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Essex County Massachusetts Freedom Case Participants 1760 - 1783
Theophilus Parsons (1750-1813)
Byfield (Newbury)
Biography: THEOPHILUS PARSONS (1750-1813). Harvard 1769. Studied law with Theophilus Bradbury and Edmund Trowbridge, qq.v. Admitted attorney, Cumberland Inferior Court, July 1774; attorney, SCJ, June 1776; barrister, ca. 1784.
Practiced in Essex Co. Leading lawyer of the post-Revolutionary generation, having many later distinguished students, including JQA. Interested in science as well, producing essays on astronomy and geometry. Author of the Essex Result, report of the Essex Convention in opposition to the proposed Massachusetts Constitution of 1778. A leader in the Essex Junto at the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1779. Delegate to the Massachusetts Ratification Convention, 178 8. Elected to the House, 1779, 1787-1791, 1805. Appointed Chief Justice of Massachusetts, 1806, serving until his death. DAB.
Adams, John, L. Kinvin Wroth, and Hiller B. Zobel. Legal Papers of John Adams. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1965.
Comments:
Pomp Somerset vs. Richard Greenleaf (1776) Attorney for PlaintiffTimon vs. Peter Osgood (1777) Attorney for Plaintiff
Timon vs. Peter Osgood (1777) Witness on Indenture
Kimball vs. Kimball (1779) Attorney for Plaintiff
Adventurer vs. Vanderhoaf (1782) Attorney for Plaintiff
Cloe Hale vs. Nathaniel Hale (1782) Attorney for Plaintiff
Sources
- Power of Attorney given to T. Parsons by Pomp Somerset. Note that it is signed and sworn too before the trial date.
Citation: Pomp vs. Greenleaf (1776), Essex County Court of Common Pleas, Salem, December 1776.
- Dated December 5, 1776 Writ for Trespass by Force & Arms and enslavement by Pomp Somerset against Richard Greenleaf.
Citation: Pomp vs. Greenleaf (1776), Essex County Court of Common Pleas, Salem, December 1776.
- Record of ECCP Court Session December 1, 1776. Defandant defaulted.
Citation: Pomp vs. Greenleaf (1776), Essex County Court of Common Pleas, Salem, December 1776.
- Judgement that Pomp should recover damages. Pomp, through his attorney, T. Parsons, remitted "all damages & costs whatsover which should have been adjudged to him."
Citation: Pomp vs. Greenleaf (1776), Essex County Court of Common Pleas, Salem, December 1776.
- Docket entry for ECCP December 1776 for Pomp vs. Greenleaf. Defendant defaulted.
Citation: Pomp vs. Greenleaf (1776), Essex County Court of Common Pleas, Salem, December 1776.
- Back of the writ for Timon vs. Osgood dated September 13, 1777
Citation: Timon vs Peter Osgood, Jr. (1777) Essex County Court of Common Pleas September 1777 Record.
- Writ dated September 13, 1777 in Timon vs Osgood.
Citation: Timon vs Peter Osgood, Jr. (1777) Essex County Court of Common Pleas September 1777 Record.
- Osgood's defense written by Pynchon dated October 3, 1777 saying that Timon is Osgood's "proper negro servant" but not making a plea of "not guilty."
Citation: Timon vs Peter Osgood, Jr. (1777) Essex County Court of Common Pleas September 1777 Record.
- Dated October 3, 1777 Indenture agreement between Peter Osgood Jr. nnd Timon "a free negro who hath no Master" to two years of obedient service in return for meat, drink, lodging, apparel, in sickness and health and for six pounds at the end a a good strong homemade suit of wearing apparels.
Citation: Timon vs Peter Osgood, Jr. (1777) Essex County Court of Common Pleas September 1777 Record.
- Dated October 3 1777 Timon's response (via Parsons) to Osgood's defense claiming it is insufficient. Osgood's reply to that via Pynchon is that his original reply was good and Timon;s action "may be barred."
Citation: Timon vs Peter Osgood, Jr. (1777) Essex County Court of Common Pleas September 1777 Record.