1819-12-29 Will (of Abraham Shaver): Nance, Robert

Identifier
NJS-EVE-00984
Source

Will of Abraham Shaver, Hardwick, Sussex County, December 29, 1819. Reproduced in: Microfilm: Sussex County, NJ, Wills, Vol. B (1818-1828). See pages 53-55. view on Ancestry.com
Event Description
Abraham Shaver of Stillwater wrote his will on December 29, 1819. He mentioned two Black people by name and made reference to other enslaved children without listing their names. These enslaved people were to serve Shaver's widow Sarah.

Transcript of the relevant passage from his will is as follows:

"I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Sarah Shaver ... [mansion house, garden, cows, horses, furniture, etc] ... also my black girl Nance and my black boy Bob and her choice of one of my little black girls."

The boy Bob mentioned in the will was the son of Nance. The words "one of my little black girls" refers to the girl children in the household, whose birth certificates with the Sussex County Clerk indicate that their names were Dinah, Ester, and another baby girl whose name is not known.
Event Type
Will
Date
December 29, 1819
Location of Event
Casper and Abraham Shafer Grist Mill Complex, Stillwater
Primary Participants

Nance
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02282
Role: Person Listed in Will
Age category: Adult
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Abraham Shaver (1754-1820)
- Sarah Armstrong Shaver (1761-1827)
Verbatim description from source:
"black girl Nance"
Comment: bequeathed to surviving spouse Sarah

Robert (b. 1815) {son of Betty and Nun}
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02310
Role: Person Listed in Will
Age: 4
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Abraham Shaver (1754-1820)
- Sarah Armstrong Shaver (1761-1827)
Verbatim description from source:
"black boy Bob"
Comment: bequeathed to surviving spouse Sarah
Additional Participants

Abraham Shaver (1754-1820)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02280
Role: Enslaver, Testator

Sarah Armstrong Shaver (1761-1827)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02361
Role: Enslaver, Heir or Beneficiary
Comment: surviving spouse
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event