Primary Sources-

Enslaved Persons during the American Revolution

◂ Primary Sources (Teaching the History of Slavery and Enslaved Persons) or◂ Primary Sources (Teaching the History of the American Revolution)

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William Livingston to Richard Bache

William Livingston to John Jay

William Livingston to David Brearley

William Livingston to Thomas Bradford

William Livingston to Richard Bache

May 22, 1777

WL to Bache (22 May 1777).pdf

Livingston, William to Bache, Richard. The Papers of William Livingston. Edited by Carl E. Prince. 1. Vol. 1:338. Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Historical Commission, 1979.

Transcript

To Richard Bache

Haddonfield, 22 May, 1777.

Sir,

Messrs. Stocom & Parker will wait on you with this. The former is owner of a negro slave called Joe, & the latter of a negro called Scipio. Both of the slaves were some time since taken up by our Militia officers in the County of Monmouth on Suspicion of intending to join the Enemy, & were among a number of other Prisoners hurried to your jail in Philadelphia.¹ On Examination of the matter by the Governor and Council of Safety of this State, it appears that the suspicions against them were not well founded, & the Board accordingly agreed to have the negroes delivered to their respective masters on their discharging the Expenses that have accrued for their support & maintenance, & giving their respective Bonds to this Government for their good Behavour in future. The latter they have complied with; and the former they promise to perform on the Receipt of their slaves.² This is therefore to request you to order the Person who has them in Custody to deliver them to their masters on their paying the Expenses they have occasioned by their keeping. I am, Sir, Your most humble Servant,

Wil. Livingston.

Pa. Archives, 1st ser., 5: 348.¹ Capt. john Dennis of the Monmouth County militia had written to WL on May 12 (Nj) explaining that he had apprehended the two slaves and sent them to a Philadelphia prison in February.² The Council of Safety had questioned Captain Dennis about the slaves on May 12. Peter Parker and John Slocum appeared before the Council of Safety on May 22 (Council of Safety, 43, 51-52).

William Livingston to John Jay

April 23, 1779

WL to John Jay (23 Apr 1779).pdf

Livingston, William to Jay, John. The Papers of William Livingston. Edited by Carl E. Prince. 3. Vol. 3:66-67. New Brunswick, NJ: For the New Jersey Historical Commission, Rutgers University Press, 1986.

Transcript

To John Jay

Trenton 23d April 1779

Sir

Thinking that the inclosed Letter,¹ (which lately fell into my hands),² may perhaps be of some use to³ Congress, as a most convincing proof of what has been so often denied by our Enemies, that⁴ the British Court endeavoured to procure both our domestic Slaves, & the Savages of the Wilderness to destroy us; & that at so early a period of the cont'est as the year 1775, I do myself the Honour to transmit it to Congress,⁵ & am with great Esteem Sir your Excellency's most obedient humble Servant

Wil: Livingston

ALS, DNA:PCC, 68.¹ After "Letter" and before "which" WL had written and then crossed out "from the pious Dartmouth to the humane Dunmore," in an ADf (NN:Lyon).² The enclosure was an official copy of a letter to Lord Dunmore of August 2, 1775 (DNA: PCC, 68). Lord Dartmouth had acknowledged a letter in which Dunmore had requested troops and arms to lead and equip a force of Indians, blacks, and others, which he believed he could raise in Virginia to "reduce the refractory people of this colony to obedience." Dunmore did not receive Dartmouth's letter until December 20. In the interim, Dunmore issued a proclamation on November 7 encouraging slaves to join the British forces. This intercepted letter was not previously published in Virginia newspapers, although its contents were known to contemporaries. Refer to Lord Dunmore to Lord Dartmouth, May l, 1775 (PRO, C.0. 5/1353, 137); and H[enry] R. Mcilwaine and john Pendleton Kennedy, eds., Journals of the Houses of Burgesses, 13 vols. (Richmond, 1905), l [1773-1776]: xviii. For Dunmore's receipt of Dartmouth's letter, refer to Lord Dunmore to Lord Dartmouth, December 6, 1775-February 18, 1776 (PRO, C.O. 5/1353, 321).³ In an ADf (NN :Lyon), WL had written "file among the papers of" after "to" and before "Congress."⁴ WL had originally written and then crossed out "they began this iniquitous war inten attempted" after "that" and before "to" in an ADf (NN :Lyon).⁵ WL's letter was read in Congress on April 26, 1779, and referred to the Committee of Intelligence (/CC, 14: 511- 12). The letters were printed in the April 1779 issue of U.S. Magazine and the April 27, 1779, Pa. Packet with the notice "by order of Congress." The journals of Congress do not record the order for the printing.

