Research Tips

You can browse this collection by box and item number or review the Somerset County research guide for more information about these records.

Identifier

NJS-SRC-02078

Source Type

Freedom or Emancipation Certificate

Removal Certificate

Author

Somerset County Clerk

Location Created

Somerset County

Date

1804 – 1841

Description

The Manumission or Slave Records is a collection of loose papers maintained by the Somerset County Clerk's Office. These papers are original manumission certificates and removal certificates that the County Clerk received from enslavers and government officials between 1804 and 1841. The County Clerk usually copied the document by hand into a bound volume and then retained the original document in a box.

For the purpose of archival preservation, in 2006 the loose papers were taken out of boxes, placed inside mylar sleeves, and compiled in an archival binder with the label "Manumission or Slave Records." The binder has two sections labeled Box 1 and Box 2, corresponding to the original boxes that contained the papers. The loose documents are numbered, with the sequence number written on the front of the page in pencil. It appears that the sequence numbers were written by the County Clerk's Office long after the documents were received, possibly in the 20th century. Keep in mind that the papers were not maintained in chronological or alphabetical order, so the sequence numbers do not represent any specific organizational method. Note also that there is no document number 12 in Box 1; either the County Clerk accidentally skipped number 12, or the original document has been removed from the file.

The loose papers from this collection were scanned by the New Jersey Slavery Records team working on-site at the Somerset County Clerk's Office in the summer of 2024. Our team is now in the process of indexing these records and comparing them to the corresponding bound volumes. Most of the names and events described in these records have not been added to our database yet, but the scanned images are available for browsing.

Language

English

Format

Loose slips of paper compiled in a binder

Archive

Somerset County Clerk's Office

Archival Collection

Manumission or Slave Records

Browse Records

Browse: Somerset County Manumission or Slave Records (Loose Items)

Record Contributor

Jesse Bayker