Benjamin James (b. 1782)
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This person of African descent has 2 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.
- Identifier
- NJS-PER-00538
- Given Name
- Benjamin
- Family Name
- James
- Birth Date
- 1782
- Sex
- Male
- Biographical Description
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Benjamin James was a Black man born around 1782. He grew up in slavery and was manumitted by enslaver Samuel Eli (or Ely) of East Windsor, NJ, on April 17, 1807. Benjamin James was aged 25 at the time of manumission.
On June 10, 1820, when Benjamin James was about 38 years old, he manumitted an adult Black man named George Wiles. This 1820 manumission certificate listed the enslaver as "Ben James blackman of the township of East Windsor." This is one of two manumissions recorded in Middlesex County where the enslaver performing the manumission is a Black person. It is possible that Benjamin James and George Wiles may have been related. African Americans in the early 19th century sometimes purchased and then manumitted their own family members as a way to secure freedom for their relatives. It is uncertain whether a familial relationship existed between Benjamin James and George Wiles. - Keywords
- African descent person
- enslaver
- Places
- East Windsor
- Enslaved by
- Samuel Ely
- Enslaver of
- George Wiles
- Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
- Linked Events
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Primary Participant in:
- 1807-04-17 Manumission: Benjamin James (Role: Manumitted Person)
Additional Participant in:
- 1820-06-10 Manumission: George Wiles (Role: Enslaver, Manumitter)
- Resource class
- Agent