1754-11-29 Mention: Black persons in the Frelinghuysen household
- Identifier
- NJS-EVE-01092
- Source
- Letter from Dina (Van Bergh) Frelinghuysen to Hendricus Frelinghuysen
-
Letter from Dina (Van Bergh) Frelinghuysen to Hendricus Frelinghuysen, November 29, 1754.
- Event Description
-
In a letter written on November 28, 1754, Dina Frelinghuysen née Van Bergh (later Dina Hardenbergh), briefly mentioned Black laborers in her household, saying that they were subservient to her, but she wanted to "be rid of them." The letter was written in Dutch and sent from the place now known as the Old Dutch Parsonage in Somerville, Somerset County, NJ. The following is a transcript of the relevant passage, as translated into English by the Rev. Gerard Van Dyke:
"As to the blacks, they are submissive to me, but I should like to be rid of them."
Dina wrote the letter shortly after the death of her first husband Johannes Frelinghuysen, and it was addressed to her brother-in-law Hendricus Frelinghuysen, who was living in New York. - Event Type
- Mention
- Date
- November 29, 1754
- Location of Event
-
Old Dutch Parsonage, Somerville (originally in Finderne aka Raritan)
- Primary Participants
-
Black persons in the Frelinghuysen household
Role: Mentioned Person
Status: Enslaved
Enslaver(s) of this participant:
- Dina Van Bergh Frelinghuysen Hardenbergh (1725-1807)
Verbatim description from source:
"As to the blacks, they are submissive to me, but I should like to be rid of them." - Additional Participants
-
Dina Van Bergh Frelinghuysen Hardenbergh (1725-1807)
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01569
Role: EnslaverJohannes Frelinghuysen (1727-1754) {aka John Frelinghuysen}
Person identifier: NJS-PER-01608
Role: Enslaver, Deceased - Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker