1807-12-26 Manumission: Thomas

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Identifier
NJS-EVE-00101
Source
Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 71
Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 72

Manumission of Thomas (certificate dated 1807-12-26), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 71-72. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
Event Description
Thomas was manumitted by the last will and testament of Dr. Melanthon Freeman (1746-1806) of Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Dr. Freeman died in November 1806, and the executors of Dr. Freeman's estate (Matthias Freeman, Nathaniel Manning, and Benajah Mundy) brought Thomas to court to complete the manumission process more than a year later. The certificate of manumission for Thomas was signed by the Overseers of the Poor of Piscataway (Edward Griffith, David Coriell) and Justices of the Peace for Middlesex County (Samuel Randolph, John F. Randolph) on December 26, 1807. The document stated that Thomas 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. Thomas's exact age was not recorded in the document. This manumission was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on March 8, 1808.
Event Type
Manumission
Keywords
Estate (deceased enslaver)
Date
December 26, 1807
Location of Event
Piscataway
Primary Participants

Thomas {husband of Hannah}
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00546
Role: Manumitted Person
Age category: Adult
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Melanthon Freeman (1746-1806)
Verbatim description from source:
"a slave named Thomas"
Additional Participants

Melanthon Freeman (1746-1806)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00500
Role: Enslaver, Deceased

Matthias Freeman
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00203
Role: Executor or Administrator

Benajah Mundy
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00102
Role: Executor or Administrator

Nathaniel Manning
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00137
Role: Executor or Administrator

Samuel Fitz Randolph (1741-1811)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00030
Role: Judge

John Fitz Randolph
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00133
Role: Judge

Edward Griffith
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00025
Role: Overseer of the Poor

David Coriell Jr.
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00026
Role: Overseer of the Poor

William Philips Deare (d. 1826)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00008
Role: County Clerk
Record Contributor
Isaac Guzmán
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event