Black History Month is drawing to a close. But at the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, research into New York’s Black history is continuous. From the 1627 arrival of the first 22 enslaved African men to the 1827 abolition of slavery in New York and into the future, Black history is the history of New York and of the United States. This is a cornerstone principle of ‘Our Whole History,’ a Parks initiative launched several years ago to thoroughly research and share the stories of New York State from the multiple points of view of all who lived it.
As research continues, a more complete picture of the past emerges. The stories of the Black New Yorkers who contributed so much to New York’s history are revealed through painstaking, detail-oriented research. Key caretakers, highly skilled laborers, folks who contributed to a smooth-running household become clearer.
To piece together their stories, our dedicated historians conduct archaeology, study physical objects, and delve deep into records of all kinds: account ledgers of both homes and businesses; census data; estate inventories; wills; letters and journals; city directories; diaries, and more.
Several of our historians shared with us the stories of Black figures who shaped the history of their sites.
Andries and the Van Rensselaer Family of Crailo State Historic Site
In 1657, a “tall, quick fellow” named Andries was purchased by Jan Baptist van Rensselaer for a price of 50 beaver pelts. He had been enslaved in Curacao for about a decade before being brought to New Netherland by the family of Lucas Rodenburg.
Jan Baptist and his brother Jeremias soon realized that Andries had excellent skills when it came to horses; “[Andries] has this winter taken care of the horses alone and has done it so well that during my time the horses have never looked so fine[.]” They also found that Andries was stubborn, and they sometimes had to argue with him or punish him for not cooperating with their orders.
Jan Baptist eventually returned to Holland, leaving his brother Jeremias with instructions to sell Andries. But before a transaction could take place, Jan Baptist changed his mind, and wrote to Jeremias ordering him to send Andries to him in Holland instead, as he had just purchased a new horse suffering from worms and could think of no one better than Andries to take care of the animal. Jeremias refused: “it would be nothing but foolishness to try to have him serve you in a free country, as he would be too proud to do that.” Instead, he sent his brother 54 beavers to buy Andries for himself. It is currently unknown what became of Andries after this.
Jeremias’ son, Hendrick, built the home that is today known as Crailo State Historic Site, which interprets the Colonial Dutch history of the region.
— By Loretta Tucker, Historic Site Interpreter at Crailo
Galloway and Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site
In October 1740, a man named Galloway was listed in a runaway slave ad in the New-York Weekly Journal. The ad indicated he was last seen and challenged at “Coll. Philipse’s Mill” – Philipse Manor Hall. Galloway claimed to be in pursuit of a runaway “Cuba Man.” He was allowed to leave and set off toward New England. But sometime during the next few months, Galloway was captured and returned, then sold to Herminus Rutgers before the spring of 1741.
In April 1741, a series of fires swept New York City, destroying homes, warehouses (including one owned by Frederick Philipse II), and even the Governor’s Fort George mansion. Unlike the Insurrection of 1712, no white person was killed, but the white residents panicked. Hundreds of enslaved people, including Galloway, were arrested for plotting to overthrow the government and kill all enslavers.
During a series of court cases, dozens were sentenced to death. A contemporary Massachusetts observer compared it to the frenzy of the Salem Witch Trials, only worse. Despite his conflict of interest, Frederick Philipse II was a presiding judge. Thirty enslaved Black and four white people were executed, including Galloway, who was hanged on July 18, 1741.
Adapted from a longer post on the Philipse Manor Hall blog.
Abraham and December of Johnson Hall State Historic Site
Among the enslaved persons who worked and lived at Johnson Hall were two men, Abraham and December. Purchased in New York by Peter Remsen, agent, they were both 24 years old in 1769 and were “imported from St. Croix.” It is unknown if they were born in St. Croix or had been transported from Africa.
