1819-02-03 Manumission: Mary
- Research Tips
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See the Middlesex County Research Guide for information about related records.
- Identifier
- NJS-EVE-00565
- Source
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Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 298
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Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals, page 297
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Manumission of Mary (certificate dated 1819-02-03, deed dated 1819-02-03), recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 297-298. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
- Event Description
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Mary was manumitted by the last will and testament of James Harris of Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey, who died in August 1813. His will was written on May 10, 1813, and stipulated that Mary and her daughter Bet should be set free.
The manumission registration for Mary did not take place until February 3, 1819, five and a half years after the death of James Harris.
The executors of the will of James Harris were his widow Jane Covert (previously Jane Harris, who remarried and became Jane Covert by 1819) and friend Lefferd Waldron Sr. The executors brought Mary to court to complete the process and obtain a certificate of manumission. The certificate of manumission was signed by the Overseers of the Poor of Piscataway (Ephraim Runyon and John Dayton) and Justices of the Peace for Middlesex County (Samuel Drake and George Boice) on February 3, 1819. The document stated that Mary 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. Mary's exact age was not recorded in the document. She was described in this document as "femail Negro slave name Mary who by virtue of the Will and last testament of said James Harris dece'd was ordered after his death to be set free from slavery."
The deed of manumission was signed on February 3, 1819, by Jane Covert (who signed by her mark) and Jefferd Waldron Sr. in the presence of witnesses Lewis D. Stelle and Elisha Coriell. The deed was notarized by Judge John Outcalt on March 17, 1819.
The certificate and deed were both recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk (William P. Deare) on March 17, 1819. - Event Type
- Manumission
- Keywords
- Estate (deceased enslaver)
- Date
- February 3, 1819
- Location of Event
- Piscataway
- Primary Participants
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Mary
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01414
Role: Manumitted Person
Age category: Adult
Status: Transition
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- James Harris (1755-1813)
Verbatim description from source:
"femail Negro slave name Mary who by virtue of the Will and last testament of said James Harris dece'd was ordered after his death to be set free from slavery" - Additional Participants
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Samuel Drake
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00230
Role: JudgeGeorge Boice
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00199
Role: JudgeEphraim Runyon
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00141
Role: Overseer of the PoorJohn Dayton
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00253
Role: Overseer of the PoorLewis D. Stelle
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00398
Role: WitnessJohn Outcalt (1770-1853)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00035
Role: WitnessElisha Coriell
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00200
Role: WitnessWilliam Philips Deare (d. 1826)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00008
Role: County ClerkJames Harris (1755-1813)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00463
Role: Enslaver, DeceasedLefferd Waldron Sr. (1754-1847)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01364
Role: Executor or AdministratorJane Harris Covert (1757-1841)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01365
Role: Executor or Administrator - Record Contributor
- Isaac Guzmán
- Jesse Bayker