1805-08-29 Manumission: Festus

Identifier
NJS-EVE-01974
Source
Manumission deed for Festus, by Israel Miller
Slaves in Cumberland County, New Jersey

Manumission deed for Festus, by Israel Miller, August 29, 1805. Archival location: Cumberland County Historical Society. Archive File S38.

"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
Israel Miller of Hopewell, Cumberland County, signed a manumission deed freeing a Black man named Festus on 29 August 1805. Festus's age was not recorded in the document. The manumission deed was notarized the following year, on 17 April 1806, in front of Judge James B. Hunt.

Additionally, a manumission certificate was entered by the County Clerk into Book B, page 3, on file at the Cumberland County Courthouse.

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Transcript of the source document:

"Know all men by these presents that I Israel Miller of the township of Hopewell in the County of Cumberland and the State of New Jersey hath mannimited and set free and by these presents do manimit and set free my male negro Slave named Festus, hence forward to be free and remain discharged from me my Heirs and assigns forever, in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty ninth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five

Israel Miller [seal]

Sealed and Delivered in the presence of
John Miller junr
Sally Miller

April 17th 1806, personally appeared before me the subscriber one of the Judges of the inferior Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Cumberland in the State of New Jersey Israel Miller the within grantor and did acknowledge that he signed sealed and delivered the within deed of manimission as his act and deed for the uses and purposes within mentioned

Acknowledged the day and year above written before me
James B. Hunt

[verso]
Articles of Manimition
Israel Miller
to Festus
===
"
Event Type
Manumission
Date
August 29, 1805
Location of Event
Hopewell (Cumberland County)
Primary Participants

Festus
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05485
Role: Manumitted Person
Age category: Adult
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Israel Miller
Verbatim description from source:
"male negro Slave named Festus"
Additional Participants

Israel Miller
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05486
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter

John Miller
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05487
Role: Witness
Comment: witnessed document in 1805

Sally Miller
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05488
Role: Witness
Comment: witnessed document in 1805

James B. Hunt
Person identifier: NJS-PER-05489
Role: Judge
Comment: notarized document in 1806
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event