Birth record for three Black children, reported by David Sheppard

Birth record for three Black children, reported by David Sheppard
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This document is cited as a source in 3 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.
Identifier
NJS-SRC-03094
Source Type
Civil Document
Location Created
Cumberland County
Date
September 4, 1813
Description
On 4 September 1813, David Sheppard of Cumberland County, New Jersey, reported to the County Clerk that three Black children had been born to an enslaved woman in his household. He received a receipt certifying that he reported the children's births.

The County Clerk, J. Holmes, noted on the receipt that this was the first (and only) time he had received a certification of birth for enslaved children in Cumberland County. Evidently, David Sheppard (and possibly other enslavers in the county) did not comply with the rules laid out by the 1804 Gradual Abolition Act, which stipulated that all children born to enslaved mothers after 4 July 1804 should be reported to the local County Clerk within 9 months of their birth.
Transcript
This is to certify that David Sheppard has this day filed in the clerks office in Cumberland County a certificate of the birth of three negro children by the name of Publius Vergillius Marr, Enoch and Agur.

Septem 4th 1813

J. Holmes Clk

NB. This is the first record of this sort on the Books of this County
And there never has been but one besides this braught forward that is not recorded.

[verso]
Rect of the Record of three negro Children
September 1, 1813
J. Homes Clerk
of Court C County
Language
English
Format
Small slip of paper with handwriting on both sides
Archive
Cumberland County Historical Society
Archival Location
Archive File S39
Record Contributor
Brittney Ingersoll
Kelsey Heflin
Linked Events

This item is cited as a source in:
Resource class
Bibliographic Resource