Enslaved People of Franklin Township

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Tax ratables and probate inventories confirm enslaved individuals lived and labored in Franklin Township.

Overview

Tax ratables and probate inventories confirm that enslaved individuals lived and labored in Franklin Township. This page provides the local documentary backbone for the project: slavery happened here, and the evidence appears in town and county records.

Poster Bullets

Ratables and probate inventories record enslaved people in Franklin Township.
Records connect local households to enslavement.
Naming and documenting restores people to the story.

Why It Matters

This is the Franklin anchor page for your BHM poster set and QR-linked bios. It grounds interpretation in local evidence and gives visitors a “why here” proof point.

QR – Adult Read More

Local records are the strongest foundation for telling Franklin’s Black Revolutionary-era history. Tax ratables and probate inventories show enslaved people listed in the same administrative systems that tracked land and wealth.

These documents rarely tell full life stories. That is why the project matters: to rebuild identity where the archive tried to erase it, while staying honest about what can and cannot be proven.

For Franklin 250, this page also connects to buckets like the Forage War and civil conflict. Enslaved labor supported agriculture and household economies, and wartime instability shaped risk and opportunity for enslaved and free Black residents.

This page can serve as the hub for your township website QR system, linking out to individual bios and the enslaved persons appendix as you expand.

QR – Kids

Old records show that enslaved people lived in Franklin Township. We tell their stories so they are remembered as real people, not just words in a list.

Something You May Not Know

A town’s tax records can prove slavery existed locally.
Probate inventories can connect specific households to enslaved individuals.
Even partial names are important evidence of presence.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception: Franklin’s Revolutionary story is only about soldiers and battles. Reality: Local records show enslaved people lived here and were part of the community’s history.

Connection to Franklin / Somerset / NJ

Directly anchored to Franklin Township documentation.

Primary Artifacts & Proof

New Jersey State Archives (context): https://www.nj.gov/state/archives/

NJ State Library – Local history resources (context): https://www.njstatelib.org/research_library/new_jersey_resources/