On January 29, 1794, Zadock Hawks (1731-1821) of Deerfield, Massachusetts charged "Lt. Barnard" for a "pair of Shoe for Negro _-5-6. This was most likely Joseph Barnard (1741-1803) the son of the well-to-do Deerfield farmer and trader, Joseph Barnard, Sr. (1717-1785.) Joseph, Jr. served as a Lieutant of militia and was active in town government during the American Revolution.
The shoes Zadock Hawks charged to Joseph Barnard Jr.'s account in 1794 were likely for a free African American in Barnard's household. Slavery was no longer legal in Massachusetts by the end of the 18th century following court decisions by state Supreme Court justices in the early 1780s that slavery was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts Constitution ratified 1780.
operson_detail.html