From The Peopling of New York City
About Me
While I'm not investigating the lives of slave owners of the past or going to class, you'll probably find me paddling.
The Search
Where does one start looking for ghosts of the past? My search brought me to the bowels of the New York Public Library where I'd often find myself, at hours at a time, shuffling through directories looking for clues - names, addresses, occupations. Other days I'd find myself staring aimlessly into my computer screen desperately trying to trace the lineage of of my subjects. This became an all too familiar situation. I'd be lucky to leave the archives with at least a newspaper ad or a article that would help gain a better understanding into the lives of slave owners of the 1790s. However, as I began linking together what little clues I had, I was soon able to gain more insight into the world of slavery in New York and lives of those involved then and now.
Slave Owners – Businesses and Affairs
The slave owners of New York, many of whom were immigrants, amassed a great fortune through the slave trade as well as finding ways to employ their slaves for personal gain. Some of the richest slave owners of the 1700s were immortalized from street names to transcripts of court cases that gripped the colony, especially the 1741 slave rebellion trials. For my wiki research project I plan to trace back the lives of these men and uncover their personal relationships with their slaves as well as their business venture throughout the years following the fallout of the slave rebellion trials of 1741.
James DeLancey served as one of the investigators of the 1741 slave rebellion trial. His life and career as a well versed politician from England and New York led to his subsequent climb as one of the richest men in the colony. As one of the richest men in the colony he is likely to have owned his share of slaves, and it would be interesting to uncover his relationships with his slaves during and after his role in the 1741 rebellion trials.
Lt. Governor George Clarke who immigrated to New York from England in 1702 was also another seasoned politician who owned slaves. Lepore describes him as a man who never bothered to “add to his stock by reading, for he was more intent upon improving his fortune than his mind…not least because he had ten children to provide for” (47). The means by which Clarke would have increased his personal wealth would certainly have included slaves.
Cornelius Van Horn was a Dutch captain of the New York militia who responded after the first of a series of conspirator fires spread throughout the city (Lepore 46). Van Horn was also an owner of a significant amount of slaves, about 150. Lepore writes that the night of the fires Van Horn “zealously paraded his seventy armed men up and down the streets, keeping watch that the fire didn’t blaze up again or spread beyond the embers inside the wrecked fort” (46). Later on Horsmanden would commend Van Horn’s efforts, proclaiming that his vigilance “saved the city from apocalypse” (Lepore 46). Could this event possibly have altered Van Horn’s attitude towards his slaves?
Other people worth investigating would be the slave merchants who captained the ships that brought many slaves from the Caribbean to New York: Jacob Phoenix, Jasper Farmer, John Lush, Jacob Sarly (Lepore 54). These captain’s slaves were also implicated during the 1741 slave trials. Although it’s unlikely that these merchants felt remorse for having brought these Caribbean slaves, these men are to some extent responsible in terms of bringing slaves familiar with the rebel movement in Antigua; therefore increasing the chances for such a rebellion to occur in New York. I would like to find out whether or not the aftermath of the 1741 slave rebellion trails had any affect on their subsequent business ventures, specifically, whether or not they continued in the Caribbean slave trade.
Samuel Bayard and Rip Van Dam were much involved in the slave trade, and naturally they owned the greatest number of slaves out of all the slave owners in New York; 355 and 260, respectively. Historically, some slave owners have been known to have sexual relations with their female slaves. Therefore, with this great pool of slaves, it may be possible that a present-day lineage beginning with either a Bayard or Van Dam and slave exists today.
Finally, James Alexander, a Scottish lawyer that immigrated to New York in 1715 was a well known figure in the colony. He was well respected with one colleague reportedly saying, “In these parts of the World…few men surpass him either in the Natural sagacity and Strength of his Intellectual powers or in his Literary Acquirements” (Lepore 32). Alexander was also a slaveowner, however it is curious that when one of his slaves, Yaff, ran away, Alexander offered a “hefty sum” for a well learned slave – Yaff was literate and could also write. Alexander, in his reward flier, justified the sum, calling him a “sensible and cunning Fellow” and asked that he be returned immediately (Lepore 33). Is it a coincidence that Alexander, one of the wisest men in the colony, had lost one of the most useful, skilled slaves of that year? Could it be the case that Alexander formed a closer relationship with his slaves and acted not only as a master but also as a tutor?
Samuel Bayard
My initial findings on Ancestry.com has confirmed that Samuel Bayard participated in the 1703 colonial census in New York State. The information provided from Lepore's New York Burning describes Bayard as: Dutch; 355 pounds wealth; Country Party; merchant/slave trader; Dock Ward; Pompey transported. The census findings confirm this information:
Name: Samuel Bayard
State: NY
County: New York County
Township: Dock Ward
Year: 1703
Record Type: Colonial Census
Page: 403
Database: NY Early Census Index
Source Information:
Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. New York Census, 1790-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Original data: Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.
So the next step is to find out whether or not Bayard had any next of kin within the greater New York area in the following decades. I hope that tracing the lives of his immediate relatives should shed some light on his activities beyond a slave trader/merchant.
John Groesbeck
What I gather to have been John Groesbeck's daughter - Mary Groesbeck - had prepared a will for her family in the late 1700s. What is great about this will is that it confirms the background information provided by Lepore in "New York Burning", but it also provides a couple of leads: Groesbeck's potential daughter and son-in-law.
Page 183.--"In the name of God, Amen. I, MARY GROESBECK, of New York, spinster. I leave to my sister, Susanah Groesbeck, wife of Terrence Reilly, of New York, merchant, all my estate, of what nature soever, which came by the will of my father, John Groesbeck, deceased, and I make Terrence Reilly and his wife, executors."
I now have a web of three individuals whom I can trace trace back to the life of John Groesbeck: his two daughters; Mary and Susanah, and his son-in-law, Terrence Reilly.
I believe that I have also found Groesbeck's wife:
Possible spouse:
Spouse 1: Aeltje Van Aernam
Spouse 2: John Groesbeck
Marriage Date: 17 Jun 1765
Record: M. B.
Volume: IX
OSPage: 173
[Source Information:
Ancestry.com. New York Marriages, 1600-1784 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Original data: State of New York. Names of Persons for whom Marriage Licenses were Issued by the Secretary of the Province of New York, Previous to 1784. Albany, NY, USA: State of New York, 1860.
Description:
Collection of early New York marriages prior to 1784]
Update: 4/13/08
John Groesbeck was involved in certain legal proceedings described in the "Minutes of the Common Council of New York" (1675-1776). I am not sure as to the nature of this legal meeting, be it a personal dispute ending in settlement or simply a case of governmental compensation. However, I am fortunate to have come across another document that continues to parallel Lepore's description of "Groesbeck the merchant".
I have been unable to trace either of Groesbeck's daughters thus far, however I may have found something that explains this difficulty. In one document there is a one "Hannah Groesbeck", perhaps a disambiguation of "Susanah Groesbeck" which might have occured as a result of misinterpreted census data. Even more interesting is the propect of having found another Groesbeck relative: "John Q. Groesbeck" - John, Jr.?
