "Costs Ledger", author: @state_of_connecticut, date: @date_1790_02_28, source_file: @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_005_jpg}

@letter_to_joseph_peck:document {title: "Letter to Joseph Peck", author: @state_of_connecticut, date: @date_1790_02_28, recipient: @joseph_peck, source_file: @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_005_jpg}

@state_of_connecticut:organization {full_name: "State of Connecticut"}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {full_name: "Connecticut State Library"}

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

@joseph_peck:person {role: "Recipient of ledger"}

@samuel_osborn:person {role: "Board member"}

@joseph_dickinson:person {role: "Board member"}

@levi_leach:person {role: "Board member"}

@enock_cooper:person {role: "Board member"}

@tom_negro:person {full_name: "Tom Negro", role: "Prisoner"}

@bains:person {role: "Board member"}

@prine_negro:person {full_name: "Prince Negro", role: "Prisoner"}

@zadock_negro:person {full_name: "Zadock Negro", role: "Prisoner"}

@erastus_wolcott:person {role: "Signer of bill"}

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject index field for New Haven County Superior Court files concerning Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files:collection {title: "New Haven County Superior Court Files", project_code: "NHSC_BAAI_Cases_Papers_Subject"}

@zadock_negro_costs_1790 -> includes -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_negroprincetomzadock_005_jpg

@zadock_negro_costs_1790 -> includes -> @file_pinax

@costs_ledger -> referenced in -> @letter_to_joseph_peck

@letter_to_joseph_peck -> mentions -> [@samuel_osborn, @joseph_dickinson, @levi_leach, @enock_cooper, @tom_negro, @bains, @prine_negro, @zadock_negro, @erastus_wolcott]

@letter_to_joseph_peck -> sent by -> @state_of_connecticut {date: @date_1790_02_28}

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files -> has subject index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@zadock_negro_costs_1790 -> part of -> @connecticut_state_library

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files -> part of -> @connecticut_state_library

Metadata

Files (2)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_NegroPrinceTomZadock_005.jpgJPEG
589.77 KB
OCR Text

State of Connecticut to Joseph Peck Feb 28 To Board of Samuel Osborn 3 weeks & 4 days @ 5/7 7 10 To Board of Joseph Dickinson 3 weeks & 3 days 17 2 To Board of Levi Leach 3 Weeks & 3 Day 17 2 To Board of Enock Cooper 3 weeks & 3 Days @ 5/7 17 2 To Board of Tom Negro 3 weeks & 3 Days @ 5/7 17 2 To Board of Bains 3 weeks & 3 days 17 2 To Board of Prine Negro 3 Weeks & 3 Days 17 2 To Board of Zadock Negro 3 weeks 15 To 3 Blankets for Prisoners @ 7/1 1 1 " To expense of fire wood & Coal for Prisoners " 8 - To Payment of 4 Nights Quarters on the Boat by order of the States Attorney @ $4/1 16 To Cloths for Jos Dickinson's Friends 10 10 order given March 2 1790 $ 8 5 8 The above bill allowed & signed pr: Erastus Wolcott

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:13:56 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:30:47 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:36:51 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:24:42 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Zadock_Negro_costs_1790"

Parent

01KBKZXE33F7V7RC1WGGE5YWTM

No children (leaf entity)