Abraham and December’s specific labor at Johnson Hall is undocumented. The duties at this Mohawk Valley estate were divided into service in the household or farm labor. About twenty of the approximately thirty enslaved persons cultivated the estate’s fields, gardens, and orchards. Abraham and December may have ploughed, planted and harvested vegetables and melons or the primary crops of wheat, peas, and corn, or pruned and picked apple, cherry, pear, and plum trees. There is also documentation of enslaved men engaged in construction and building maintenance and serving as teamsters. These duties suggest specialized skills in carpentry, painting, blacksmithing, masonry and horse driving.
Instructions written in 1754 provide a detailed understanding of the tasks enslaved persons undertook at Fort Johnson:
“To let the Negroes take Good Care of all the Cattle & feed them well also to ride Home all the Hay from the Old Farm, the Oats of the Isleand & the Wheat [as fast as possible]. Rest of the Negroes to keep Cutting & Clearing the Side of the Road at the End of the Stone Wall quite to the next Bridge. When it is good rideing after they have done bringing home the Hay, Wheat, & Oats, then let them ride Home the Stones from below round the Wall here, and also the Stones out of the field, beyond the Bridge for a fence, to be laid Streight.”
The enslaved men and women who completed such tasks at Johnson Hall and other farms contributed significantly to the development of the Mohawk Valley.
— By Audrey Humphrey, former Site Assistant, and Wade Wells, Historic Site Manager of Johnson Hall
Researching the Enslaved at Clermont State Historic Site
Clermont was home to seven generations of the Livingston family, but each of those generations filled the house with a serving class. For nearly the first hundred years of the house’s existence, the serving class was made up of enslaved men, women, and children.
For years, the stories and even the identities, of these people have been ignored. New research is pushing our understanding of these people forward. A doctor’s daybook tells us of their ailments and treatments. Runaway ads tell us about those who sought to free themselves. Letters and journals tell us about their jobs, and in rare instances, about their personalities.
Most importantly, the research has produced names. Of the unknown number of people who were enslaved at Clermont, OPRHP staff have identified 26 by name. We can tell the stories of Abraham, Dian, Scipio, Nancy, and others. We know that there were children born to some of the enslaved women. We also know of an enslaved man who was called Jupiter by the Livingstons. He began going by Kilsby shortly before setting himself free with his wife Matsey, an enslaved woman from a nearby estate. With these stories, we can deepen the experience of a visit to Clermont by telling a more complete story.
— By Geoff Benton, Curator of Collections and Education at Clermont
Old Dan and Jack of Senate House State Historic Site
Abraham Van Gaasbeek, the original owner of the Senate House State Historic Site, was a well-known wealthy merchant in Kingston, NY in the 1700s. An enslaver since at least 1755, the 1790 census shows 12 enslaved people living under his roof. As a merchant-trader, access to the Hudson River and reliable sloops were vital to his business. In 1796, two of his enslaved men, Old Dan and Jack, are highlighted in the account book of his son and business partner, Peter. Old Dan was sent to “Captain Ten Broeck’s sloop” while Jack was sent to learn carpentry and caulking. Jack and Old Dan’s work in the maritime trades followed a pattern of enslaved men working for New York merchants on the Hudson River and on ocean-going vessels. Both men appear in the Van Gaasbeek’s family records at different points, including the 1798 distribution of Abraham’s estate following his death. Old Dan was to be granted his freedom but had passed away, while Jack was to be sold.
— By Laura Hertle, Senate House State Historic Site
Silva of Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Beginning in 1797, a woman named Silva was enslaved by the Schuylers, along with her young children, Tallyho and Tom, and a man named Toby who was likely her partner. While enslaved by the Schuylers, she had a son named Hanover in 1801. During her enslavement, she was probably the cook at Schuyler Mansion, but had a whole different life after she was freed. In 1804, upon Schuyler’s death, she and her children were manumitted (set free). Multiple censuses place Silva in Albany as a homeowner by the 1820s, living under the name “Silva Zebra.” The same woman is listed in Albany directories as a business owner, running a fortune-telling business. While we can’t be entirely certain the Silva mentioned in the directories and censuses is the same Silva who was once enslaved by the Schuylers, based on the name, age, and race of the woman listed, it is possible they are the same person.
