Research Tips

This person of African descent has 1 related event in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.

Identifier

NJS-PER-04813

Given Name

Thomas

Family Name

Jewell

Birth Date

1785

Death Date

1885

Sex

Male

Biographical Description

Thomas was one of the people who were enslaved at the Morven mansion in Princeton. The following biography is featured in the Morven Museum and Garden's Permanent Exhibit:

In 1823, Richard Stockton, the Duke, manumitted a man named Thomas. This is likely the same Thomas baptized at the First Presbyterian Church nine years earlier, recorded as “Thomas, a black servant of Richard Stockton, Esq.” An 1821 church record lists Thomas as “Thomas Jewell, Methodist—Of Richard Stockton.” With the discovery of his last name, the facts of Thomas’s life have become more accessible to researchers. After his manumission, censuses reveal Thomas Jewell as head of his own household in West Windsor and later Princeton, living with his wife Julia and their children Kate, Alexander, Ellen, and Thomas. Research has uncovered six generations of Jewell descendants.

Keywords

African descent person

Places

Princeton

Montgomery

West Windsor

Bridgewater

Morven, Princeton

Enslaved by

Richard Stockton (1764-1828) {the Duke}

Record Contributor

Kelsey Heflin

Gloria Schulz

Morven Museum & Garden

Linked Events

Primary Participant in:

• 1823-12-13 Manumission: Thomas Jewell (Role: Manumitted Person)