This page is a compilation of media information I have located that was created by James Nash Shackleford Jr. (1958-2022) who extensively studied South Brunswick, New Jersey slavery. Fee free to add articles for consideration so it can be properly indexed and referenced. The Shackleford article is written with the emphasis on Thomas Titus Jr.
"On June 16, (James) Shackleford... unveiled a marker dedicating the land where, nearly 200 years ago, a freed slave named Thomas Titus lived, worked and eventually died. The marker, about 6 feet tall and made of bronze, represents years of work and effort on the part of Shackleford, a South Brunswick resident, to honor the memory of the man and his 11-acre Kendall Park farm, located off Benson Road...Titus had firsthand experience with both the institution of slavery in New Jersey as well as its end. He started as a slave to Gerardus Beekman.. In 1814, he was freed in Beekman’s will and two years later he and his wife bought a 2.5-acre farm for $50 from the Van Dykes, another land-owning family that employed slave labor on their farm. "[1]
Thomas Titus Jr. acquired more land and eventually owned 11 acres. The land was purchased by his daughter after his death [2]
Sources
- ↑ https://archive.centraljersey.com/2007/06/20/memorial-unveiled-to-a-slave-turned-landowner/ BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer Published June 20, 2007 By Greater Media
- ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/834932:8796?tid=&pid=&queryId=87b471b729c1a3e599747e70da9423c3&_phsrc=MKy610&_phstart=successSource (Citation) Probate Records, 1780-1930; Indexes, 1803-1971 [Middlesex County, New Jersey]; Author: New Jersey. Surrogate's Court (Middlesex County); Probate Place: Middlesex, New Jersey; Source Information Ancestry.com. New Jersey, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1739-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.