Eliza Harris (b. 1816)

Name

Eliza Harris (b. 1816)

Identifier

NJS-PER-00012

Given Name

Eliza

Family Name

Harris

Birth Date

July 2, 1816

Sex

Female

Description

Eliza was a woman of African descent who was born in New Brunswick, NJ, on July 2, 1816, to parents Ambo and Mark Harris Sr. Eliza's parents were both enslaved at the time of her birth, but Ambo would eventually become free when enslaver John Neilson manumitted her.

Eliza's birth was reported to the Middlesex County Clerk by enslaver John Neilson, who was the legal owner of her mother Ambo. Under New Jersey's gradual abolition law, Eliza was considered a "slave for a term" of 21 years, and she was bound to serve John Neilson and his heirs until the year 1837 when she would become eligible for emancipation.

Eliza was the third child of Ambo and Mark Harris Sr. Her older sisters were Clara and Ann, and her younger brother was Mark Jr.

Sibling of

Mark Harris Jr. (b. 1818)

Ann Harris (b. 1814)

Clara Harris (b. 1812)

Source Resource

https://records.njslavery.org/api/items/1229

Source Site

https://records.njslavery.org/s/doc/page/home

Enslaver

John Neilson (1745-1833)

Child of

Mark Harris Sr. (b. 1791)

Ambo Harris

Contributor

Jesse Bayker