Bill of sale for an enslaved man named Jack

Thomas Seymour III, American, 1735 - 1829 · January 22, 1785

A bill of sale regarding an enslaved man named Jack. The document is handwritten in brown ink on a single sheet of off-white paper and records the sale of Jack by Thomas Seymour, mayor of Hartford, Connecticut to his son, Henry Seymour of New York, New York for one hundred pounds. Thomas Seymour refers to "my Negro man, named Jack, about twenty four years old, a servant for life" and notes that Seymour purchased Jack from "Capt. Seth Collins of said Hartford." The bill of sale is signed at bottom right [Thos. Seymour] and witnessed by William Seymour and John Ledyard, with their signatures at bottom left. The document was folded in half and then into thirds for filing. On verso in a middle third is summary of document that reads in part [Thos Seymour Esq / Bill of Sale / to Henry Seymour / Gave M. Rufus King / bill sale of the / boy mentioned herein / 2nd March 1785]. The paper has prominent damp-staining and wear at folds.