1810-04-13 Abandonment: 9 Black girls

Identifier
NJS-EVE-01013
Source
Overseers of the Poor of Franklin seek to bind out 9 abandoned Black girls, by David Nevius and John P. Nevius

Overseers of the Poor of Franklin seek to bind out 9 abandoned Black girls, by David Nevius and John P. Nevius, Trenton Federalist, April 16, 1810, p. 3.
Event Description
In April 1810, Overseers of the Poor of Franklin, Somerset County, published a notice seeking to bind out nine Black female children, i.e. to place them as indentured servants into white households until age 21. These girls were abandoned to the Overseers pursuant to the abandonment provision of New Jersey's gradual abolition law, which allowed enslavers to take 1-year-old infants away from their enslaved mothers and give them up to the Overseers of the Poor to be treated as paupers.

The Overseers announced that any individual who wanted to take a Black child as an indentured servant could come forward and apply to take the child away. The notice listed the age of each girl, but did not provide the children's names. The names of the two Overseers of the Poor were listed as David Nevius and John P. Nevius.

Note that the abbreviation "do." in the source document means "ditto," meaning "the same as above." In other words, the line "1...4...0...do." means 1 child of 4 years and 0 months old.

-----

Transcript of the source document:

"Notice is hereby given,

THAT the following female abandoned black children of the township of Franklin, county of Somerset, born after the 4th day of July 1804, in said township, will be put out according to law on application to the overseers of said township, viz.

2 of 4 years and 3 months old,
1 ... 4 ... 0 ... do.
1 ... 3 ... 5... do.
3 ... 3 ... 4 ... do.
2 ... 3 ... 3 ... do.

David Nevius, }
John P. Nevius } Overseers of the poor.
April 13, 1810.

81-4w.pd."
Event Type
Abandonment
Date
April 13, 1810
Location of Event
Franklin (Somerset County)
Primary Participants

1st Black girl born Jan. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 4
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"4 years and 3 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

2nd Black girl born Jan. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 4
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"4 years and 3 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

Black girl born Apr. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 4
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"4 years and 0 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

Black girl born Nov. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 3
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"3 years and 5 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

1st Black girl born Dec. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 3
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"3 years and 4 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

2nd Black girl born Dec. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 3
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"3 years and 4 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

3rd Black girl born Dec. 1806
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 3
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"3 years and 4 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

1st Black girl born Jan. 1807
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 3
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"3 years and 3 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21

2nd Black girl born Jan. 1807
Role: Abandoned Person
Age: 3
Status: Enslaved
Verbatim description from source:
"3 years and 3 months old"
Comment: to be bound out until age 21
Additional Participants

David Nevius (1748-1825)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01987
Role: Overseer of the Poor
Comment: Overseer of the Poor of Franklin, Somerset County

John P. Nevius
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02402
Role: Overseer of the Poor
Comment: Overseer of the Poor of Franklin, Somerset County
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Resource class
Event