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PDFPrincss of ProgressivePOC has a new piece up in this excellent series:
Recently via my genealogy research, I found my GGGGG-Grandmother Catherine Little. Catherine was born in 1788 in New Jersey. It is unknown at this time whether Catherine was born free or enslaved. There are clues that lead to drawing either conclusion. For instance, Catherine could read and write. Under the laws of New Jersey owners of the Enslaved were mandated to teach them to read and write in 1788 in the year of Catherine’s birth.
However, in 1804, Gradual Emancipation was adopted. Gradual in that the Enslaved born before 1804 would remain slaves for life or until manumitted. The Enslaved born to an Enslaved mother after 1804 would be emancipated at the age of 21 for women and 25 for men. In 1846 (the last in the North), Slavery was abolished outright in New Jersey. As in other states, that was the rule of law but not the spirit of the law embraced. After 1846, many of the Enslaved were indentured or apprenticed for the profit of the owner. This effectively delegated the Enslaved to continued servitude.
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In the 1790 Census below, there were 2,762 free Blacks in New Jersey along with 11,423 Enslaved. From a numerical standpoint, it is probable that Catherine was born a slave, yet what I’ve uncovered thus far doesn’t not lead neatly to that conclusion.
Full piece here.
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