William Boen (ca. 1735-1824) {Heston}
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This person of African descent has 6 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.
- Identifier
- NJS-PER-04868
- Given Name
- William
- Family Name
- Boen
- Alternate Name
- Heston
- Birth Date
- 1735
- Death Date
- June 12, 1824
- Sex
- Male
- Occupation
- Agriculture, Forestry, and/or Livestock
- Biographical Description
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William Boen was a black Quaker who lived in the area of Mount Holly. He was born into slavery around 1735 in the area of Rancocas. He was eventually set free by his master, sometime after he turned 28. He was accepted into the Mount Holly meeting of the Society of Friends in 1814 when he was about 79 years old, but he had been a devout Quaker for decades before this.
The New Jersey Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery enumerated black people (free and enslaved) who lived in Northampton, Burlington County, around 1797. At that time, Mount Holly was considered to be part of Northampton Township. William Boen's name appeared on this list, and the report noted that he had a wife, was "sober," and owned property worth 300 dollars.
William Boen died on June 12, 1824. His life was subsequently memorialized in the 18-page pamphlet called "Anecdotes and Memoirs of William Boen, a Coloured Man, Who Lived and Died near Mount Holly, New Jersey. To Which Is Added the Testimony of Friends of Mount Holly Monthly Meeting Concerning Him." The pamphlet was printed in Philadelphia by John Richards in 1834. The pamphlet included the text of an obituary of William Boen, which mentioned his alias was Heston. - Keywords
- African descent person
- References
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Anecdotes and Memoirs of William Boen, a Coloured Man, Who Lived and Died near Mount Holly, New Jersey. To Which Is Added the Testimony of Friends of Mount Holly Monthly Meeting Concerning Him (Philadelphia: Printed by John Richards, 1834), https://archive.org/details/anecdotesmemoirs00coff. Electronic edition of the text is available in the North American Slave Narratives collection (Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill): https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/boen/boen.html.
- Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
- Linked Sources
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Mentioned in:
- Anecdotes and memoirs of William Boen, a coloured man, who lived and died near Mount Holly, New Jersey (Anecdotes and Memoirs of William Boen, a Coloured Man, Who Lived and Died near Mount Holly, New Jersey. To Which Is Added the Testimony of Friends of Mount Holly Monthly Meeting Concerning Him (Philadelphia: Printed by John Richards, 1834).)
- Linked Events
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Primary Participant in:
- 1735 Birth: William Boen (Role: Child)
- 1763 Manumission: William Boen (Role: Manumitted Person)
- 1763 Marriage: William Boen (Role: Spouse)
- 1797 Registration: enslaved and free Black people in Northampton (Role: Registered Person)
- 1814 Membership or Participation: William Boen (Role: Member)
- 1824-06-12 Death: William Boen (Role: Deceased Person)
- Resource class
- Agent