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THB[SLAVERY] 1790 Free Black Man Sued for Debt, (3) Documents
![[SLAVERY] 1790 Free Black Man Sued for Debt, (3) Documents](https://s1.img.bidsquare.com/item/xl/3222/32223373.jpeg?t=1UMjiX)
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About Auction
LiveOct 10, 2025
Day one of Fleischer's 2025 Fall Premier auction includes early American artifacts, documents, signatures, ephemera, and weaponry. Rare material relating to African American history is featured, as well as fine examples of antique photography. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com
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- Lot Description
A group of three (3) documents related to the court case of Pomp Sailes, a Free Person of Color. Documents including:
1. Manuscript document signed by mark by Pomp Sailer. Norwich, [Connecticut], 19 January 1790. 1 page, approx. 6 3/8 x 3 3/4 in. Docketed to verso.
2. Partly printed document, completed in manuscript. Signed by Justice of the Peace Benjamin Huntington. Norwich, New London County, [Connecticut], 25 March 1790. 1 page, 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. Extensive manuscript docketing to verso.
3. Autograph document signed by Justice of the Peace Benjamin Huntington. Norwich, New London Co., [Connecticut], 29 April 1790. 1 page, approx.7 7/8 x 8 in.
A rare set of documents related to Free Person of Color Pomp Sailes. All three documents relate to a debt that Sailes owed shoemaker Asa Lathrop and an ensuing trial.
The first document is a promissory note, which is signed by Sailes' mark, where he promises "to Pay to Asa Lathrop or his order the Sum of two pounds five shillings and two pence...with interest." Several months later, however, it is evident that Sailes did not make good on his word, as he was issued a summons: "By the Authority of the State of Connecticut, you are hereby commanded to summon Pomp Sailes of Norwich a free Negro to appear before Benjamin Huntington...to answer unto Asa Lathrop."
The final document is Justice of the Peace Benjamin Huntington's summary of the hearing. Sailes entered a plea in abatement — an attempt to temporarily delay the proceedings — but it was deemed "insufficient" and the trial proceeded. Huntington went on to rule in favor of the Lathrop and ordered Sailes to pay the debt of £2..5..9 and an additional 13 shillings tax.
Like many northern states, Connecticut adopted a policy of gradual emancipation of slaves in 1784, legislating that all slaves born after 1 March 1784 would be free upon reaching 25 (for men) or 21 (for women). By 1790, the census recorded nearly an equal number of slaves and Free Blacks in Connecticut, about 2,800 each. By 1800, there were over 5,000 Free Blacks and less than 1,000 slaves. This did not equate to full and equal rights, however, as they were disenfranchised by both an 1814 statute and the 1818 Connecticut Constitution.
Documents related to 18th-century Free People of Color are exceedingly rare.
[African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs] [American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe]
Condition
Toning, old folds. Possible dampstain to 29 April 1790 document.
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