New Jersey Slavery Records · 1785, Jean, Will

1785, Jean, Will

Item

Title: 1785, Jean, Will
Identifier: NJS-EVE-00674
Event Description: The will of the Rev. Israel Read (pastor of the Bound Brook Presbyterian Church) was written on December 1, 1785, in Piscataway, NJ. The will abstract mentions several enslaved persons, including Jean, who was described by Read as an "Old negro wench." This suggests that she was in her 40s or possibly older at the time the will was written. The will promised Jean "her freedom" upon the death of the pastor.

Israel Read died in 1793, 8 years after writing his will, and the will was proved on February 8, 1794, in Somerset County. Whether Jean was still alive in 1794 and whether she attained freedom is uncertain. New Jersey law prohibited enslavers from officially manumitting elderly Black persons lest they become a public charge. It seems the executors of Read's estate could not have legally manumitted Jean after the pastor's death, although unofficial arrangements for her senior years could have been made in accordance with Read's wishes.
Event Type: Legal: Will
Action Status: Completed
Date: 1 December 1785
Location: Piscataway, NJ
Related Event: 1785, Tony, Will; 1785, Isabel, Will
Primary Participant: Jean
Primary Participant Description (verbatim): Old negro wench, Jean
Sex: Female
Age: Older Person
Freedom Status: Enslaved
Enslaver of Primary Event Participant: Israel Read (d. 1793)
Source: Abstract of Will: Rev. Israel Read, Piscataway, NJ; Abstract of Will: Rev. Israel Read. December 1, 1785.
Record Contributor: Jesse Bayker

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Items with "Related Event: 1785, Jean, Will"
Title	Class
1785, Isabel, Will	Event
1785, Tony, Will	Event