— By Jessica Serfilippi, Historical Interpreter at Schuyler Mansion
Listening To The Lost Voices at Lorenzo State Historic Site
Lorenzo is the 1807 home of John Lincklaen, Holland Land Company agent and founder of Cazenovia. The property and contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968. The archive contains documents, including bills of sale, indentures, business correspondence, and manumission papers, related to persons enslaved by Lincklaen, family members, and associates.
Caesar, Titus, and Juliann Johnson—siblings—are confirmed to have been enslaved by the Lincklaens. Enslaved persons Tom and ‘his wife’ were referred to by Lincklaen in an 1806 letter. Harriet, a multiracial child, was born at Lorenzo on January 25, 1811. According to Lincklaen’s estate inventory, Harriet was “born of a slave…never having been considered by her late master or her mistress in the light exactly of a slave.”
Archival store records indicate that along with the Johnsons, Nancy, Moisha, Frank, ‘Boy,’ and ‘Girl’ were picking up goods on Lincklaen’s store account. Research is currently ongoing.
—By Parks and Recreation Aide Melinda Reeder and Interpretive Programs Assistant Jacqueline Roshia of Lorenzo
Stephen of Staatsburgh State Historic Site
Stephen was an enslaved man remembered as the “body-servant” to Staatsburgh’s founder, General Morgan Lewis. The son of Belinda, a woman enslaved by Lewis, it is unknown when Stephen was born. The earliest record of Stephen is his baptism at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Hyde Park on December 1, 1811, along with William, Mary, and Dinah, who were other enslaved individuals from the Staatsburgh estate.
As his body-servant, Stephen served with General Lewis as his personal aide during the War of 1812. Stephen likely laid out the general’s uniform and delivered messages across the Niagara and Upper Canada frontiers. After the war, Stephen tended to Lewis’s personal needs at his residences in New York City and Staatsburg, such as dressing him, organizing paperwork, and perhaps serving meals to distinguished guests such as Marquis de Lafayette and Joseph Bonaparte.
Family lore states Lewis included Stephen in his will, yet Lewis would go on to outlive Stephen.
— By Zack Veith, Historic Site Assistant at Staatsburgh
Chester Tillotson of John Jay Homestead State Historic Site
Chester Tillotson was a free black man who lived and worked at Bedford Farm, now known as John Jay Homestead, in the early 1800s. His wife boarded elsewhere and his minor son, Chester Jr., was enslaved by another local family.
In looking at John Jay’s account books, Chester is mentioned more than 50 times between 1813 and 1817. These entries have to do with deliveries, payments, and salaries. Chester clearly was a trusted employee. But there is one entry, dated February 4, 1813, that was life-changing for Chester. It reads: “Chester Tillotson a free black man in my service, To cash paid by his desire to Launcelot G. McDonald in part of the $100 for which he sold to Chester, his son also called Chester, of 9 years of age- $49.78.”
Through a loan from his employer against his future wages, Chester was able to purchase his son out of slavery. Both Chester Junior and Senior lived at Bedford Farm until at least 1826. It is unknown if Chester Senior’s wife ever joined them.
— By Bethany White, Interpretive Programs Assistant at John Jay Homestead
The Harlem Hellfighters at Fort Ontario State Historic Site
The 369th Infantry Regiment, the legendary “Harlem Hellfighters” of World War I fame, was the first all-Black combat unit assigned to a technical role in the U.S. military. In January 1941, the revitalized 369th was federalized at Fort Ontario in Oswego, NY. Eight months of training on the latest airplane detection equipment and anti-aircraft weapons began there. Its successful conversion to Anti-Aircraft Artillery service was a first step towards desegregation of the armed forces in 1948.
Although the 369th enjoyed good relations with the city’s nearly all-white citizens, a black soldier was falsely accused of a crime by a white woman and “railroaded to prison in true cracker style.” This prejudicial action resulted in a silent boycott of merchants by the regiment and reported in black newspapers nationwide. Mostly forgotten, it foreshadowed later civilian actions such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
— By Paul Lear, Historic Site Manager at Fort Ontario
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