Augustus (b. ca. 1814) {alternatively Charles, son of Hager}
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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-00666
- Given Name
- Augustus
- Alternate Name
- Augustes
- Charles
- Birth Date
- 1814
- Sex
- Male
- Biographical Description
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Augustus 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 Augustus from the state of New Jersey suggest that he was born around 1814 and was aged 4 when he was forced to leave New Jersey for Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, together with his mother Hager and his siblings Mary and Roda. Note that disembarkation records in New Orleans recorded the name of Hager's son as "Charles" instead of Augustus. It is unclear whether Charles was an alternative name for the boy or merely a recording error made by the customs officials in New Orleans.
Under New Jersey's gradual abolition law, Augustus had the status of a slave for a term of 25 years. This meant he was bound to serve his enslaver until age 25, and then he would become eligible for emancipation. His right to emancipation at age 25 was recorded by the judges who authorized his removal from New Jersey at age 4. However, going to Louisiana as a child effectively deprived him of the opportunity to gain freedom because enforcing his legal rights under New Jersey law would be nearly impossible in Louisiana. - Keywords
- African descent person
- Van Wickle victims
- trafficked South
- Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
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