1781-12-15 Jailing: Henry Heywood

Identifier
NJS-EVE-01019
Source
Runaway pickup notice for Henry Heywood, by John Totten

Runaway pickup notice for Henry Heywood, by John Totten, "Taken up as a Run Away," Pennsylvania Journal, January 9, 1782, p. 3.
Event Description
On December 15, 1781, a Black man named Henry Heywood was picked up and detained by the Princeton constable John Totten as a potential runaway. Heywood maintained that he was a free man from Maryland and that he had been with the British troops (specifically with soldier or loyalist Mr. Reyley) when the British surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia (the final battle of the Revolutionary War in October 1781). The constable published an ad notifying the public that Heywood would be held as a runaway for six weeks.

-----

Transcript of the source document:

"Taken up as a Run Away,
On the 15th December inst.
A NEGRO MAN, who calls himself Henry Heywood, and says is a freeman, and lived with a certain Mr. Reyley, who was with the British army at York in Virginia, was there taken at the surrender of that place; and came away with Continental troops. He is a black fellow, marked with the small-pox, about five feet nine inches high, had on a blue coat lined with red, linen drawers, an old felt hat ; says he formerly lived in Maryland. He seems to understand house work best, and is very handy at that. The owner, if any he hath, is desired to come, pay charges, and take him away, within the space of six weeks, otherwise he will be discharged according to law, by JOHN TOTTEN, Constable
Princeton, New-Jersey,
Dec. 25, 1781."
Event Type
Jailing
Date
December 15, 1781
Location of Event
Princeton
Related Place
Virginia
Primary Participants

Henry Heywood
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02410
Role: Jailed Person
Age category: Adult
Status: Unknown
Verbatim description from source:
"negro man; black fellow, marked with the small-pox, about five feet nine inches high"
Additional Participants

John Totten
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02412
Role: Jailer

Mr. Reyley
Person identifier: NJS-PER-02413
Role: Mentioned Person
Record Contributor
Indy Davis
Princeton & Slavery Project
Resource class
Event