Slavery Era Newspaper Clippings

Description

This collection consists of New Jersey newspaper clippings from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, including runaway ads, slave sale ads, and articles that highlight the activities of Queen's College trustees.

Browse runaway ads.

Browse slave sale ads.

View all items in this collection sorted by date.

Map

Many (though not all) of these newspaper clippings mention a location, such as the residence of the enslaver who offered a reward for a runaway's capture. Whenever possible, the primary location associated with the newspaper clipping has been pinned to a map. Occasionally the location mentioned is precise, such as the Middlesex County jail, which historical records indicate was located in New Brunswick on Prince (now Bayard) Street between George Street and Queen (now Neilson) Street. More often, the newspaper mentions only the city, village, or county where the person involved resided. For this reason, the geolocation pins on the map are approximate, typically pointing to a central location in the city or village mentioned.

Browse the Map to see all pinned items from the era of slavery.

Collection Items

Run away from Philip Livingston [unnamed African man]
Slaveholder and slave trader Philip Livingston offers a reward of three dollars for the capture of an African man who escaped from Livingston in New York City. The man does not speak any Dutch or English, suggesting that he was only recently brought…

A black woman named Nell ran away from slaveholder Isaac Kingsland in Bergen County. Her master's ad mentions that Nell formerly belonged to Robert J. Livingston, a New York merchant. Isaac Kingsland describes the clothing Nell wore and took with her…

FOR SALE By the subscriber, a Negro wench
Jacob R. Hardenberg (Queen's College trustee and son of the college's first president) advertises a 35-year-old black woman for sale in Somerville. The ad was first issued on December 16, 1800, and ran for at least 3 months until March 1801 in…
View all 72 items