Middlesex County Births of Enslaved Children Book, 1804-1844 · New Jersey Slavery Records

Middlesex County Births of Enslaved Children Book, 1804-1844

Research Tips: You can browse this births book by page number or review the Middlesex County research guide for more information about these records.
Identifier: NJS-SRC-00481
Source Type: Civil Document
Author: Middlesex County Clerk
Location Created: Middlesex County
Date: 1804 – 1844
Description: Bound manuscript volume containing records of births for African American children born in bondage in Middlesex County after 1804. Beginning on July 4, 1804, enslavers had to report to the County Clerk when an enslaved mother in their household gave birth to a child.

These county records were necessary to prove the child's age and eligibility for emancipation at age 21 (for female children) or age 25 (for male children) under the provisions of the 1804 Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery.
Language: English
Format: Bound manuscript volume
Archive: Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries
Archival Collection: Middlesex County (N.J.). Records, 1688-1929 (MC 784.1)
Archival Location: Vol. X
Browse Records: Browse: Middlesex Births Book by Page
Record Contributor: Jesse Bayker