New Jersey Slavery Records · 1777, Unnamed Black man [Hardenbergh], Mention

1777, Unnamed Black man [Hardenbergh], Mention

Item

Title: 1777, Unnamed Black man [Hardenbergh], Mention
Identifier: NJS-EVE-00029
Event Description: Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1736-1790), first president of Queen's College (later Rutgers), mentioned a Black man in a letter to his father Col. Johannes Hardenbergh (1706-1786) written on December 6, 1777. The letter was sent from Hardenbergh's parsonage in Raritan (present-day Somerville), and was likely sent to Rosendale, NY, where his father lived. Written in Dutch, the letter states "Schrijve dese wynige in haast, wijl de neger gereet maakt om af te gaan." The English translation is: "Writing these words in a hurry while the negro is getting ready to leave." These words most likely refer to an enslaved Black man who was working at Hardenbergh's parsonage at this time; the man's name is not recorded.
Event Type: Mention
Action Status: Completed
Date: 6 December 1777
Location: Old Dutch Parsonage
Primary Participant: Unnamed Black man [Hardenbergh]
Sex: Male
Age: Adult
Freedom Status: Unknown
Enslaver of Primary Event Participant: Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Sr. (1736-1790)
Source: Letter from Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh to his father Col. Johannes Hardenbergh; Letter from Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh to his father Col. Johannes Hardenbergh, December 6, 1777. Hardenbergh Family Papers. Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
Author: Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Sr. (1736-1790)
Record Contributor: Jesse Bayker