Abraham Blauvelt (1764-1838)

Name

Abraham Blauvelt (1764-1838)

Identifier

NJS-PER-00371

Given Name

Abraham

Family Name

Blauvelt

Birth Date

1764

Death Date

1838

Sex

Male

Description

Abraham Blauvelt (c. 1764-1838) was an alumnus and trustee of Queen's College (later Rutgers). He was born in Rockland County, NY, and lived most of his life in New Brunswick, NJ, where Middlesex County records indicate that he held people in bondage. He received a degree from Queen's College in 1789 and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1800, assuming the position of the Secretary of the Board. From 1808 to 1810 he was the chairman of the Building Committee that oversaw the construction of the college's first permanent building, now known as Old Queens. He maintained the financial records related to the construction of the building, which document the college's use of enslaved labor.

Blauvelt was a printer in New Brunswick. He established a newspaper called the Guardian, or, New Brunswick Advertiser, in 1792 and published it for decades, delivering news and advertisements to the surrounding counties. Many advertisements for runaways and slave sales appeared in his newspaper over the years. Blauvelt helped facilitate slave sales for his subscribers. Some sellers did not want to publish their own name and contact information in the newspaper, preferring to keep the transaction more private. In such cases, Blauvelt acted as a middleman, publishing ads that said "Enquire of the printer," and encouraging prospective buyers to come to Blauvelt for more information about the sale.

Spouse of

Jane Mitchell Scott Blauvelt

Organization

Rutgers University

Bibliographic Citation

Bayker, Jesse, Christopher Blakley, and Kendra Boyd. “His Name Was Will: Remembering Enslaved Individuals in Rutgers History.” In Scarlet and Black: Slavery and Dispossession in Rutgers History, edited by MARISA J. FUENTES and DEBORAH GRAY WHITE, 58–81. Rutgers University Press, 2016.

Clayton, W. Woodford, ed. History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1882. (Chapter 71, The Press of Middlesex County)

Source Resource

https://records.njslavery.org/api/items/1445

Source Site

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

Occupation

Writing and/or Publishing

Contributor

Jesse Bayker