Staats Van Deursen (b. 1773)

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This white person has 4 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.

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Identifier
NJS-PER-00460
Given Name
Staats
Family Name
Van Deursen
Birth Date
June 1, 1773
Sex
Male
Occupation
Government
Biographical Description
Staats Van Deursen (born in 1773) was an enslaver who resided in New Brunswick, NJ. He was a graduate of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), class of 1791. His father Willem (William) Van Deursen (1736-1816) had been one of the early trustees of the college. In 1807, Staats Van Deursen became a trustee of Queen's College, and he served as the college's Treasurer from 1813 to 1823. He also sent his son John Schurman Van Deursen to study at the college in the 1810s. In the early 19th century, Staats Van Deursen served in various roles in city government, including as treasurer of New Brunswick and as Overseer of the Poor for the township of North Brunswick (which contained within it most of the the city of New Brunswick).

Staats Van Deursen's younger brother William Van Deursen (1791-1873) was also a Queen's College alumnus and prominent physician in New Brunswick.

In 1817, Staats Van Deursen and his brother William decided to sell two young Black women to a man named Jacob Klady who was moving from New Brunswick to Ouachita, Louisiana, to establish a plantation there. As the result of Staats Van Deursen's actions, a 22-year-old woman named Phillis was taken away from New Jersey to Louisiana to work on Klady's plantation. At the same time, his brother William sold a woman named Dinah, who was also taken to Louisiana by Klady.
Keywords
white person
enslaver
Rutgers University history
government official
Places
North Brunswick
New Brunswick
Organization
Rutgers University
Relationship to Rutgers
Alumnus 1791
Trustee (1807-1823)
Treasurer (1813-1823)
Family (parent of John Schureman Van Deursen RC1814)
Enslaver of
Phillis (b. 1795)
Child of
Willem (William) Van Deursen (1736-1816)
Parent of
John Schureman Van Deursen
Sibling of
William Van Deursen (1791-1873)
References

Bayker, Jesse, Christopher Blakley, and Kendra Boyd. "His Name Was Will: Remembering Enslaved Individuals in Rutgers History." In Scarlet and Black: Vol. 1, Slavery and Dispossession in Rutgers History, edited by Marisa Fuentes and Deborah Gray White, 58–81. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1k3s9r0.7

Van Deusen, Albert Harrison. Van Deursen Family. Vol. 1. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co, 1912. Page 213. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Van_Deursen_Family/lY1YAAAAMAAJ
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
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