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Slavery in South Brunswick, NJ

Introduced in New Jersey around 1660, Slavery began when the Dutch in New Amsterdam began the transport of slaves from West Indies, to the New World, using Perth Amboy as one of the major trading posts; By 1726 New Jerseys slave population had grown to 2,600 and to 4,000 by 1738.

During the colonial era, only New York exceeded New Jersey in the number of slaves living within its boundaries.  After 1770, when New Jersey became part of the British Slaves began arriving from Africa, ushering in the era of a more oppressive system.

While slavery was steadily growing on small farms throughout the state, the Quakes cry for abolition was becoming louder.  Large numbers of settlers began moving into New Jersey became the last in the North to gradually abolish slavery, there were about 12,000 statewide.

The history of slavery in South Brunswick was not without its own, as almost every prominent family in the township owned slaves.  Reading like a street atlas, the roads in South Brunswick bear the names of prominent slave-owning families, like Dean Davidson, Petty and Cortelyous.

The Deans were a farming family who Made their money using slaves.  The Davidsons owned a mill that was Manned using slave labor

(c. JAMES SHACKLEFORD)  ________________________________________________

THE DEAN FAMILY

Lost until recently, the Dean Cemetery is where generations upon generations of Deans are buried, with the first burial taking place in 1787 and the last one in 1913.  The property is broken up into there sections.  One is for members of the family, another is for friends of the family and the third is for the slaves to the family.

On the ground are several stones in a row and, at first glance, look like any moderately heavy stones.  But if one tries to move them about, they will notice they are quite clearly planted in the ground.  One of the stones has the crude initials ELH carved into it.

On Benson Road in Kendall Park, lies a small 11 plus acre farm, which was purchased with the mark of an X for $50, by a freed black man, Thomas Titus.  Bought from Ferdinand VanDyke in 1817, Titus carved a modest living off his land for 32 years.

Over the years, the land went thorough a long series of owners before the township parks department acquired it in 1989.  Thomas Titus is buried somewhere on the property, but no one know exactly where.  His headstone still exists, but is currently sitting in the townships public works building.

HISTORY LOST IN SOUTH BRUNSWICK

On the corner of Ragany Lane and Old Road, in the town of Little Rocky Hill on the South Brunswick side, lies an open field with a thick blanket of woods behind it.  The Chinese family that owned the property allowed slaves and poor freeman to be buried there.  The landowner, took a backhoe, gathered the stones and dumped them into a sandpit.

The Mount Zion AME church and cemetery, which was believed to be a station on the Underground Railroad; the landowner removed all the headstones, which were on his property.

South Middlebush Road, about a quarter mile past the Wycoff Garretson house on the south side is the barely visible Wycoff cemetery.  The graves of two slaves plainly show today, just within the boundary line inside the driveway.

Cortelyous Lane, allows residents to travel between Middlebush Road and Franklin Park.  This was where Henry Cortelyous maintained a tenant-house, and it is believed that a colored burying ground was located on the south side of the house.  Over objections of the townspeople the burying ground was paved over to construct the road.

Close you eyes and imagine he burial grounds marked with crude wooden crosses now rotting away, forgotten, covered with layers dirt and ignorance.

  (c. JAMES SHACKLEFORD)  ____________________________________________

VANDIKE FARM, SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY 1713

The Vandike Farm in South Brunswick is a 300 year old farm.  The land was deeded to the Vandkike family by King George III in 1688.  It remained in the Vandlike family until 1957 when it was purchased for land speculation by William Pulda of North Brunswick.

The farmhouse, built in 1713 by Simon Van Dyke, whose ancestor Jan Thomassen Van Dyke immigrated to New Amsterdam from Holland in 1652.  The house is intact and occupied by a tenant/caretaker.  A carriage house is also in good condition.  Of the numerous barns once on the farm, one still stands in poor to fair condition.  The family owned slaves, and original slave quarters are still intact over the farmhouses kitchen.  The slaves and family lived together, not separately.

A family cemetery, with gravestones, is located on the farm.  A Revolutionary War soldier is buried there with his family.  All of the graves predate 1859, a requirement for historical preservation.

