1811-09-20 Birth: Charles

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See the Sussex County Research Guide for information about related records.
Identifier
NJS-EVE-00893
Source
Sussex County Births of Slaves, c. 1801-1835

Microfilm: Sussex County, NJ, Births of Slaves, 1801-1835. Available on FamilySearch.org, Image Group 004541260. Images 560-561. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-1Z9K-3Q
Event Description
Sussex County Births of Enslaved Children microfilm contains the following record:

Child: Charles, listed as "an illegitimate male child named Charls"
Mother: Silvah
Enslaver of mother and child: Elijah Everitt
Location: Sussex County (Locality not listed)
Birth date: September 20, 1811
Recorded date: May 27, 1812
Clerk: Johnson

The notation that Charles was "an illegitimate child" was unusual. Birth certificates of enslaved children usually (though not always) listed the mother's name, but they rarely addressed the question of paternity.

Although the locality is not listed, Elijah Everitt was known to be the owner of a mill property located on the Pequest River in the present-day area of Huntsville in Green Township, Sussex County (at that time, the village was known as Pettit's Mill and was within the boundaries of Hardwick Township). It can be inferred that the child was born in that village.
Event Type
Birth
Date
September 20, 1811
Location of Event
Huntsville, Green Township (formerly Pettit's Mill)
Primary Participants

Charles (b. 1811) {son of Silvah}
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02171
Role: Child
Age category: Infant
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Elijah Everitt (1772-1850)
Verbatim description from source:
"illegitimate male child named Charls"

Silvah
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02175
Role: Parent
Age category: Adult
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Elijah Everitt (1772-1850)
Verbatim description from source:
"Black Woman Named Silvah"
Additional Participants

Elijah Everitt (1772-1850)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02173
Role: Enslaver

John Johnson (1764-1829)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02072
Role: County Clerk
Record Contributor
Daniel Dias
Resource class
Event