The Revolutionary World of Free Black Man Jacob Francis: 1754-1836

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "African American Voices In The Mid-Atlantic: Archaeology Of Elusive Freedom, Enslavement, And Rebellion" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Jacob Francis of Amwell Township, New Jersey experienced indentured servitude in New Jersey, New York, the West Indies, and Salem, Massachusetts ending on his twenty-first birthday in 1775. Overcoming resistance to Black enlistment in the Continental Army, he joined a Massachusetts regiment serving at the siege of Boston and then fought in battles of the New York campaign and the Battle of Trenton. Upon his January 1, 1777 enlistment expiration, he returned home to Amwell, served in the State militia, established his life as a farmer, and married an enslaved woman whom he purchased and set free. He raised his family at Flemington, New Jersey becoming a respected citizen. His youngest son carried on the fight for freedom that Jacob began during the Revolutionary War. Jacob’s story reveals the many obstacles encountered by free Black people during the time of slavery and gradual abolition in New Jersey.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• African American Voices In The Mid-Atlantic: Archaeology Of Elusive Freedom, Enslavement, And Rebellion   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology