1811-05-07 Manumission: Primus

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Identifier
NJS-EVE-00128
Source
Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 102
Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 103

Manumission of Primus (certificate dated 1811-05-07, deed dated 1811-05-07), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 102-103. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
Event Description
Primus, aged 35, was manumitted by the last will and testament of Samuel Fitz Randolph (1741-1811) of Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The will was written on February 21, 1811.

The executors of Samuel Fitz Randolph's estate (James T. Dunn, John Smalley) brought Primus to court to complete the process and obtain a certificate of manumission. The certificate of manumission was signed by the Overseers of the Poor of Piscataway (Edward Griffith, Ephraim Runyon) and Justices of the Peace for Middlesex County (John F. Randolph, George Boice) on May 7, 1811. The document stated that Primus 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. This manumission was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on May 7, 1811.

Another man named Lesor, aged 39, was manumitted at the same time. Additionally, Samuel Fitz Randolph's will stipulated that an enslaved man named Charles should be manumitted when he reached age 30.
Event Type
Manumission
Keywords
Estate (deceased enslaver)
Date
May 7, 1811
Location of Event
Piscataway
Related Event
1811-05-07 Manumission: Sesor
Primary Participants

Primus (b. 1776)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00573
Role: Manumitted Person
Age: 35
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Samuel Fitz Randolph (1741-1811)
Verbatim description from source:
"negro slave"
Additional Participants

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

George Boice
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00199
Role: Judge

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

Ephraim Runyon
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00141
Role: Overseer of the Poor

William Philips Deare (d. 1826)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00008
Role: County Clerk

Samuel Fitz Randolph (1741-1811)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00030
Role: Enslaver, Deceased

John Smalley Jr. (1762-1837)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00170
Role: Executor or Administrator

James T. Dunn
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00303
Role: Executor or Administrator
Record Contributor
Isaac Guzmán
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event