Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals Book, 1800-1825 · New Jersey Slavery Records

Guidance

The Middlesex County research guide provides additional information about these records.

Identifier

NJS-SRC-00006

Source Type

Freedom or Emancipation Certificate

Removal Certificate

Title

Middlesex County Manumissions and Removals Book, 1800-1825

Author

Middlesex County Clerk

Location Created

Middlesex County

Date

1800 – 1825

Description

Bound manuscript volume containing copies of legal documents pertaining to slaves in Middlesex County for the period 1800–1825. Legal and historical records often refer to this volume as the "Book of Manumissions." However, only 75% of the records contained in this book are copies of manumissions. The remaining 25% are copies of removal certificates, i.e. documents recording the removal of black children, women, and men out of the State of New Jersey, primarily destined for Louisiana.

These records were maintained by the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for Middlesex County. The vast majority of the records are written in the hand of William P. Deare, who was the Clerk of the Court from 1801 to 1825, and who was also a long-time trustee of Queen's College.

The book contains an alphabetical index by first name of the Black person being manumitted or removed. The index is in the front, followed by 438 numbered pages of legal records. Pages 1-10 and 15-22 are blank. Additionally, page 146 is blank and page 147 was skipped by the Clerk, who resumed pagination with number 148. All non-blank pages of the book have been scanned and processed by the Scarlet and Black Research Center team.

See links in the "Browse Records" field for multiple methods of browsing these records.

Language

English

Format

Bound manuscript volume