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1804, George, Manumission
Item
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Title
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1804, George, Manumission
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Identifier
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NJS-EVE-00079
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Event Description
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George was manumitted by the last will and testament of Isaac Van Dike (Van Dyke) of South Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey, who died in 1803. Matthew Van Dike (the executor of Isaac Van Dike's estate) appeared in court with George to complete the manumission process on April 9, 1804. The certificate of manumission was signed by the Overseers of the Poor of South Brunswick (Thomas McDowell, John Davison) and Justices of the Peace for Middlesex County (Nathaniel Hunt, John Bastedo). The document stated that George 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. George's exact age was not recorded in the document. This manumission was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on April 9, 1804.
Note that a related event took place seven years later when Matthew Van Dike once again brought George before the court to obtain another certificate of manumission for him. It is unclear whether George attained freedom in 1804 or was held in bondage until 1811 when the second certificate of manumission was issued.
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Date
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9 April 1804
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Primary Participant Description (verbatim)
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negro man slave named George
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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 52
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Manumission of George (certificate dated 1804-04-09), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 52. 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