From The Peopling of New York City
I found a biography of a James Searle who was a merchant and delegate to the Continental Congress. Though the dates of his lifetime (1730-1797) could possibly match the lifetime of the person I am looking for (this would mean he would have been eleven when the burnings in New York took place), his party affiliation however do not match. Lepore provided in the appendix that he wasn't affiliated to any particular party. This could have simply not been listed at the time.
The "google search" led me to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, where I found the following:
SEARLE, James, a Delegate from Pennsylvania; born in New York City in 1730; completed preparatory studies; engaged in business at Madeira in 1757; moved to Philadelphia, Pa., in 1762; one of the managers of the United States lottery 1776-1778; member of the Navy board in 1778; Member of the Continental Congress 1778-1780; trustee of the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia 1779-1781; was commissioner to France and Holland to negotiate a loan for the state of Pennsylvania 1780-1782, but was unsuccessful; located in New York City in 1784 as agent for an importing house; returned to Pennsylvania in 1785; died in Philadelphia, Pa., on August 7, 1797; interment in St. Peter’s Churchyard.
Also, I found a complete biography of James Searle on UPenn's website by searching the board of trustees in the 18th century, as James Searle was a trustee from 1779 to 1781:
James Searle was probably born in New York, the son of Catherine Pintard and John Searle. The fluid writing style and frequent use of Latin phrases in his correspondence suggest that he received an excellent early education. At about age sixteen, he traveled from New York to Madeira where he spent sixteen years with his brother John in the trading firm of John Searle & Company. During these years, he married Ann (Nancy) Smith of Waterford, England, in 1762.
When he returned to America in 1765, James Searle settled in Philadelphia to act as an agent for his brother and to engage in his own business ventures. During this period he amassed great wealth, only to lose his wealth through bad decisions made in his absence during the American Revolution.
Searle was an ardent American patriot even at the beginning of the Revolution. He signed the 1765 Philadelphia non-importation agreement, on his return from England in 1775, became a lieutenant-colonel in the militia. In 1778 was elected to the Continental Congress. As a Congressman he quickly became allied with the most radical faction in the government, and became known for his dislike and distrust of Silas Dean. Searle's wife also became a leader among the patriotic women of Philadelphia. In 1780 Searle was selected by Pennsylvania to be a special envoy to Europe, with the mission of securing loans to the state which would then be used to buy munitions and other war materials. On the continent he met with little success, finding it even more difficult to borrow money for a single state than for the Congress.
In 1781, after the death of his wife, Searle returned to Philadelphia where he found himself in financial straits, culminating in 1787 with the threat of bankruptcy. To his good fortune, in 1788 he was given a job with steady income as an agent for a Madeira trading company, which allowed him to reestablish himself in Philadelphia and to live out his days in comfort, if not in the wealth he had once enjoyed. He married Isabella West, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1785, and together they had several children.
Searle served as a trustee of the University of the State of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pennsylvania) from 1779 until his resignation in 1781.
It seems like James Searle must have been in England at the time when the executions and trials in fear of a Slave Conspiracy reached their peak. Since he was a merchant however, he frequently traveled between England and the US and Pompey could have been accused and not arrested during a stay in New York.
I want to follow up on his history, researching for more specific documents in the library. So far I was only able to find advertisement of dwelling houses that are also associated with a man named John Searle, apparently his father. With the information I was already able to find out, I should be able to narrow down my research a considerable amount.
On another visit to the New York Public Library Genealogical Archives, I took a close look at "section 15", which contains census data as well as will and other official documents from 18th century New York. Unfortunately I was not able to find anything in particular about James Searle there but with the information that he could have been a member of Congress I was able to find the following document on the online database "ProQuest":
File:ProQuest 748587612.pdf
I am getting increasingly more skeptical that the James Searle whose trail I have been following so far is, in fact, the one mentioned in Lepore's Slave Conspiracy. I am starting to doubt the fact that he could have been only eleven at the time of the conspiracy. In the book it was mentioned that he owned a slave by the name of Pompey, who was accused but not arrested, and that he was a merchant living on the North ward. Despite my doubts, I find it quite interesting to follow this individuals story and I have not been able to find another James Searle that lived during this specific time period.