A slave cemetery is located near the family plot at the right of the end of the lane as you approached the Davidsons Mill Road, as sworn to by one of he last surviving members of the Vandike family.  That member of the family remembers the patch of land on the edge of the property as the homes slave cemetery and has records that prove slaves once worked the land.  A bill of sale found inside the family home documents the 1813 purchase of a slave name Amy, by the Petti family for $150.  Amy had about five children, Alfred (born July 19, 1823), Rose (born September 17, 1825), Sylvester (born June 7, 1827) and/or Herman (born June 22, 1829.  And its a real possibility that she and maybe some of her children are in that graveyard.  There were still wood markers there that have long since disappeared and the family at Vankyke Farm believes that when the road was widened the graveyard was dug up.  However, the cemetery was covered by an earthen roadway overpass ramp in the early 1980’s.  There is a good chance that the graves were not disturbed, but covered with abut 8ft. of earth.  The New Jersey Turnpike Authority did this travesty despite protest by Arthur Vandike, who no longer even owned the property.

In the 180’0s, slaves comprised 7.6 percent of the population of New Jersey and many were active in the Revolutionary War, little known facts not widely taught in schools.  The 200 acres of land is right next to Pidgeon Swamp State Park, and would be a perfect addition to this ecological wonder.  The land is still farmed as it was for the last 300 years.  A farmer leases the land for growing corn that is processed as a biofuel additive for gasoline.

The farm is an amazing piece of early New Jersey history and that of America itself.  It has withstood the centuries and must not be destroyed for the sake of just another builders development.  It is in imminent danger and we are desperate for help.

The family cemetery plot meets the criteria for historic preservation but it does not yet have that status.  The African-American cemetery needs to be investigated, and if confirmed, moved to another location on the farm.  They built it and worked it.

TITUS FARM SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY

TIMELINE OF TITUS FAMILY 

1817- Thomas Titus is manumitted by his master Geradus Beekman/

1817- Thomas purchases 2½ acres from Ferdinand Van Dyke.

1818- On August 3rd Thomas Titus Jr. is manumitted by his master Geradus Beekman.

1819- Thomas Titus dies at 65 years old and buried on the family farm.  Thomas Jr. and Wife Sarah takes over farm.

1849- Thomas Jr. dies.

1850- Charlotte one of 6 children of Thomas Jr. and Sarah Ten Broeck buys farm of $600.

1859- Charlotte dies suddenly and wills the farm to her son Allen Hooper and wife Janey and son Arthur.

1876- Sarah moves in with grandson Gertrude Raddle of near by Plainsboro dies.

1870- Allen Hooper sells the farm to Christopher Columbus Beekman for $480.

The Property includes corncrib, outhouse, smoke house, chicken coop, barn, shed, tool shed with very old tools.  A steam generator and very old wagon, possibly one in Thomas Jr. inventory 1849.  No historic search of structures or equipment has been done. Property is now owned by South Brunswick Township and has a clause of no building on land.  I have seen the bill of sale between Titus and Van Dyke.  I have a copy of the will, which releases Thomas Titus.  The manumission written for Thomas Jr.  The headstone for Thomas is in the public works building in a broom closet.  Thomas Jr.s will.  Charlottes will.  Deed of sale between Allen and Christopher C. Beekman.

SLAVE CHILD NAME SLAVE OWNER  SLAVE CHILD MOTHER CHILD BITHDATE REGISTERED

Alfred  John Van Dyke  Slave, Amy July 19, 1823-August 1829

Rose  John Van Dyke Slave, Amy  September 17, 1825-August 1829

Silvester  John Van Dyke  Slave, Amy June 7, 1827-August 1829

Herman  John Van Dyke Slave, Amy January 22, 1829-August 1829

Sally Henry Van Dyke Slave, Martha September 12, 1815-January 1822

Anthony Henry Van Dyke Slave, Martha October 28, 1816-January 1822

Albert Henry Van Dyke  Slave, Martha November 11, 1818-January 1822

George Henry Van Dyke Slave, Martha August 12, 1821-January 1822

Sal Matthew Van Dyke Slave, Florough December 8, 1805-May 1806

Charis Matthew Van Dyke Slave, Peg January 20, 1819-Febrary 1821

Ellen Seuare Van Dyke Slave, Lucee ? February 11, 1835-March 1838

Hannah Isaac Vanpelt August 1, 1812-April 1813

Nance John, Jr., Wetherill August 24, 1806-May 1807

Lydia Thomas Wetherill  Becky (Rebeckah) Black woman July 14, 1804-May 1805

Rachel John Wickoff Slave January 24, 1804-October 1805

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