I’ve been holding the topic of this column for several months, having decided it would be an appropriate one for the February column, since February celebrates Black History month.
But in truth, it is an important, eye-opening, and much neglected topic, and appropriate for any month. It is the history of Black and/or enslaved people in Ewing.
The Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society has been busy making great strides in recent years, under the excellent leadership of its volunteer board and part-time paid site manager.
Their goal for the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the 1973 relocation of the Society’s home, the c.1750 Benjamin Temple House, from its original location at Route 31 and Interstate 295 to its present home on Federal City Road, is to open a new “Ewing Museum” at the Benjamin Temple House, which will tell, exhibit and interpret stories of the events and people of Ewing.
One of the stories they sincerely wish to tell is of the Black people who have lived—free or enslaved—in our area.
It is sadly true that in general, many historic societies over the decades have often focused on white histories, and given little or no attention to the histories of other peoples.
The ETHPS wishes to tell representative stories of ALL the many different people who have lived here, including those considered as enslaved, manumitted, indentured, or as “apprentices for life,” as many Black people were classified in the mid-19th century.
Thus, the organization is currently engaged in significant research on this topic. Information from sources such as the New Jersey State Archives, the Hunterdon County Historical Society and the Hunterdon County Library, Ancestry.com, GenealogyBank.com, and work being done by faculty and students at the William Green Farmhouse on the campus of The College of New Jersey, is being gathered and documented in an effort to understand and tell the various stories.
ETHPS Board Secretary and Museum Steering Committee member Margaret Delaney has led with significant research on this project, and collected a lot of information. It is a laborious process since the records are relatively few, but it is an important and interesting task.
But, there is one source of information which may be far more helpful and illuminating, yet is still untapped: the descendants of early Black people in Ewing who are still in the area today!
Thus, the ETHPS is requesting that readers contact the ETHPS if they have any documents, artifacts or family stories related to the Black presence in Ewing from 1700 to 1900. A member of the Society will be happy to meet with the contributor in person or on Zoom, or the material could be sent to ETHPS by mail or email.
Consider this description written by Ms. Delaney:
People of African descent have resided locally since at least 1722, when a Hopewell Township tax list recorded eleven enslaved people.
Ewing farms were small and unlikely to use forced labor, but those that did typically had one to three enslaved people who, along with indentured servants, performed agricultural and domestic tasks.
Between 1830 and 1860 (the earliest available US census records), the black population in Ewing hovered around 150, and the number of black households stayed mostly steady at 23.
It is very likely that at least a few of the descendants of these individuals remained in the area, and may still live here today.
If you have roots that trace back to any time between 1700 and 1900, and have stories or documentation, please contact the ETHPS, and help us to enrich this important history. Thank you so much!
The Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society is located at 27 Federal City Rd., Ewing, NJ 08638. You can call the Society and leave a message at 609-883-2455, or email info@ethps.org
And even if you’re not a descendant of early Black people in Ewing, the Temple House is a fascinating place to visit! There is an Open House with tours on the first Sunday of the month from 2-4 pm. Other hours can be arranged by appointment. It is definitely a Ewing treasure!
Helen Kull is an adviser to the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society.
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