1800 Property destruction: Caesar · New Jersey Slavery Records

Title

1800 Property destruction: Caesar

Identifier

NJS-EVE-00901

Source

Van Benschoten, William Henry. Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America: A Genealogy and Brief History. Poughkeepsie, NY: A. V. Haight Co., 1907. Page 39, citing "Story told me by Mr. William De Witt of the Clove-an octogenarian."

Event Description

There is an anecdote about Caesar and his enslaver Elias Van Bunschooten that was included by William Henry Van Benschoten in his 1907 family history book. The author noted that the story was told to him by Mr. William De Witt, an octogenarian from Clove, an area in Wantage, NJ. The events described would have taken place when Elias Van Bunschooten lived in Wantage where he pastored the Clove Church from 1787 to 1815.

The following text is a transcript of the relevant passage from the book on p. 39:

“This is another story from the same source: the Domine had a privileged old slave as a gardener who was particularly fond of melons and always planted of them abundantly as well as of cucumbers for which his master had as great a liking. It had of late become a conviction with the Domine that melons were great 'make-thieves,' and so one day without a word he entered the garden and ruthlessly tore up the vines. Caesar spied him in the act: so to even up with his master, next morning early he pulled up the cucumber vines. When the Domine called him to account his plea was: ‘Tit for tat, butter for fat, Massa: my melons, your cucumbers!’ and the Domine had not a word further to say.”

Event Type

Resistance: Property destruction

Date

1800

Date Certainty

Approximate

Location of Event

Elias Van Bunschooten House (DAR Van Bunschooten Museum), Wantage

Primary Participant

Caesar

Enslaver

Elias Van Bunschooten (1738-1815)

Participant Details

DETAILS FOR PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS:

*** Caesar ***
Role: Primary Participant
Age category: Older Person
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Elias Van Bunschooten (1738-1815)
Verbatim description from source:
"privileged old slave"

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DETAILS FOR OTHER PARTICIPANTS:

Elias Van Bunschooten (1738-1815)
Role: Enslaver

Record Contributor

Jesse Bayker