William Livingston to David Brearley

November 29, 1779

WL to Brearley (29 Nov 1779).pdf

Livingston, William to Brearley, David. The Papers of William Livingston. Edited by Carl E. Prince. 3. Vol. 3:236-37. New Brunswick, NJ: For the New Jersey Historical Commission, Rutgers University Press, 1986.

Transcript

To David Brearley

Mount Holly 29 Nov. 1779

Dear Sir

I this moment received yours of the 20th.¹ Bonds Negro is pardoned with condition. It would however be very agreeable to the Governor, & I dare say to the Council, that his Master immediately sent him from the Continent.²

I believe the present assembly is disposed to do some thing [clever]. for the Judges. But this I mean to be understood of a [comparative] Cleverness with that of the last.³ I am with sincere respect

ADf, NN:Lyon.¹ Letter not found.² WL on November 20 had presented to the Privy Council a petition from the Burlington County petit jury requesting a pardon for Elijah Bond's slave, Humphrey. The latter had been convicted of burglary (NJA [Privy Council], 3d ser., 1:138). A similar case had come before the Privy Council on November 15. See WL to Isaac Smith, November 10, 1779.³ David Brearley was chief justice of New Jersey. On September 28 and November 16, the justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court and members of the bar had petitioned the legislature to fix the venue of the Supreme Court at one place. Frequent moving of records had proven burdensome. Acts of September 24, 1778, and October 7, 1779, had stipulated that the Supreme Court sessions would be held alternately at Hillsborough, Somerset County, and Burlington. On December 4, 1779, the legislature passed an act locating the Supreme Court permanently in Trenton (General Assembly [September 15-0ctober 9, 1779], 179; [October 26-December 25, 1779], 27, 52-54, 56, 59; Legislative Council [October 26, 1779-March 21, 1780], 24, 26; Acts [September 24-0ctober 8, 1778], 95-96; [September 27-0ctober 9, 1779], 134; [October 26-December 25, 1779], 19-20). See WL to David Brearley, June 30, 1779.

William Livingston to Thomas Bradford

June 3, 1780

WL to Bradford (3 Jun 1780).pdf

Livingston, William to Bradford, Thomas. The Papers of William Livingston. Edited by Carl E. Prince. 3. Vol. 3:413-14. New Brunswick, NJ: For the New Jersey Historical Commission, Rutgers University Press, 1986.

Transcript

To Thomas Bradford

Trenton 3d June 1780

Sir

I send you, agreeably to the inclosed List,¹ 34 Hessian Prisoners who had made their Escape from Penn's grove, where I am told they were employed in cutting Wood, & were retaken in this state by the Monmouth Militia in their Rout to New York.² You will be pleased to sign a Receipt for them at the foot of the List, or on a Copy of it, as you please & deliver it to the officer of the Guard who has them in charge.

I received your Letter of the 27th of May³ this Moment, & am obliged to you for acquainting me of the Circumstances of Mr Smith's Negro, one of the Prisoners on their return to New York for Exchange. But I am not able to find the officer of the Guard who conducts those Prisoners nor any of the party; from whence I infer that they have passed on & left the Letter behind them. This Circumstance however I do not regret because altho' the Fellow is legally the property of this State, as his Master's whole Estate is confiscated to the public I am so prejudiced against the Slavery of any part of the Species, that I should not have chosen to be instrumental in detaining him for that purpose. I am Sir your most humble Servant⁴

Wil: Livingston

ALS, PHi.¹ Enclosure not found.² On June 5 the legislature resolved to pay Maj. John Cook and his troops 2029 pounds, 17 shillings, 6 pence, both to reimburse them and to reward them for recapturing the Hessian prisoners (General Assembly [May IO-June 19, 1780], 222; Legislative Council [May IO-October 7, 1780], 92).³ The slave Andrew, property of William Smith, a Woodbridge Loyalist, had been captured from a privateer out of New York. Refer to Thomas Bradford to WL, May 27, 1780 (NN).⁴ For an example of WL's long-standing opposition to slavery see Livingston Papers, 2:403-4.

Primary Sources-

Enslaved Persons during the American Revolution

Table of Contents

William Livingston to Richard Bache

William Livingston to John Jay

William Livingston to David Brearley

William Livingston to Thomas Bradford

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