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1802, Richard, Manumission
Item
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Title
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1802, Richard, Manumission
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Identifier
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NJS-EVE-00063
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Event Description
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Richard was manumitted by Miles Smith of Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The certificate of manumission was signed by the Overseers of the Poor of Piscataway (David Coriell Jr., Edward Griffith) and Justices of the Peace for Middlesex County (Abraham Schuyler, Elijah Phillips) on September 14, 1802. The document stated that Richard was examined in court and met the eligibility requirements for manumission in New Jersey, i.e. the person was 21 to 40 years old and was "sound in mind and not under any bodily incapacity" of obtaining a livelihood. Richard's exact age was not recorded in the document. This manumission was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on November 1, 1802.
Richard was described in the manumission certificate as a "servant" rather than "slave." The use of the term "servant" here suggests that Richard likely negotiated a limited term indenture agreement with Miles Smith at the conclusion of which Richard expected to gain his freedom.
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Date
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14 September 1802
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Primary Participant Description (verbatim)
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servant named Richard
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Sex
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Male
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Age
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Adult
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21 to 40
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Source
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Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 39
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Manumission of Richard (certificate dated 1802-09-14), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 39. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
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Record Contributor
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Isaac Guzmán
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Jesse Bayker