1799-04 Freedom Seeking: Abner

Identifier
NJS-EVE-00988
Source
Runaway ad for Abner, by Isaac Tunnell

Runaway ad for Abner, by Isaac Tunnell, "Thirty Dollars Reward," Federalist & New-Jersey State Gazette, December 9, 1800, p. 4.
Event Description
Around the spring of 1799, a Black man named Abner ran away from Isaac Tunnell of Dagsborough, Delaware. Tunnell believed that Abner might have gone to Pennsylvania or New Jersey and placed an ad in a Trenton newspaper offering a reward for anyone who would apprehend and jail Abner anywhere in Delaware, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. Tunnell wrote his ad on June 26, 1800, indicating that Abner was still at large more than a year after his escape. The ad was still running in the papers as of December 1800, suggesting that Abner continued to evade capture.

-----

Transcript of the source document:

"Thirty Dollars Reward.

RANAWAY, a year ago last spring, a BLACK MAN, named Abner, about 40 years of age; 6 feet high; stout made, and has a small scar on one of his cheeks, occasioned by an inflamation proceeding from the tooth ach, which broke on the outside; he formerly belonged to Mr. Levin Dirickson. The above reward will be paid for securing the said servant in any jail in New-Jersey, Pennsylvania or Delaware until his master can get him again.

ISAAC TUNNELL.
Dagsborough, (state of Delaware) June 26, 1800.
N.B. A letter put into any post-office, and directed as above will be duly received."
Event Type
Freedom Seeking
Date
April 1799 – December 1800
Date Certainty
Approximate
Location of Event
Dagsborough, Delaware
Related Place
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Primary Participants

Abner (b. ca. 1759)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02390
Role: Runaway
Age: 40
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Isaac Tunnell
Verbatim description from source:
"BLACK MAN, named Abner, about 40 years of age; 6 feet high; stout made, and has a small scar on one of his cheeks, occasioned by an inflamation proceeding from the tooth ach, which broke on the outside"
Additional Participants

Isaac Tunnell
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02389
Role: Enslaver, Advertiser

Levin Dirickson
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02391
Role: Former Enslaver Mentioned
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event