The Journey: Jail at New Castle Court House, Delaware

The Hawkins family, the Middletown constable and the slave owner’s agent arrived at the New Castle jail at 2:00am, December 6, 1845. The New Castle sheriff, Jacob Caulk, examined the commitment papers declaring them illegal. The Middletown magistrate did not sign and seal the documents; therefore, the sheriff could not legally hold the family in […]

---

The People: Chief Justice James Booth, Jr.

James Booth, Jr. was born in 1789 in New Castle, De. A graduate of Princeton, he was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1812. He had a long and successful law practice and in 1841 was appointed Chief Justice of Delaware. During his tenure as Chief Justice, the case of the Hawkins family was brought […]

---