Deptford Township is located in Gloucester County, New Jersey. It was formed in 1695 and was initially known as Bethlehem. It was originally about five times larger than it is today and included the community of Woodbury (a colonial settlement that predated the formation of Deptford Township). In 1836, more than half of the original Deptford Township territory was taken to form Washington Township. After the Civil War, other municipalities broke off from Deptford, including West Deptford, Woodbury, Wenonah, Westville, and Woodbury Heights. The Borough of National Park was also originally part of Deptford Township. Records related to slavery in these municipalities may list Deptford as the location.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the township’s name was sometimes spelled Debtford in historical documents.
Derinda was born in 1815, the child of Violet (enslaved by Jonathan Rowland of Woodbridge, NJ). Under the provisions of New Jersey's Gradual Abolition Act of 1804, she was considered a slave for a term of 21 years and would become eligible for emancipation upon reaching that age.
Her birth certificate stated that her name was Derinda alias Belinda.
Deyaun was born in 1806, the child of a woman enslaved by Jacob Van Deventer Sr. of Piscataway, NJ. Under the provisions of New Jersey's Gradual Abolition Act of 1804, she was considered a slave for a term of 21 years and would become eligible for emancipation upon reaching that age.
An enslaved Black woman was listed as the mother of Jim on a birth certificate in Sussex County in 1805. Her name is not fully legible on the birth certificate, but appears to begin with Di (or De).
Dian was a Black woman who lived in Montgomery, Somerset County, New Jersey, in the early 19th century. She was enslaved by Christopher Hoagland. A birth certificate for her child has been found among Somerset County records.
Dian was a Black woman who lived in Bedminster, Somerset County, New Jersey, in the early 19th century. She was enslaved by John Schureman. A birth certificate for her child has been found among Somerset County records.
Somerset County birth records of enslaved children contain a birth certificate for Dian, born on 3 Aug 1809, enslaved by Abraham Voorhees. The name of Dian's mother was not recorded on the birth certificate, but the document indicated that Dian had a brother named Tone born in 1806.
Diana (Diannah) was one of the victims of Jacob Van Wickle's slave trading ring in Middlesex County, New Jersey, in 1818. She was born in New Jersey to an enslaved mother named Sarah around July 1817. Under New Jersey's gradual abolition law, she had the status of a slave for a term of 21 years. This meant she was bound to serve her enslaver until age 21, and then she would become eligible for emancipation. However, when she was only 7 months old, her mother Sarah was forced to leave New Jersey for Louisiana together with Diana, effectively depriving Diana of her right to freedom at age 21.
Diana (Diannah) was one of the victims of Jacob Van Wickle's slave trading ring in Middlesex County, New Jersey, in 1818. The legal documents related to the removal of Diana from the state of New Jersey to Louisiana suggest that she was born around 1809 and was aged 9 when she was forced to leave New Jersey for Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, together with her mother Christeen and sister Dorcas.
Under New Jersey's gradual abolition law, she had the status of a slave for a term of 21 years. This meant she was bound to serve her enslaver until age 21, and then she would become eligible for emancipation. Her right to emancipation at age 21 was recorded by the judges who authorized her removal from New Jersey at age 9. However, going to Louisiana as a child effectively deprived her of the opportunity to gain freedom because enforcing her legal rights under New Jersey law would be nearly impossible in Louisiana.
The New Jersey Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery counted the number of free Black people who lived in Burlington, Burlington County, circa 1797 or 1798. This person's name appeared on the list. She was listed as the head of her household and had a daughter.
Dianna was born in 1811, the child of Lewshe (enslaved by Robert Coddington of Woodbridge, NJ). Under the provisions of New Jersey's Gradual Abolition Act of 1804, she was considered a slave for a term of 21 years and would become eligible for emancipation upon reaching that age.
Gloucester County slavery records contain an birth certificate for Dianna Johnson, daughter of Sill Johnson, born on 11 March 1819, enslaved by James Matlack in Woodbury (then part of Deptford township).
Dianna Lewe was an enslaved woman who was manumitted by Jeremiah Manning of Woodbridge, NJ, in June 1801. Middlesex County records refer to her variously as "Dianna Manning or rather Luwee" or "Dianna Lewee" or "Dianna Lewe." She was aged 21 to 40 at the time of manumission.
