1782 Capture: Harry

Identifier
NJS-EVE-00770
Source
Receipt issued to Jacob Van Dike related to Harry, a Black man carried away by followers of the British army

Receipt issued to Jacob Van Dike related to Harry, a Black man carried away by followers of the British army, June 17, 1782. Archival location: Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries. Van Dike Family Papers, 1711–1838 (MC 505). Box 1, Folder 3: Jacob Van Dike Papers, 1766-1819: Deeds, Bonds, etc., Papers relating to his estate 1809-1819.
Event Description
On June 17, 1782, enslaver Jacob Van Dike paid 8 pounds and 9 shillings proclamation money of New Jersey for the capture and return of a Black man named Harry. The men who captured and returned Harry were James Dunn, Joseph Thickstun, and David Dunham. The three of them issued a receipt to Jacob Van Dike for the money they received. The receipt mentioned that Harry had been "carried off by the followers of the British army" in 1776 and that he was lately "apprehended with a detachment of the British army."

Evidently, Harry was with the British troops for several years from 1776 to 1782. It is unclear whether Harry was taken by the Loyalists against his will or left with them willingly to escape from his enslaver.

The exact location where Harry was captured is uncertain, and no location is listed on the receipt. Harry's enslaver Jacob Van Dike lived around the area of Ten Mile Run and Rocky Hill.
Event Type
Capture
Date
1782
Location of Event
Ten Mile Run, Franklin
Preceding Event
1776 Capture: Harry
Primary Participants

Harry
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01899
Role: Captured Person
Age category: Adult
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Jacob Van Dike (1723-1809)
Verbatim description from source:
"negro man Harry carried off by the followers of the British army"
Additional Participants

James Dunn
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01896
Role: Captor

Joseph Thickstun (1753-1830)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01897
Role: Captor

David Dunham (1745-1807)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00113
Role: Captor

Frederick Van Dike
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01901
Role: Witness

W. Robert Morris
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01902
Role: Witness

Jacob Van Dike (1723-1809)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01900
Role: Enslaver
Record Contributor
Daniel Dias
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event