Peter Thorn

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This person of African descent has 3 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.
Identifier
NJS-PER-04194
Given Name
Peter
Family Name
Thorn
Sex
Male
Biographical Description
Peter Thorn was a man of African descent who lived in Springfield in the late 18th century and was enslaved by Jonathan Hough. Jonathan Hough died in late 1780 and wished for Peter Thorn to be set free. Burlington County records indicate that, on 17 March 1787, Peter Thorn was manumitted and released from slavery by Daniel Hough and Samuel Hough, the brothers and executors of the estate of the late Jonathan Hough, acting according to the wishes expressed in Jonathan Hough's last will and testament. The manumission document described Peter Thorn as a "mulatto man," indicating that he was of mixed ancestry. On the same day, 17 March 1787, the Hough family also manumitted a woman named Phillis, whose legal owner had been Samuel Hough.

A decade later, around 1797, Peter Thorn was enumerated in a report of free and enslaved Black people in Springfield and New Hanover townships. The report was created by the New Jersey Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. It indicated that Peter Thorn was by far the most prosperous Black resident of the area. He was the head of a household of 6 people, had property worth $1,500, and was a freeholder (meaning he owned land or real estate that gave him the rights and privileges of freeholders). He was listed as "industrious" and "sober," designations that were important for the Quakers who were advocating for abolition in New Jersey.
Keywords
African descent person
Places
Springfield
Enslaved by
Jonathan Hough Jr. (ca. 1751-ca. 1780)
Related Person
Phillis
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Linked Events

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Resource class
Agent