Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives
Jennison v. Caldwell
Detail from:
Writ of Attachment
This collection consists of court records filed in the case of Jennison v. Caldwell, heard in the Worcester County Court of Common Pleas in 1781 and appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court for Worcester County. Included are writs, pleadings, and other documents filed in the Court of Common Pleas, as well as record-book entries documenting the appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court.
This was the second of three cases related to Quock Walker, an enslaved man "owned" by Nathaniel Jennison of Barre, Massachusetts. In this case, Jennison successfully sued Seth and John Caldwell, the sons of Walker’s previous enslaver James Caldwell. Jennison accused the Caldwells of unlawfully taking Walker from Jennison’s custody, while Walker and the younger Caldwells maintained that Walker had been granted his freedom after the death of the elder Caldwell. The lower court’s verdict was overturned after an appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court, and damages against the Caldwells were thrown out.
Also included in this collection are copies of records related to the estate of James Caldwell and a 1754 bill of sale for "Mingo, Dinah, and Quaco" (Quock Walker is alternately referred to in the records as Quaco, Quork, Quorke, and Quok). For related materials, see collections for the Walker v. Jennison and Commonwealth v. Jennison cases.
This was the second of three cases related to Quock Walker, an enslaved man "owned" by Nathaniel Jennison of Barre, Massachusetts. In this case, Jennison successfully sued Seth and John Caldwell, the sons of Walker’s previous enslaver James Caldwell. Jennison accused the Caldwells of unlawfully taking Walker from Jennison’s custody, while Walker and the younger Caldwells maintained that Walker had been granted his freedom after the death of the elder Caldwell. The lower court’s verdict was overturned after an appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court, and damages against the Caldwells were thrown out.
Also included in this collection are copies of records related to the estate of James Caldwell and a 1754 bill of sale for "Mingo, Dinah, and Quaco" (Quock Walker is alternately referred to in the records as Quaco, Quork, Quorke, and Quok). For related materials, see collections for the Walker v. Jennison and Commonwealth v. Jennison cases.