See also the related 1820 manumission event for Peter Lewe, which mentions Dianna Lewe. Dianna and Peter were certainly related, although their exact relationship is not made clear in the documents.
Dick was an enslaved man who was manumitted by Jacob F. Randolph of Woodbridge, NJ, on December 28, 1801. Dick was one of four people manumitted by Randolph on that day. The others manumitted at the same time were Joseph, Margaret, and Tone.
Dick was a Black man who lived in Somerset County, New Jersey, in the early 19th century. His date of birth is uncertain. He was enslaved by David Kirkpatrick (1723-1814) who lived in the Mine Brook area of Bernards township. In 1812, David Kirkpatrick gave Dick to his daughter Jennet Kirkpatrick Miller and her husband Dickinson Miller.
Dick was a Black man born circa 1777. He could speak English and Low Dutch very well. He was enslaved by John Emmans of Readington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, who died in August 1803. Two weeks after John Emmans died, Dick ran away together with his younger sister Phebe.
Dick was an enslaved man, born around 1783, who was manumitted by Dowe D. Williamson of North Brunswick, NJ. The certificate of manumission was issued on February 9, 1816. The deed of manumission was executed on the same day. Dick was aged 33 at the time of manumission.
Dick was a Black man born circa 1784 in Morris County. He was originally enslaved by Dr. Blatchley in Morris County and was later enslaved by David Frazer in Lebanon, Hunterdon County. By 1805, he was enslaved by a man named William Todd in Bedminster, Somerset County. In July 1805, he ran away from William Todd. He was a survivor of smallpox.
Dick was a Black man born circa 1787. He was enslaved by Kenneth Hankinson of Freehold, Monmouth County, NJ. He spoke with a lisp and was known for being a remarkably good dancer and whistler. He ran away from Kenneth Hankinson in September 1805.
Dick was an enslaved person born around September 1801. In 1818, Dick's enslaver was Stephen Mundy of Piscataway, NJ; it is uncertain whether or not Dick lived in the Mundy family from the time of his birth. In 1818, Stephen Mundy moved to Canaseraga, a village in Allegany County, New York, and took Dick with him. A removal certificate related to Dick's move to New York was filed in Middlesex County. See the 1818 removal registration event for Dick for additional information about him and his life in Stephen Mundy's household.
Somerset County birth records of enslaved children contain a birth certificate for Dick, born on 2 Sep 1804, enslaved by Dinah Stryker Voorhees in Franklin.
Somerset County birth records of enslaved children contain a birth certificate for Dick, born on 24 Oct 1804, enslaved by Christopher Hoagland in Montgomery.
Somerset County birth records of enslaved children contain a birth certificate for Dick, born on 11 Apr 1805, enslaved by Barent Cornell in Montgomery.
Dick was born in 1805, the child of Violet (enslaved by George McAroy of South Brunswick, NJ, residing in the area of present-day Cranbury). Under the provisions of New Jersey's Gradual Abolition Act of 1804, he was considered a slave for a term of 25 years and would become eligible for emancipation upon reaching that age.
Dick was a Black boy of mixed ancestry born circa 1806. He was enslaved by Daniel Woodmansee who lived near Princeton, New Jersey. Dick left Woodmansee's household in September 1822 together with a white man named John, probably in an attempt to seek freedom. However, the historical record of his situation is ambiguous, and it is also possible that he was kidnapped by John against his will.
Dick was the son of an enslaved Black woman named Betty. He was born on June 11, 1809, in Hillsborough, Somerset County, New Jersey. Dick and his mother were enslaved by John J. Schenck.
Dick was an enslaved young man who ran away from his enslaver, named Alpheus Freeman, in New Brunswick, NJ, in August 1807. He was about 17 or 18 years old when he ran away to seek freedom.
Somerset County birth records of enslaved children contain two conflicting birth certificates for Dick, son of Flora Stryker, enslaved by John Joline in Princeton. The first birth certificate said Dick was born on 6 August 1813, while the second certificate said he was born on 25 August 1812.
