Phillis Neilson
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This person of African descent has 6 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.
This person is related to Rutgers University history. See our research guide Rutgers University & Slavery for more information about finding university affiliates and archival sources in our database.
- Identifier
- NJS-PER-00002
- Given Name
- Phillis
- Family Name
- Neilson
- Alternate Name
- Phillis Nelson
- Sex
- Female
- Biographical Description
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Phillis was a woman of African descent and the daughter of Flora. She was born sometime between 1782 and 1787. In January 1787, Flora's enslaver Anthony L. Bleecker of New York City sold Flora together with her daughters Phillis and Ann to John Neilson of New Brunswick, NJ. Phillis was a young child at the time of this sale. Phillis remained enslaved in the Neilson household for decades.
In 1820, she became a member of the African Association of New Brunswick, with permission from John Neilson. She was listed in the organization's membership rolls as "Phillis Nelson" from 1820 to 1822 (Nelson being the phonetic spelling on the last name Neilson), and she paid dues of 25 cents on several occasions. In January 1822, John Neilson manumitted Phillis, and she became a free woman. She would have been approximately 35 to 40 years old at the time, 40 being the maximum age eligible for manumission under New Jersey law. - Keywords
- African descent person
- Rutgers University history
- Organization
- African Association of New Brunswick
- Child of
- Flora
- Sibling of
- Ann {daughter of Flora}
- Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
- Linked Events
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Primary Participant in:
- 1787-01-31 Sale: Flora, Ann, Phillis Neilson (Role: Sold Person)
- 1820-01-01 Membership or Participation: Phillis Neilson (Role: Member)
- 1820-07-01 Membership or Participation: Phillis Neilson (Role: Member)
- 1821-01-01 Membership or Participation: Phillis Neilson (Role: Member)
- 1822-01-01 Membership or Participation: Phillis Neilson (Role: Member)
- 1822-01-16 Manumission: Phillis Neilson (Role: Manumitted Person)
