Browse Items (616 total)
Ten Dollars Reward [runaway ad for Will]
1792-10-17
Fleming, James
Will, an enslaved black man, aged 28 years, ran away from Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, NJ. His master James Fleming offers a reward of 10 dollars for his capture.
Ten Dollars Reward [runaway ad for Robin and Sam]
1792-05-01
Robinson, Alexander
Two black men, Robin and Sam, ran away from slaveholder Alexander Robinson at Belment Farm, near Morristown, on April 9, 1792. Robin was 50 years old and Sam was younger, but his precise age is not mentioned in the newspaper notice. Alexander…
WHEREAS Deborah Obart, my wife has frequently eloped
1792-05-01
Obart, George
George Obart issues a public notice that his wife Deborah Obart frequently runs away from home; he warns people in Middlesex County not to extend credit to his wife. This notice was published in a New Brunswick newspaper, but the location of Obart's…
THREE DOLLARS REWARD [runaway ad for apprentice James Gilman]
1792-05-01
Bloomfield, John
A 16-year-old apprentice named James Gilman ran away from his master John Bloomfield at Woodbridge on January 30, 1792. Gilman was seen leaving Boye's tavern in the village of Quibbletown (present-day New Market area in Piscataway) and going toward…
Eight Dollars Reward [runaway ad for Sam]
1792-05-01
Stevenson, James
Sam, an 18-year-old black man, ran away from slaveholder James Stevenson (Queen's College graduate, class of 1789). Sam escaped from Amwell, Hunterdon County, on April 24, 1792. James Stevenson offers a reward of $8 for Sam's capture.
TO BE SOLD, A Young healthy likely NEGRO WOMAN
1792-05-01
A slaveholder around New Brunswick seeks to sell a young black woman, aged 20, together with her 14-month-old daughter. The slaveholder is not named in the ad, and the prospective buyers are asked to apply to the printers of the Brunswic Gazette…
Bill of sale for Flora, Phillis, and Ann, sold to John Neilson
1787-01-31
Bleecker, Anthony L.
Anthony L. Bleecker sells to John Neilson an enslaved woman named Flora and her two female children Phillis and Ann for 120 New York pounds.
Receipt issued to Jacob Van Dike related to Harry, a Black man carried away by followers of the British army
1782-06-17
Dunn, James
Receipt issued to Jacob Van Dike and signed by James Dunn, Joseph Thickstun, David Dunham. For a transcript of this document and additional information about Harry, Jacob Van Dike, and the other people involved, see the New Jersey Slavery Records…
Letter to his father Col. Johannes Hardenbergh
1777-12-06
Hardenbergh, Jacob Rutsen
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1736-1790) mentions an enslaved man in a letter to his father Col. Johannes Hardenbergh (1706-1786).
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was one of the chief founders of Queen's College (later Rutgers) and served as the school's…
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was one of the chief founders of Queen's College (later Rutgers) and served as the school's…
Receipt issued to Colonel John Neilson recording the sale of an enslaved black man who was taken from the enemy in war
1777-11-30
Bullman, Thomas
In this Revolutionary War era document, Thomas Bullman records that he received 55 pounds from Colonel John Neilson (1745-1833) for the sale of an enslaved black man. The name of this black man is not recorded here, but the receipt mentions that the…
James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw obituary
1775-10-02
Obituary reporting the death of Ukawsaw Gronniosaw also known as James Albert. He died on September 28, 1775, in Chester, England.
A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, As related by Himself
1772
Gronniosaw, James Albert Ukawsaw
Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, alias James Albert, was a formerly enslaved man who wrote and published his autobiography in England in 1772. In his autobiography, he describes how he was captured in Africa, brought to the Caribbean and then to New York, and…
Charter of a College to be erected in New-Jersey by the name of Queen's College
1770
Rutgers University
The second charter of Queen's College was issued on March 20, 1770, by William Franklin, the Colonial governor of New Jersey. It is under this charter that Rutgers has since existed.
The front page of the charter is presented here.
The…
The front page of the charter is presented here.
The…
Run away from Philip Livingston [unnamed African man]
1752-11-06
Livingston, Philip
Slaveholder and slave trader Philip Livingston offers a reward of three dollars for the capture of an African man who escaped from Livingston in New York City. The man does not speak any Dutch or English, suggesting that he was only recently brought…