Dorcas (b. ca. 1817) {daughter of Christeen}
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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 was a victim of a notorious slave trading ring in New Jersey. To learn more about the scheme, see our guide to the Van Wickle Slave Trading Ring.
- Identifier
- NJS-PER-00665
- Given Name
- Dorcas
- Birth Date
- 1817
- Sex
- Female
- Biographical Description
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Dorcas was one of the victims of Jacob Van Wickle's slave trading ring in Middlesex County, New Jersey, in 1818. The legal documents related to the removal of Dorcas from the state of New Jersey to Louisiana suggest that she was born around 1817 and was aged 1 when she was forced to leave New Jersey for Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, together with her mother Christeen and sister Diannah.
Under New Jersey's gradual abolition law, she had the status of a slave for a term of 21 years. This meant she was bound to serve her enslaver until age 21, and then she would become eligible for emancipation. Her right to emancipation at age 21 was recorded by the judges who authorized her removal from New Jersey at age age 1. However, going to Louisiana as a child effectively deprived her of the opportunity to gain freedom because enforcing her legal rights under New Jersey law would be nearly impossible in Louisiana. - Keywords
- African descent person
- Van Wickle victims
- trafficked South
- Sibling of
- Diana (b. ca. 1809) {daughter of Christeen}
- Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
- Linked Events
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Primary Participant in:
- Resource class
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