Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Court Documents (Clark County, Indiana) Relating to Harry, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally processed by Benjamin Bromley in November 2012.

Scope and Contents

Court documents, 1817-1821, relating to Harry, a free black man living in Clark County, Indiana. In the first suit, John H. Thompson brought charges against Isaac Shelby on behalf of Harry, stating that Shelby had illegally detained him. This case was dismissed in March 1817. In April 1817, a suit is brought against Thomas Pile, William Pile, David Smith, and William P. Lee for "manstealing," or the abduction of Harry. This case is eventually dismissed in 1821 due to the fact that Harry cannot appear.

There are also transcriptions of the documents that were provided by the seller and have not been verified.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Free blacks
• Indiana--History
• Indiana--History--19th century
• Legal documents