1814-11-22 Freedom Seeking: Cato, Leven
- Identifier
- NJS-EVE-00807
- Source
-
Runaway ad for Cato and Leven, by George Farmer
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Runaway ad for Cato and Leven, by George Farmer, "100 Dolls. Reward," Guardian, Or, New-Brunswick Advertiser, March 16, 1815, p. 1. Archival location: Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries. Loose Newspaper Collection (Ac. 3193). Box 27, Folder 15..
- Event Description
-
Cato and Leven ran away from their enslaver George Farmer, whose Belle Vue estate was located on the Raritan River opposite New Brunswick in Middlesex County (then part of Piscataway, estimated to be in present-day Highland Park). They ran away together on November 22, 1814. Their enslaver issued a notice offering a reward of 100 dollars for their capture the next day.
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Transcript of the source document:
"100 Dolls. Reward
RANAWAY from the subscriber on the night of the 22d nst. two negro men, LEVEN and CATO, about 23 years of age—Leven is a stout fellow, quite black, about 5 feet 9 inches high a sour, cross looking fellow, stoops considerable in walking, speaks as though he had something in his mouth hot eating, and his accent is somewhat yankee, he having lived a number of years in the Lake country, in the town of Scipeo—had on when he left this, a new coating roundabout, drab coloured jacket, woolen shirt white, an old light coloured linsey trowsers, much patched with cloth of darker colour, very thick shoes, nearly new, and grey mixed stockings.
Cato is a light coloured fellow, with many scars about his face, among which is a natural mark on his right cheek, just below the eye, near 1 3-4 of an inch long, and about half or 3-4 of an inch wide, about 5 feet 5 or 6 inches high, pleasant looking and speaking fellow; had on when he went away a coattee of mixed linsey, and trowsers of the same, trowsers much patched with brown, shoes much worn, vest swansdown, black and white striped, patched with blue, a boy's castor hat, small in the brim, much worn.—Whoever takes up said negroes, and secures them in any gaol, or delivers them to the subscriber, shall be entitled to the above reward and reasonable charges, or fifty dollars for either of them.
GEORGE FARMER.
Belle Vue opposite New-Brunswick, November 23, 1814. 7-tf." - Event Type
- Freedom Seeking
- Date
- November 22, 1814
- Location of Event
- Belle Vue, Highland Park (formerly in Piscataway)
- Primary Participants
-
Cato (b. 1791)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01963
Role: Runaway
Age: 23
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- George Farmer (1761-1818)
Verbatim description from source:
"Cato is a light coloured fellow, with many scars about his face, among which is a natural mark on his right cheek, just below the eye, near 1 3-4 of an inch long, and about half or 3-4 of an inch wide, about 5 feet 5 or 6 inches high, pleasant looking and speaking fellow"Leven (b. 1791)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01964
Role: Runaway
Age: 23
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- George Farmer (1761-1818)
Verbatim description from source:
"negro man; Leven is a stout fellow, quite black, about 5 feet 9 inches high a sour, cross looking fellow, stoops considerable in walking, speaks as though he had something in his mouth hot eating, and his accent is somewhat yankee, he having lived a number of years in the Lake country, in the town of Scipeo" - Additional Participants
-
George Farmer (1761-1818)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-00483
Role: Enslaver, Advertiser - Record Contributor
- Kate Jackson