Northampton Slavery Document Study Day

Museum educator Elizabeth Sacktor, Forbes Library archivist Dylan Gaffney, and Registrar of Probate Mark Ames

Photo of an old, handwritten document on brown paper, partially torn. The writing is too small to read, but it is clearly a legal document signed by several people, including 'Mingo' and 'Sue'.

Agreement between Sue, Mingo, and their enslaver Samuel Parsons, August 30, 1698. Collection of Forbes Library.

Event Details

September 13, 2025

For one day only, see original 17th- and 18th-century documents relating to slavery in Northampton. Gain deeper insight into enslaved lives and the institution of slavery as it was practiced in town.

The documents will be on display in collaboration with Forbes Library and the Hampshire County Probate Court. Among the documents will be:

  • The bill of sale for a man named Boston purchased by Joseph Parsons Jr. in 1715; 
  • The will of Joseph Bartlett which manumitted Dinah and Peter, c. 1754;
  • The agreement which allowed Sue and Mingo to marry and made provision for the ownership of their children. 

Join museum educator Elizabeth Sacktor, Forbes Library archivist Dylan Gaffney, and Registrar of Probate Mark Ames to discuss the material evidence and legacies of slavery in our community.

This event is free and open to the public.