1776 Sexual Assault: Name Unrecorded - Female · New Jersey Slavery Records

Identifier

NJS-EVE-01248

Source

Article discussing sexual violence in Pennington during the Revolutionary War

Article discussing sexual violence in Pennington during the Revolutionary War (reprinted from the Herald of Liberty)

Article discussing sexual violence in Pennington during the Revolutionary War, "For the Herald of Liberty," Herald of Liberty, September 3, 1798, p. 2-3.

Article discussing sexual violence in Pennington during the Revolutionary War (reprinted from the Herald of Liberty), "From the Herald of Liberty," Centinel of Freedom, June 18, 1799, p. 1.

Event Description

An article published in 1798 recounted a story of sexual violence that took place during the Revolutionary War. The victim of violence was a Black woman who was enslaved by Edward Hunt, but the woman's name was not recorded in the article. These events took place during the British occupation of Pennington village, Hunterdon County (in present-day Mercer County), around 1776. The British soldiers were the perpetrators of violence. As a result of repeated abuse, the Black woman became pregnant and then had a miscarriage.

The article was penned by "A Jersey Militia-Man" from Hopewell and was originally published in the Herald of Liberty (Washington, Pennsylvania) in 1798. The narrative was later reprinted in other newspapers, including in the Centinel of Freedom (Newark, New Jersey).

A transcript of the pertinent passage from the article is provided below. For the full text of this article, see the linked source.

"At Pennington (a village about eight miles N. E. of Trenton) a detachment of them were quartered. Here they became notorious and terrible to the inhabitants, for every possible species of rapine, pillage and violence. It was a known circumstance, that they abused all females, who were so unfortunate as to fall within their fancy or power. It would be indelicate and improper to wound the feelings of many, by mentioning names, well known in that neighborhood, of innocent sufferers, who became victims to their infernal lust and brutality; and whose friends were obliged to be the patient, terrified spectators of such horrid outrage. Edward Hunt had a negro wench successively abused by a band of them, crying to her master for relief, while some threatened him with instant violence, if he would offer to attempt to interpose. The poor wench miscarried after the abuse."

Event Type

Sexual Assault

Date

1776

Date Certainty

Approximate

Location of Event

Pennington

Primary Participants

Name Unrecorded - Female {Hunt household}
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02915
Role: Victim
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Edward Hunt (d. 1793)
Verbatim description from source:
"Edward Hunt had a negro wench"

Additional Participants

Edward Hunt (d. 1793)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02913
Role: Enslaver, Witness

Record Contributor

Jesse Bayker