James I. Hall (abt 1822-1892) first African-American to be called as a juror in Rensselaer County?

James I. Hall (abt 1822-1892) of Lansingburgh signed a resolution in 1846 advocating for African-Americans to have the right to serve on a jury. In 1870 he was called as a potential juror for a trial. In between 1846 and 1870 he had, among other things, served in Company I of the 8th U. S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. All that after he'd been born into slavery in the South.

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A SUFFRAGE MEETING.A large and spirited meeting was held by the coloured citizens of Lansingburgh and Troy, March 10, in the Methodist church on Pitt street. Frisby Way was called to preside, and Daniel A. Oliver was appointed Secretary.On motion a business committee of three was appointed, viz: Mr. Stephen Morehouse, Mr. Peter Baker, and Mr. James Hall. Mr. William G. Allen as assistant.While the business Committee were out, Mr. William Rich of Troy, addressed the meeting in an able and interesting manner.The chairman of the business committee then reported the following resolutions: […]Resolved, That we, coloured citizens of this State, would esteem it a privilege to perform any duty that any other citizen may for the good of his State or country, be it military, or jury, and all we desire is the enjoyment of equal privileges.Lansingburgh Democrat. March 14, 1846: 2 col 3. [bold emphasis added]A COLORED JUROR.—Among the names drawn for petit jurors, yesterday afternoon, was that of James Hall, a colored man residing in Lansingburgh. We believe that never in the history of the country has a colored man served on a petit or grand jury. Mr. Hall is an intelligent and respectable citizen and a property holder in the village, and few men are more competent than he to serve on a jury.Troy Daily Whig. January 4, 1870: 3 col 1.

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Being called to serve on a jury in 1870 was no small thing.

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Albert Alschuler and Andrew Deiss, in an article entitled A Brief History of the Criminal Jury in the United States, identified 1860 as the year in which African-American men first served on a jury.Marder, Nancy S., "The Changing Composition of the American Jury" (2013). 125th Anniversary Documents. Paper 5. 67-68. http://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/docs_125/5

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For an African American to serve on a jury after 1860 was still apparently fairly rare. In 1890, twenty years after James I. Hall had been called, another African-American man was claimed as "the first." Perhaps Hall had been called but did not ultimately serve for one reason or another, or perhaps he'd been forgotten. In either event, it's at least possible than between 1870 and 1890 no African-American men had been called as jurors in Rensselaer County. It's a question that deserves further investigation.

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The inclusion of African-American men on the jury was not limited to Southern states. A notice in the New York Times on November 19, 1890, announced that “[a]mong the jurors in a case in the Circuit Court this morning was Abe Peterson, a Grafton blacksmith, who is the first colored man to sit on a jury in Renssalaer [sic] County[, New York].”Marder, Nancy S., "The Changing Composition of the American Jury" (2013). 125th Anniversary Documents. Paper 5. 69. http://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/docs_125/5

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James I. Hall, a respected resident of Lansingburgh, died last night at the home of his son-in-law, John F. Price, aged seventy-nine years. Mr. Hall was born a slave, but he escaped from Maryland nearly fifty years ago and during the half-century had resided in Lansingburgh. He was an officer of the Liberty street Presbyterian church, Troy. During the war Mr. Hall served with the Union army. Charles A. Hall is a son of the deceased.“Obituary.” Troy Daily Times. January 6, 1892: 3 col 6.—James I. Hall, an old and respected resident of this village, died Wednesday at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. John F. Price. Deceased was born in slavery at Fairfax, Va., in 1819, but escaped when quite young, and when the war broke out he enlisted and served with the union army. He took a great interest in church work, and was an officer of the Liberty street Presbyterian church, Troy. Two children survive him, Mrs. Price, his daughter, and Chas. Hall, a son.Lansingburgh Courier. January 7, 1892: 3 col 2.