Joseph Barnard (1741-1803) was the eldest child of Joseph and Thankful (Stebbins) Barnard of Deerfield, Massachusetts. Joseph, Sr. was a well-to-do farmer and trader. Joseph, Jr. served as a Lieutenant of militia and was active in town government during the American Revolution, including serving on the town's Committee of Safety.
On January 29, 1794, Zadock Hawks (1731-1821) of Deerfield, Massachusetts charged "Lt. Barnard" for a "pair of Shoe for Negro _-5-6. 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 in 1780.
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