The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-17
SLAVERY TN new JERSEY
Manner in Which 1t Was
Introduced and It's Grad
ual Abolition.
SOME HISTORICAL FACTS.
Horrible Punishment Melted Out to
Those Who Transgressed the
Laws of Their Masters.

Tie vice of slavery wns introduced into
this Stale at its first settlement. aud took
deep route particularly in the eastern
portion. It is likely that most of the
slaves were brought from the West Iu-
dies by the trading vessels, but some
may have come direct from Africa or
Madagascar. although a report made by
the Collector of the Custom House at
Perth Amboy from the yesr 1923 to 1726
shows that none had been brought from
Africa. and only 115 in all had come in,
they being from Barbadoe, st. Martins.
Cape Fransway, Jamaica and An
tigun. and the Collector added that
it did not appear to him that
any had been brought from Africa or
Madagascar. However. from the large
number of slaves in the State in early
times. it is evident that the people a
desired to purchase slaves did not look to
The port of ANNOY for their supply, but
rather to New York, for in the first half
of the eighteenth century slave ships
were fitted out publicly there with chains
and handouts TO bring the blacks from
Africa to orr markets, and they were
openly sold like cattle 10 New York har-
UOI Ou lu6 chlpS LIEU DlouAut VA az
auction in the city.
In 1925 there were 1851 negroe 8 In the
State, the most of whom, no doubt, were
slaves. Monmouth had 433. and Bergen
the largest number, 1872. Monmouth. at
this time, had the largest population Of
any county in the State, she number be-
ing 1879. In 1871 there were 1881 BLACKS.
chiefly slaves. In las thsre wers 4 ,606
slaves.
This seems to be the last colonial record
we have of the slaves. Even indians. the
aboriginal lords OF the soil. were in some
instances reduced to a state of ~slRvarg.
and drunken Indians were sometimes in
duced to sell their children for rum. Then
the white criminals from the jai:s of
Great Britain, were sent over aud sold as
slaves Tor q term OF years. and the poor
Immigrants. who agreed to be sold as
servants for a term to pay their passage
must Lave made plenty of servants for
the people. The slaves aud servants fire.
Quently ran away, and they were some
lines branded on the breast or shoulders
with the initials of their owners names.
Rewards were often offered in the news.
papers for rupaways-Negro. English,
Scotch, Irish aud Indi&n.
At Il STAKE.
For some Crimes The eiaveS. and others
also. were whipped on the bare body at
The carts tail. through the streets. Ne
Rrees were sometimes burnt at the sta re,
0aS \ III
not use the werd frequently" IL was
done. however, in this State. and iu other
places. for heinous crimes An account
OF a burning OF a negro in this State tells
how the other negroes were made co look
on, the Sheriff riding around the burning
negro with drawn sword TO keep the
crowd back. One way of Furnishing a
slave for murder was to cut off his right
hand, burn it before his eyes, then hang
him, aud atterward burn his bndy. TINS
was done in 1891 and in 1886, In Middle
town. Monmouth county.
In 1896 a law WAS passed taxing owners
of slaves two shillings and six pence for
each slave over len years of age. The
religious Society OF Friends. who submit
to the nam OF Quakers, early declared
against the vice of slavery, and in the
counties where they predominated slaves
were never very numerous. However,, in
Monmouth the Quakers In 1745 numbered
3,l31. nearly half OF the white population,
yet the slaves in Monmouth at that time
numbered S99. the largest number Of any
county in the State.
During the Revolution some of the
slaves ran away into the British lines,
whether it helped their condition or not.
In 1890 the slaves had increased to 11,423,
and in 1900 to 12.424; but in 1890 there
were 2.762 free porous who were mostly
blacks. aud In 1900, 4.402.
In 1898 the traffic in slaves between this
and other States was prohibited, but it
still! continued, and III 1920 an act for
feited vessels and liked severe penalties
on persons concerned therein.
AN ANTISLAvERY ACT PASSED.
On February Is, 1874, an act was passed
for The gradual abolition of ~sIayery, under
which the slaves were reduced in 1910 to
1851, and in 1920 to 1851. This act, and
the supplement- of 1920, provided that
every child born Of a slave since the 4th
of July, 1904. or which should be there-
after born, should be free, but must re-
main the servant of the owner of the
mother until the age of twenty-five II a
male. aud twenty-one II a female. Many
slaves were manumitted by their owners.
This was done by making the proper
record of the act with the County CLERK,
the owner having to show that the slave
to be set free WIS not Under or over the
age prescribed by law. and was free from
auy bodily infrmity that would prevent
the person from making a living. This
was done to prevent the people from rid
ding themselves of old or infirm slaves
anu showing them on the town. Under
these laws the number of slaves rapidly
decreased.
In 1880 there were only 2.254 slaves; in
1910, 674: in 1850. 236. The few slaves
that sill remained were chiefly old
family pieces" born before Inc year
1904. whose owners had declined to manu-
nit them before they were too old. or
who had lived so long and been treated
SO kindly hat they mucn preterrsd to
remain as they We're.
The census of 1860 reported 80 IS still
left. and al the last survivor Of any
thing stays late.n no doubt there were
a few of these still left when the thir-
tenth amendment was adopted, and
perhaps a few who were born slaves in
Jersey yet survive.
SLAVERY oPULA AMONG OLD HOLLAND
ERS.
Slavery was the most popular in our
State, among the descendants Of the Hol-
l4nders. Our aged residents will tell us
that their parents treated the slaves
kindly, and DIR. Witherspoon. in Revolu-
t.onary times, wrote that they were then
treated well. and the descendants of The
Dutch commonly allowet them to eat at