Dinah (b. 1795)

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This person of African descent has 2 related events in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.

This person is related to Rutgers University history. See our research guide Rutgers University & Slavery for more information about finding university affiliates and archival sources in our database.
Identifier
NJS-PER-00644
Given Name
Dinah
Birth Date
1795
Sex
Female
Biographical Description
Dinah was born around 1795 and lived in New Brunswick, NJ. She was enslaved by Doctor William Van Deursen, a physician in New Brunswick and a graduate of Queen's College (now Rutgers University). In 1817, William Van Deursen sold Dinah to a man named Jacob Klady, a New Jersey landholder who was getting ready to move to Ouachita Parish in Louisiana to establish a plantation. Klady took Dinah to Louisiana with him.

Before Klady was allowed to take Dinah out of the State of New Jersey, Dinah had to appear in court and give her consent to move with Klady. It appears that Dinah used this as an opportunity to negotiate with Klady for her freedom before giving her consent. According to Dinah's removal certificate issued by the Court of Common Pleas of Middlesex County in 1817, Klady promised to manumit Dinah if she served him obediently for 15 years in Louisiana. Dinah's fate after moving to Louisiana is uncertain.
Keywords
African descent person
Rutgers University history
trafficked South
Places
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
New Brunswick
Enslaved by
Jacob Klady
William Van Deursen (1791-1873)
Related Person
Phillis (b. 1795)
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
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
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