1817, Dinah, Removal
- Title
- 1817, Dinah, Removal
- Description
-
In 1817, William Van Deursen, a physician in New Brunswick and a graduate of Queen's College (now Rutgers University) sold Dinah to a man named Jacob Klady, a New Jersey landholder who was getting ready to move to Ouachita Parish in Louisiana to establish a plantation. Klady took Dinah to Louisiana with him. Dinah was aged 22 at this time.
Before Klady was allowed to take Dinah out of the State of New Jersey, Dinah had to appear in court and give her consent to move with Klady. It appears that Dinah used this as an opportunity to negotiate with Klady for her freedom before giving her consent. On August 30, 1817, William Van Deursen brought Phillis to the Court of Common Pleas of Middlesex County to obtain a removal certificate authorizing Jacob Klady to take Dinah to Louisiana where she would serve Klady as her new enslaver. According to this removal certificate, Klady promised to manumit Dinah if she served him obediently for 15 years in Louisiana. The certificate was signed by two judges (Thomas Hance and John Fitz Randolph). The certificate was recorded by the County Clerk (William P. Deare) on October 8, 1817.
A complete transcript of the removal certificate follows:
"Dinah }
State of New Jersey }
Middlesex County } On the 30th day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventeen Dinah the female servant of Doctor William Van Deursen of the city of New Brunswick, in the county and State aforesaid, being a slave for life, was privately examined before us Thomas Hance and John Outcalt two of the Justices of the Peace, and Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for sd County, which sd slave Dinah upon her sd examination did say that she was near twenty two years of age, that she is perfectly satisfied and willing to leave the place of her present residence and remove with Jacob Klady to the State of Louisiana and that she prefers to serve the said Jacob Klady to the service of her present master – all which we do hereby certify and that the said Dinah is a slave for life – and that the said Jacob Klady has and does hereby promise and engage that if the sd slave Dinah shall behave in an obedient and orderly manner and serve him honestly and faithfully for the space of fifteen years from the date hereof she shall at the expiration of that time be manumitted & set free. – In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names the day and year above written. –
Thos. Hance
Jno. Outcalt –
Received October 8, 1817 recorded by
Deare clk" - Identifier
- NJS-EVE-00196
- Event Type
- Legal: Removal registration
- Action Status
- Completed
- Date
- August 30, 1817
- Following Event
- 1817, Dinah, Sale
- Source
- Removal certificate for Dinah (1817-08-30) recorded in Manumissions and Removals Book, p. 209. Middlesex County (N.J.) Records, 1688-1929, Vol. XI (MC 784.1). Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
- Relation
- New Jersey Slavery Records > Understanding removal certificates and slave trading
- New Jersey Slavery Records > Removal Records Index
- Primary Participant
- Dinah (b. 1795)
- Primary Participant Description
- female servant
- slave for life
- near twenty two years of age
- Freedom Status
- Enslaved
- Age
- Adult
- 22
- Source Resource
- https://records.njslavery.org/api/items/2247
- Source Site
- https://records.njslavery.org/s/doc/page/home
- Sex
- Female
- Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
Linked resources
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