Abraham Blauvelt (1764-1838)

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This white person has 3 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-00371
Given Name
Abraham
Family Name
Blauvelt
Birth Date
1764
Death Date
1838
Sex
Male
Occupation
Writing and Publishing
Biographical Description
Abraham Blauvelt (c. 1764-1838) was an alumnus and trustee of Queen's College (later Rutgers). He was born in Rockland County, NY, and lived most of his life in New Brunswick, NJ, where Middlesex County records indicate that he held people in bondage. He received a degree from Queen's College in 1789 and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1800, assuming the position of the Secretary of the Board. From 1808 to 1810 he was the chairman of the Building Committee that oversaw the construction of the college's first permanent building, now known as Old Queens. He maintained the financial records related to the construction of the building, which document the college's use of enslaved labor.

Blauvelt was a printer in New Brunswick. He established a newspaper called the Guardian, or, New Brunswick Advertiser, in 1792 and published it for decades, delivering news and advertisements to the surrounding counties. Many advertisements for runaways and slave sales appeared in his newspaper over the years. Blauvelt helped facilitate slave sales for his subscribers. Some sellers did not want to publish their own name and contact information in the newspaper, preferring to keep the transaction more private. In such cases, Blauvelt acted as a middleman, publishing ads that said "Enquire of the printer," and encouraging prospective buyers to come to Blauvelt for more information about the sale.
Keywords
white person
enslaver
Rutgers University history
printer
Places
North Brunswick
New Brunswick
Rockland County, New York
Organization
Rutgers University
Relationship to Rutgers
Alumnus 1789
Trustee (from 1800)
Secretary of the Board of Trustees (1800-1807)
Chairman of Building Committee (1808-1810)
Enslaver of
Hannah
Peter (b. 1812) {son of Hannah}
Spouse of
Jane Mitchell Scott Blauvelt
References

Bayker, Jesse, Christopher Blakley, and Kendra Boyd. "His Name Was Will: Remembering Enslaved Individuals in Rutgers History." In Scarlet and Black: Vol. 1, Slavery and Dispossession in Rutgers History, edited by Marisa Fuentes and Deborah Gray White, 58–81. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1k3s9r0.7

Clayton, W. Woodford, ed. History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1882. See chapter 17, "The Press of Middlesex County." https://archive.org/details/historyofunionmi00wwoo
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
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