Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-20
SLAVES IN NEW JERSEY.
"reminiscences of Unce Anthony and
Aunt Betsey.

lives IN little Weatner-DeaIen cottage
near the base of Eagle Rock, the highest
point on the Orange Mountains. In 1888
he purchased the place for $500, and he
has lived there ever since. He was born
in Rsritan, Somerset county, N. j., in
1898. His mother was a slave in the
family of the Rev. Philip Duryee, of
Raritan, and she and her babe were sold
to David Still, who resold them TO Sam.
uel M. Ward, OF Cranetown, now Mont
clair, in Essex county. Mr.. Ward died
IN 1882, after promising So give Anthony
apd his mother their freedom. Mrs. Ward
died a few months after her husbands
death, and then Anthony became free man
at the age of "a years. His mother, who was
too old to work, was sold at auction by
the town, that being the custom in those
days. Anthony got her and cared for her
until she died. He entered the service of
the grandfather of the Rev. DR.. Williams,
the present venerable rector Of 81. Marks
Episcopal Church in Orange, and he has
known five generations of the family.
Anthony got fair education in the district
school, joined the First Presbyterian
Church, of which he was enc of the three
oldest members until he joined the Second
Presbyterian Church, and recently he went
over to the First Reformed Church. His
maternal great grandfather was a chief of
the Guinea negroes in Africa. Anthony
has no children, bat he has been married
twice, his second wife being a portly and
pleasant woman about so wears old. He
has large features, coalblack eyes, and a
frame that was once muscular and power
full.
81 never saw slave whipped in New
Jersey unless he deserved it," said Uncle
Anthony to Times reporter, "bus heard
of some cruelty up in the Dutch settle
ments about Qlocksuock and Stone Honse
Plains. was kindly treated, and, so far
as l know, all the slaves in Essex county
had kind masters. Friends loaned me
money to buy mother with, and 1 gave
500 to young man, who bid her in for
that sum up at the old Park House. He
gambled away the mo2ey and went to the
bad, but the town gave me my mother
She often told me that she had seen sIave
mothers sold away from their children in
New Jersey, and She had seen slave women
severely whipped. Some men in Newark
and up on the mountain owned from
five to twelve slaves when ! was lad,
and up in Bergen county all the D7tob
farmers had slaves. After | got my free
dom l went into the service of. Governor
Benjamin Williams, at Tory Corner, who
was the head man about Orange. He owned
nearly all the land in these parts, and he
settled all the disputes among the farmers,
His family and the Harrison family bought
hundreds of acres of land from the Indians
for rum and clothes, so the foIks used to
say. I've heard Governor Ben say thst
when Steve Harrison made a fcur.wheeled
wagon people came from all parts to gee the
wonderful invention. Only clumsy OK
carts were known TO the farmers before
that time, and a trip to New York was like
going to Europe now.
"When | was a small boy" said Uncle
Anthony, call the country between the
mountain and Newark was almost . howl.
ing wilderness, with the exception of the
few houses in Orange and Bloomfield.
There was no tavern until you got to Cald-
we'll, beyond the mountain, or else up at
Stone House Plains, where young fellows
used to drink and dance with the eirIs.
Nearly all the land as far as you could see
was owned by the Harrison, Williams and
Dodd families, and everybody went TO the
First Church, in Orange, where tie slaves
were boxed up in one corner like horses in
a stall. In the new First Church the
slaves had . place in the gallery. / mar
ried daughter of Fiddler Tom when I
was a very young man. He played for the
white folks in Newark and over the moui.-
tains, and when he drew the bow across the
fiddle the girls came from far and near.
Apple psrings and potato pulls were FOL.
lowed by supper and z dance in the barns.
At big weddings the Dominic kissed the
bride, drank apple-jack toddy and cider.
and got the pick of the eating"
Aunt Betsey Berry was found in her COSY
home on Main street, in East Orange, chat.
ting with the pretty daughter of one of her
rich New York neighbors. She had on
neat black house cap, plain dress of
brown stuff, with white linen collar about
her neck, and her eyes shown like black
diamonds when she became excited. For
over forty years she has rented the little
house in which she lives, and which is
neatly furnished. Her husband died
twenty.six years ago. He earned his free.
dom after S.heywere married. They had
twelve children, five of whom are living.
Aunt Betsey has kindly word for her
neighbors, but she is very bitter against
the old families that owned slaves up in
Bergen county. She likes to have the
Bible read to her, but she says that she
does not believe that the persons who were
cruel to her in slave days can now be occu
plying Preserved seats in heaven" She
was born at Quookanock, in Bergen county,
and is now IS years old.
"Foiks as he'd slaves here in New JERSEY
was jest as cruel as the folks in the South"
said Aunt Bstsey to the Times reporter.
"In every place there is good an bad
falls m; thara cooJ or, Ill xS,..
tiers and missus in New Jersey. Families
was broke up and sold in Bergen county in
my time, an my mother was sold away
from me when was wee little baby. so
little that can't remember her except like
in dream. First remember was called
Betsey Jacobus, an that was because was
owned by the Jacobus family up at Quock.
anock. Henry Jacobus was my own mas
the rest OF the family cuffed me about. |
knowed slaves as was whipped SO hard by the
old Dutch farmers that they died, an one
man named Still had to bury his dead niger
under the barn. l was small when l seen
women whipped with lunches of twigs
until the blood run in streams, an they
sfterwsrd showed me their backs all
covered with cuts an black welts. No.
buuy Eau tcit Lit tIaS SLAVES WASH
whipped in them days, an nobody can't
scarcely believe how bad an cruel some
masters was in them days. Some Of the
slaves used to fight for themselves toward
the las, an you couldn't blame them il
they did nigh kill the masters sometimes.
Good masters sent the black children to
school, but them kind of folks was scarce
Once l asked to 60 to school, and old ia.
cobus said: What you niger. I'll
take you to the barn an give you school if
you ever mention it again An so didn't
get any learnin'. The farmer had from
three to twelve slaves, an Miss Van Wag-
enep, over nigh to Plainfeld, had more
than twenty. An yet she died poor, and
I've had old Missus Jacobus ask me for
help after l got free. Them folks was too
proupd an lazy to work after the slaves
was free, an SO lost their property.
"One of old man Jacobus' daughters.in.
law once attempted to whip me-" Aunt
Retsey went on to say. The folks was
at church, an she told me to fetch her
some apple-jack from the cellar barn. l
wouldn't because it was Sunday, an then
she said she would fog me. But 1 was a