1799-06-14 Manumission: Hannah Leake

Identifier
NJS-EVE-01971
Source
Manumission deed for Hannah Leake, by heirs of Nathan Leake Esquire
Slaves in Cumberland County, New Jersey

Manumission deed for Hannah Leake, by heirs of Nathan Leake Esquire, June 14, 1781. Archival location: Cumberland County Historical Society. Archive File S37.

"Slaves in Cumberland County, New Jersey," by Carl L. West (transcripts of records from the Cumberland County Courthouse), reproduced as an appendix in: Slavery and the Underground Railroad in Cumberland County, New Jersey, report by Ian Hughes, on file at the Cumberland County Historical Society.
Event Description
Hannah was manumitted on 14 June 1799, with five different people signing her manumission deed jointly. The original manumission deed was preserved by the Leake family and is held at the Cumberland County Historical Society. A copy of the manumission record was entered by the Cumberland County Clerk on 19 June 1799 in Book A, on page 33, on file at the Cumberland County Courthouse.

While not explicitly stated in this source document, the reason why five different people had to sign for Hannah's manumission was that they were all heirs of the personal estate of Nathan Leake of Deerfield, Cumberland County (the deceased original enslaver of Hannah, who had died in 1790). Hence, they legally shared ownership of Hannah and provided their consent to manumit her.

It is uncertain in whose household Hannah actually resided between Nathan Leake's death in 1790 and her manumission in 1799. The first person to sign the manumission deed was Hannah Leake née Fithian, Nathan Leake's widow, in whose household Hannah (and her husband and children) had originally been enslaved. The next two signatures belong to Nathan Leake's daughter, Ruth Leake Garrison, and Ruth's husband, William Garrison. A separate document from 1810 shows that the Garrisons held in bondage Hannah's son John, who had been born circa 1796. Considering John's service obligation to the Garrisons, it seems likely that Hannah served in the Garrison household in the 1790s before her manumission. The other two men who signed the document (Richard Mulford of Hopewell and Amos Fithian of Fairfield) appear to be related to the Leakes by marriage and thus had an ownership stake in the personal estate of Nathan Leake, but Hannah probably did not actually serve in their households, which were at some distance from the main Leake homestead and plantation in Deerfield.

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Transcript of the source document:

"Be it remembered that on the fourteenth day of June one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine we Hannah Leake William Garrison and Ruth Leake of the Township of Deerfield. Richard Mulford of the township of Hopewell and Amos Fithian of the Township of Fairfield all in the County of Cumberland have manumitted and set free our Negro slave named Hannah and we do by these presents manumit set free and forever discharge the said Hannah from our services as a Slave.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the day and year above written.

Hannah Leake [seal]
William Garrison [seal]
Ruth Leake [seal]
Richard Mulford [seal]
Amos Fithian [seal]


Signed sealed and delivered in the presence of
Azariah More
Enos Ewing
===
"
Event Type
Manumission
Date
June 14, 1799
Location of Event
Deerfield
Preceding Event
1790-12-20 Will (of Nathan Leake): Jack Leake
1791-11-21 Sale / Promise to Manumit: Tubel Leake
1793-04-18 Sale / Manumission: George Leake
Following Event
1810-06-27 Term Indenture / Promise to Manumit: John Leake
1814-03-21 Term Indenture: Thomas Leake
Primary Participants

Hannah Leake
Person identifier: NJS-PER-04425
Role: Manumitted Person
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Hannah Fithian Leake (1742-1824)
Additional Participants

Hannah Fithian Leake (1742-1824)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-04421
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter
Comment: widow of Nathan Leake

William Garrison (1747-1819)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-04431
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter

Ruth Leake Garrison (1776-1823)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-04430
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter

Richard Mulford
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05477
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter

Amos Fithian (1762-1819)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05478
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter

Azariah More
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05480
Role: Witness

Enos Ewing
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05481
Role: Witness
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event