Mark Harris Sr. (b. 1791)
- Name
- Mark Harris Sr. (b. 1791)
- Identifier
- NJS-PER-00014
- Given Name
- Mark
- Family Name
- Harris
- Alternate Name
- Harress
- Birth Date
- 1791
- Sex
- Male
- Description
-
Mark Harris Sr. was a man of African descent born circa 1791 and a founding member of the African Association of New Brunswick.
Mark was married to an enslaved woman named Ambo on September 8, 1811, and they went on to have four children: Clara, Ann, Eliza, and Mark Jr. During the early part of their marriage, they most likely lived apart because Mark was enslaved by Benjamin Taylor, while Ambo was enslaved by John Neilson.
In 1816, James Neilson (the son of Ambo’s enslaver John Neilson) purchased Mark from Benjamin Taylor, and the Harris family was unified in the Neilson household. The bill of sale from October 15, 1816, described Mark as a "mulatto slave." As part of the slave sale contract, James Neilson promised to manumit Mark "at the expiration of five years from the date 12 March 1816." The mention of the 5-year term suggests that Mark probably entered into a 5-year agreement with Benjamin Taylor and was promised his freedom before he was sold to James Neilson. The 5-year term would expire on March 12, 1821. Whether Neilson made good on his promise is unknown as manumission papers for Mark have not been found to date.
In January 1817, James Neilson gave Mark permission to join the African Association of New Brunswick. Mark's name appears in the organization's membership records from 1817 to 1821, sometimes written as "Mark Harris" and sometimes "Mark Harress." Notably, Mark consistently paid semiannual membership dues of 50 cents, the customary rate for free persons of color who were members of the organization (enslaved members usually paid the discounted rate of 25 cents). - Spouse of
- Ambo Harris
- Parent of
- Clara Harris (b. 1812)
- Ann Harris (b. 1814)
- Eliza Harris (b. 1816)
- Mark Harris Jr. (b. 1818)
- Source Resource
- https://records.njslavery.org/api/items/1231
- Source Site
- https://records.njslavery.org/s/doc/page/home
- Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
Linked resources
Part of Mark Harris Sr. (b. 1791)