Browse Items (8 total)

Will Rigg, an indented black man, ran away from his master Edward Dunant of Philadelphia on January 12, 1793. In the following week, Will Rigg has been seen at Trenton, Princeton, and Flemington, where he is well known to residents. Edward Dunant…

Colonel John Neilson (1745-1833) writes to Robert Finley asking him about the possible purchase of an enslaved man owned by a Mr. Mattison in Princeton for the price of 90 pounds. Neilson inquires about the skills and habits of the enslaved…

A letter detailing Robert Finley's account of speaking with Samuel Snowden and Mr. Mattison about an enslaved man named Jef. The letter mainly details Jef's personal qualities and skills, as Neilson wishes to purchase Jef but has no prior account of…

James Bunyan of Princeton seeks to sell a young black man, age 18, for a 10-year term for 80 pounds cash.

Elijah Slack of Princeton advertises a young black woman for sale in a New Brunswick newspaper. The woman is 19 years old and is a slave for life. Prospective buyers are instructed to contact John N. Simpson of New Brunswick for more information.

Elsy Murray, a 20-year-old black woman, ran away from slaveholder Peter Bogart in Princeton on February 13, 1818. Elsy Murray could read well and had a pass for 2 days. She had a brother near Piscataway, and the slaveholder supposed that someone…

Dick, a 16-year-old enslaved boy, left the house of his master Daniel Woodmansee, near Princeton, on September 1, 1822. Woodmansee posts a notice that Dick was "stolen away" by a man named John. The notice describes Dick as a "mulatto boy" and John…

New York Times report about the marriage of a white farmer named Cornelius Van Tilbergh (age 25) and a black woman named Lizzie Simmons (age 20) from Rocky Hill, New Jersey, near Princeton. The young couple tried to "escape the wrath of the country…