Dick Highman was an enslaved man who lived in New Jersey and was manumitted by Frederick Buckalew of South Amboy, NJ, in 1798. Dick Highman would have been aged 21 to 40 at the time of manumission. His manumission deed was recorded by the Middlesex County Clerk 21 years later in 1819.
Dick Laing was an enslaved man who was manumitted by Isaac Laing as part of a group manumission conducted by the Laing family of Woodbridge, NJ, on May 10, 1800. Harry Laing and Huff Laing were manumitted on the same day by other Laing relatives.
Dickinson Miller was an enslaver and a Judge of Common Pleas for Somerset County, New Jersey. He was the husband of Jennet Kirkpatrick and received a man named Dick from Jennet's father David Kirkpatrick in 1812 as an advance on Jennet's inheritance.
In his capacity as Judge of Common Pleas, in 1818, he signed numerous removal certificates authorizing the transportation of enslaved Black people from Somerset County to the Deep South.
Dina (or Dinean) was a Black woman who lived in Somerset County, New Jersey, in the early 19th century. She was enslaved by Peter Voorhees. A birth certificate for her child has been found among Somerset County records.
The New Jersey Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery enumerated black people (free and enslaved) who lived in Springfield and New Hanover townships, Burlington County, around 1797. This person’s name appeared on the list. The report did not specify whether this person lived in Springfield or in New Hanover. See the related Registration event for more information about the report.
Dina Van Bergh (sometimes written Dinah) was born in Holland and immigrated to New Jersey in the mid-18th century. She was the wife of Dutch Reformed minister Johannes (John) Frelinghuysen (1727-1754). After her first husband's death in 1754, she married Johannes's mentee Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1736-1790), who went on to serve as the first president of Queen's College (now Rutgers University).
She lived at the home now referred to as the Old Dutch Parsonage in Somerville. She had several enslaved people who worked as domestic servants in this home. She mentioned these enslaved workers in a letter to her brother-in-law Hendricus Frelinghuysen in 1754 (soon after the death of her first husband), but she did not mention their names.
Dina Van Bergh's diaries and letters written in Dutch in the 1740s and 1750s have been preserved by the Gardner Sage Library of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary and by Rutgers University's Special Collections and University Archives. The diaries and letters were translated into English by the Rev. Gerard Van Dyke and published in 1993 by the Historical Society of the Reformed Church in America.
Dinah was a Black woman enslaved by Thomas Edgar and his wife Elizabeth Knapp Edgar in Woodbridge. She is mentioned in the will of Thomas Edgar, who died in 1812. She would continue serving Elizabeth Knapp Edgar after the decease of Thomas Edgar.
Dinah was a Black girl who lived in New Jersey in the early 19th century. She was enslaved by William DeGroot. On March 18, 1822, William DeGroot signed a deed of manumission for Dinah, noting that she was a minor under the age of 21 at that time. It is likely that Dinah went on to live as a free woman, but the legal outcome of her manumission process is uncertain.
Note that an enslaved person had to be an adult aged at least 21 (and not over 40) in order to be eligible for manumission under New Jersey law. The manumission process required the enslaved person's age and physical and mental ability to be certified by the local Overseer of the Poor and two Justices of the Peace for the county. This means that, if Dinah was a minor in 1822, she could not be officially manumitted under the law at that time. It is possible that William DeGroot would go on to complete the manumission process for Dinah at a later time when she reached age 21, but a certificate of manumission from county officials has not been recorded for her in the Middlesex County Book of Manumissions.
The manumission deed for Dinah lists the location as Middlesex County and does not specify a locality. As William DeGroot was known to be a resident of the township of Piscataway (based on other county records), it has been inferred that Dinah may have been a resident of Piscataway.
Dinah was an enslaved woman who lived in New Jersey in the early 19th century and was manumitted by Abraham Schuyler Neilson of North Brunswick, NJ. The certificate of manumission was issued on June 25, 1823. Dinah was aged 21 to 40 at the time of manumission.
Dinah was a Black girl enslaved by Isabella Kearney who had a farm in the Marsh's Bog area (present-day Farmingdale), Monmouth County. She was baptized in Shrewsbury.
Dinah was a Black woman enslaved by a man named Samuel (last name unclear) of Sussex County, NJ, in the early 19th century. Dinah gave birth to a boy named George in 1828.