Phebe Ham (b. ca. 1800) · New Jersey Slavery Records

Identifier

NJS-PER-04755

Given Name

Phebe

Family Name

Ham

Alternate Name

Phoebe Hamm

Birth Date

1800

Sex

Female

Biographical Description

Phebe Ham was a black woman who was born into slavery in the South, either in Virginia or North Carolina. The name of the person who held her in bondage is unknown. She was born around 1800 (as inferred from the age listed in the 1850 and 1860 federal census records). In the late 1830s, she came to Camden, New Jersey, where she lived as a free woman with a man named Jacob Ham and children named Smith Ham, Jane Ham, and George Ham. In all likelihood, Jacob was Phebe's husband, and Smith, Jane, and George were their children. The children had all been born into slavery in the South before the family came to New Jersey. The exact circumstances of their move to New Jersey and how they gained freedom are unclear.

The first document that places the family in New Jersey is a manumission deed executed in 1838. Phebe Ham is not mentioned in this document, but her family members are. The manumission deed was executed by Jacob Ham (who signed the document with an X mark because he could not write his name). The deed indicated that Jacob Ham was the legal owner of Smith Ham, Jane Ham, and George Ham, and he intended to set them free. The children would have been about 8, 6, and 1 years old at the time this document was signed. Considering that Jacob Ham was their legal owner, it appears likely that he purchased the children with the intent to free them.

Phebe Ham is probably the unnamed woman listed in the 1840 census record for the household of Jacob Ham in Camden (then part of Gloucester County). There were 8 household members (including Jacob Ham), all free people of color. The census record for the household lists two adult men ages 24 to 35 (one of them certainly Jacob Ham himself), one woman age 36 to 54 (presumably Phebe Ham, who would have been 40 then), and five children under the age of 10 — all boys. This was one of 56 free black households in the city at that time. The 1840 census was the last census when only the name of the head of household was recorded, and all other household members were listed by age and race only.

By the 1850 census, Jacob Ham is no longer in the census for Camden (now Camden County), but the family is found living in the South Ward of the city with 50-year-old Phebe Ham (listed here as Phoebe Hamm) as the head of household. Below Phebe's name, we see children Smith (age 20), Jane (age 18), and George (age 13). Jacob's absence from the household suggests that he may have passed away before 1850. Virginia is listed as the place of birth for Phebe and the children. Smith Ham, being the oldest, is listed as a laborer by occupation and the owner of real estate to the value of $1,500 (although it is reasonable to assume that the family's real estate would have been managed by Phebe Ham, not her 20-year-old son). Furthermore, Smith and Jane are listed as having attended school within the last 12 months. And Phebe, at age 50, is unable to read and write. Additionally, there are two other younger children listed in the household with a different last name: William Harvey (age 11, Virginia-born) and Sarah Harvey (age 8, the only person in the household to have been born in New Jersey).

Ten years later, in the 1860 census, we find a multigenerational household of four people that consists of Phebe Ham (age 60), her two children, and a grandchild. Phebe Ham's real estate is valued at $500 at this time. Smith Ham (age 30) is now a seaman; and Jane (age 27) is now listed as Jane Johnson and has a daughter Phebe E. Johnson (age 5). The child's father, however, is not in the household. The 5-year-old granddaughter's birthplace is New Jersey, while all three adults in the household have their birthplace as North Carolina. This contradicts the 1850 census, which lists Virginia, but it confirms the family's Southern origins.

Furthermore, Phebe Ham is found in the New Jersey State Census for 1855 and 1865. In 1855, she is the head of a household that consists of 3 black males and 2 black females, with no household members under the age of 15. In 1865, Phebe Ham is listed as living alone, still residing in the South Ward of Camden.

Keywords

African descent person

Places

Camden

Virginia

North Carolina

Parent of

Smith Ham (b. ca. 1830)

Jane Ham Johnson (b. ca. 1832)

George Ham (b. ca. 1837)

Spouse of

Jacob Ham {born circa 1805 or after}

References

1840 US Census record for Jacob Ham in Camden, Gloucester County, New Jersey, page 16 (handwritten on top), microfilm image 34, available on Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/65236570?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2243434e473338554e774a39786c6e50567133486d716d636b585a59736f4a634b7a4237672b78626b7352673d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d

1850 US Census record for the household of Phoebe Hamm in the South Ward of Camden City, Camden County, New Jersey, dwelling 391 / family 414, page 185 (handwritten on top), microfilm image 56, available on Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/65240473?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a223378416663792f63495551684e6c75636f3545426158334e534b6a4977427a6e4962383972685741594d303d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d

1860 US Census record for the household of Phebe Ham in the South Ward of Camden City, Camden County, New Jersey, dwelling 274 / family 311, page 37, microfilm image 37, available on Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/65240541?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2235617a6c2b3943626762547a617633347673644d5946457a4f315664346e6e385a654371593574527170513d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d

1855 New Jersey State Census record for the household of Phebe Ham, South Ward of Camden City, Camden County, New Jersey, microfilm image 55, available on Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/65272949?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a227a535a4c5462502b46616778706f4e34366c424b57416237524b7a596d33567157554c2b346132566b63733d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d

1865 New Jersey State Census record for the household of Phebe Ham, South Ward of Camden City, Camden County, New Jersey, line number 2046, microfilm image 398, available on Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/65273017?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22703134326b4356465a6941693576504a557850412f4b2f53516971744e6947686465697a464d507a5a77493d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d

Record Contributor

Jesse Bayker