1812-03-02 Manumission: Cesar

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Identifier
NJS-EVE-00136
Source
Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 114

Manumission of Cesar (deed dated 1812-03-02), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 114. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
Event Description
On March 2, 1812, Joseph Schenck of South Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey, executed a deed of manumission to free Cesar, who was aged 42. The document was witnessed by Alexander Laird and William H. Macey and then notarized by Robert McChesney. This deed of manumission was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on March 4, 1812.

However, it is unclear whether Cesar actually attained freedom as the result of this deed because Cesar was 42 years old at this time. Under New Jersey law, a person had to be aged 21 to 40 years old in order to be eligible for manumission. The next step in the process would have been to obtain a certificate of manumission from the Overseer of the Poor of South Amboy and two Justices of the Peace of Middlesex County. These officials would have to confirm Cesar's eligibility for manumission. A certificate of manumission for Cesar has not been found in Middlesex County records.
Event Type
Manumission
Date
March 2, 1812
Location of Event
South Amboy
Primary Participants

Cesar (b. 1770)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00581
Role: Manumitted Person
Age: 42
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Joseph Schenck
Verbatim description from source:
"negro slave named Cesar of the age of forty two years or thereabouts"
Additional Participants

Robert McChesney
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00234
Role: Witness

Alexander Laird
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01717
Role: Witness

William H. Macey
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01809
Role: Witness

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

Joseph Schenck
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00259
Role: Enslaver, Manumitter
Record Contributor
Isaac Guzmán
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event