Revolutionary War Pay Document for an African American Soldier.
Juba Freeman, a Connecticut private in the Continental Army, receives his final pay for five years of military service.
Juba’s former master, now Connecticut Superior Court Judge Richard Law, signs the pay request “in behalf of Juba Freeman.” However, per the Master/Slave agreement (previously shown at left), Judge Law is entitled to retain half his ex-slave’s earnings. Hartford, CT, December 27, 1784.
Formerly known as Juba Negro, Juba Freeman is buried in the Milford Cemetery along with the town’s six other African American soldiers. A Revolutionary War memorial to these seven heroes is displayed in front of Milford’s First Baptist Church.
The Mitchell Collection contains some 200 documents pertaining to black soldiers in the American Revolution – the largest such archive in the nation.