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Lewis vs. Dodge (1769)

Edward "Ned" Lewis was 16 years old when his mother, Violet (see Violet vs Howe, 1766) sued for his freedom. Violet submitted documentation to show that her mother's mother was a "free Negro" and her mother was a "free Negro." Based on two generations of free maternal descent, Violet argued that she was legally free all her life and so too was Lewis. The case was lost at the ECCP level but won on appeal to the SCJ.

Plaintiff: Edward "Ned" Lewis
Defendant: Deacon Solomon Dodge
Plaintiff's Attorney: John Lowell Esq.
Defendant's Attorney: Benjamin Kent
Attorney for Original Defendant on Appeal: Daniel Farnham Esq.
Attorney for Original Defendant on Appeal: William Pynchon Esq.

Essex Court of Common Pleas

September 1769 Newburyport: Case filed, disposed and appealed
- Justice: Honorable Nathaniel Ropes Esq.
- Justice: Caleb Cushing Esq.
- Justice: Andrew Oliver Jun. Esq.
- Justice: William Browne Esq
Disposition:
Pledged as surety for appeal: J Lowell 10pds. D. Fanham Esq. 5pds. Wm Pynchon Esq. 5pds.
Court_Costs: To Defendant.

Superior Court of Judicature

November 1769 Salem: Case filed and disposed
- Chief Justice: Benjamin Lynde Jr., Esq.
- Associate Justice: John Cushing Esq.
- Associate Justice: Peter Oliver Esq.
- Associate Justice: Edmund Trowbridge Esq.
Disposition:
The (2nd) Jury find that the aplee (Dodge) is guilty of the trespass alledged in the Writ. Execution issues Feb 3 1770 [?] Lowell
Monetary Damages: To Appelant (Lewis) 5 pounds.
Court_Costs: To Plaintiff (Lewis). 7-6-8.

Related Cases
Violet vs. Mark Howe (1766)
Violet was born in Newburyport in 1735, the daughter of a free "Negro woman" (who herself was born of "free Negroes") and an enslaved African. At some point she was sold as a slave, along with her "mulatto" son, Edward "Ned" Lewis, to a family in the Linebrook Parish of Ipswich. John Lowell Esq. of Newburyport negotiated her freedom and she received twenty shillings from her enslaver in 1766. Three years later, she sued her son's enslaver, again with John Lowell as her attorney, and was successful in freeing him. See also Lewis vs. Dodge (1769).

Sources
Please review Court Formalities to understand the court documents. Note especially that phrases such as 'with force & arms' and specific dates for keeping the Plaintiff in servitude are formal statements not meant to reflect actual occurences.