Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Miscellaneous Data

The items and data on this page do not fit into the format of other pages on this website, which is a listing of enslaved persons according to slaveholder. These items do not list a specific slaveholder, yet contain valuable or fascinating data about individual people, culture or life. As with the other pages, sources are listed and a link may be provided to a separate source page which provides additional information about that source and where it may be found.

Enslavement Data

• Name: Betsy, wife of Prince Frederick
  Date of item: October 8, 1783
  Location: Reading, Berks County
  Item: Notice of imprisonment of suspected fugitive slaves
  Details/Text: "Reading, September 29, 1783.
  Committed this day, in the Goal of the county of Berks, The following Negroe Men, viz. POMPEY BELL, speaks good English, about 24 years of age, says he lived in Newark ; the other named PRINCE FREDERICK, says he belonged to Doctor Bonat of Newark, and became a freeman, : A Mulattoe Woman, who calls herself BETSY, says she was born in Paxton, Lancaster county, and that she was free; is about 24 years of age, and married to Negroe Prince Frederick. Any person that owns said Negroes and Mulattoe Woman, or either of them, as slaves or servants, are desired to apply, prove their property, in four weeks from the date hereof, pay costs, and take them away, otherwise they will be sold to discharge the same, by
  PHILIP KREMER, Sheriff."
  Notes: Without papers proving their freedom, these persons face imminent sale into slavery, regardless of their true status.
  Source: The Pennsylvania Gazette, October 8, 1783
  

• Name: Bristol ("Negro Bristol")
  Date of item: October 1786
  Location: Harrisburg Borough
  Item: Court Order--punishment for burglary
  Details/Text: "Dauphin County --October 1786
  Republica vs Negro Bristol -- Convicted of Burglary
  The Court do direct that the said Negro Bristol be employed in the repairing and cleaning of the Streets of the town and in the making, and repairing of the other highways within the County of Dauphin in the digging and quarrying of Stones in sawing of fire wood and in digging removing or levelling Earth and in all or any of the labors as in such manner and for such time as shall be found convenient."
  Notes: It is not known if Bristol is a free African American or an enslaved person.
  Source: Records of the (Pennsylvania) Supreme Court, page 329.

• Name: Ned Caton
  Date of item: 27 November 1797
  Location: Harrisburg / Dauphin County
  Item: Court Order--pardon granted
  Details/Text: "A pardon was granted to Ned Caton (a Negro), convicted of Larceny, in Dauphin County." The pardon was listed in the published Pennsylvania Archives, Ninth Series, 1797.
  Notes: It is not known if Ned Caton is a free African American or an enslaved person.
  Source: "Pennsylvania Archives--Ninth Series--1791," at http://mhrising.com/Pardons/1797.htm, accessed 16 October 2006.

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