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Essex County Massachusetts Freedom Case Participants 1760 - 1783
Moses Hart Gentleman (1728-1779)
Lynn
Biography: Born 2-15-1727/8. Served in army, promoted to Captain 1758-1762. Married Lydia Fuller (1740-1766), on 12-5-1762. Daughter Lydia b. 10-7-1763. Wife died 1766. Father died 1774. Served as Captain in Siege of Boston but court-martialed in Sept. 1775 for stealing provisions and abusing his men.
Comments: SCJ Nov 1771 Reimbursed for Travel: 20 miles; Attendance 7 days 0-13-6 SCJ June 1771 Reimbursed for Travel: 40 miles; Attendance 5 days: 0-12-0
Casar vs. Samuel Taylor (1772) Sworn signed testimony for PlaintiffSources
- Capt. Hart served in the French and Indian War and the Expedition to Canada. He was cashiered out during the Siege of Boston, September 1775 for over drawing provisions and abusing his men.
Citation: Gardner, Frank A., and Keith A. Brough. General Ward's Colonial Army: A Compilation of Regimental Histories by Dr. Frank A. Gardner for The Massachusetts Magazine, from 1908-1918. 2015.
- Dated October 30, 1771. Summons to SCJ November 1771 held in Salem. Sixteen names, five towns.
Signatures on reverse
Timothy Fuller Gentleman
Primus a negro man living with John Flint all of Middleton in the County of Essex.
T. Russell & M. Russell, E. Hirchcom all of Reading;
Tamar,
J. Beverly
S. Poor &
C.Furbush all of Andover;
R. Thomas,
A. Smith ,
B.Guilford &
A.Putnam all of Danvers;
M. Hart of Lynn;
P. Chandler & J. Bryant.
Citation: Samuel Taylor vs Casar, Superior Court of Judicature June 1772, 15. Suffolk # 132190.
- Dated Nov. 12, 1771. Sworn, signed testimony by Moses Hart that at September ECCP Court, he heard Samuel Taylor talking with others and Taylor said that Casar had "paid him almost all the money" for his liberty but he sold Casar for a loss because he thought Casar "did not conduct so well" and he had been advised to sell him.
The reverse side contains a statement from Salem [Poor] that he heard this conversation as well and it had happened as Hart had said.
Citation: Samuel Taylor vs Casar, Superior Court of Judicature June 1772, 15. Suffolk # 132190.
- Dated June 15, 1772 Summons to SCJ June 1772 for John Beverly, Andover &
Nathan Brown,Salem
Ephraim Shelden, Lynn
Moses Hart, Lynn &
Charles Furbush, Andover
Citation: Samuel Taylor vs Casar, Superior Court of Judicature June 1772, 15. Suffolk # 132190.
- Clerk's tally of oourt costs for SCJ November 1771 and June 1772
Citation: Samuel Taylor vs Casar, Superior Court of Judicature June 1772, 15. Suffolk # 132190.
- Captain Moses Hart of Lynn was courtmartialed for "drawing for more provisions than he was entitled to, and for unjustly confining and abusing his men;"
Citation: Force, Peter, and Allan Kulikoff. American Archives: Documents of the American Revolution, 1774-1776. [DeKalb, IL]: Northern Illinois University, 2004.