1818-02-11 Manumission: Simon

Title

1818-02-11 Manumission: Simon

Identifier

NJS-EVE-00521

Source

Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 218

Manumission of Simon (certificate dated 1818-02-11), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 218. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.

Event Description

Manumission of Simon, a Black man enslaved by James Morgan of South Amboy, NJ, was registered on February 11, 1818.

The certificate of manumission was signed by the Overseer of the Poor of South Amboy (Matthias Mount) and Justices of the Peace for Middlesex County (John Outcalt and Jacob Van Wickle) on February 11, 1818. The document stated that Simon was examined in court and met the eligibility requirements for manumission in New Jersey, i.e. the person was 21 to 40 years old and was "sound in mind and not under any bodily incapacity" of obtaining a livelihood. Simon's exact age was not recorded in the document. This document was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on May 25, 1818.

Note that Simon did not actually obtain freedom at this time, but rather was taken to Louisiana to toil in bondage for Charles Morgan, the brother of Simon's original enslaver James Morgan. See the related removal registration for Simon, which was issued on the same day, February 11, 1818, by the same judges (John Outcalt and Jacob Van Wickle). Simon was one of the victims of the notorious slave trading ring operated by Judge Jacob Van Wickle and Charles Morgan.

Event Type

Legal: Manumission registration

Date

11 February 1818

Location of Event

South Amboy

Related Event

1818-02-11 Removal: Simon

Primary Participant

Simon

Enslaver

James Morgan (1756-1822)

Additional Participant

John Outcalt (1770-1853)

Jacob Van Wickle (1770-1854)

Matthias Mount

William Philips Deare (d. 1826)

Participant Details

DETAILS FOR PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS:

*** Simon ***
Role: Emancipated Person
Age category: Adult
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- James Morgan (1756-1822)
Verbatim description from source:
"male slave named SImon"

==========

DETAILS FOR OTHER PARTICIPANTS:

John Outcalt (1770-1853)
Role: Judge

Jacob Van Wickle (1770-1854)
Role: Judge

Matthias Mount
Role: Government Official

William Philips Deare (d. 1826)
Role: County Clerk

James Morgan (1756-1822)
Role: Enslaver - Manumitter

Research Guide

Research Guide: Understanding Interstate Slave Trade & Kidnapping Documents

Research Guide: Middlesex County Slavery Records

Related Resource

Lost Souls Memorial Project website

Record Contributor

Isaac Guzmán

Jesse Bayker