William L Kidder

The Revolutionary World of a Free Black Man William L Kidder

This is the story of free Black man Jacob Francis of Amwell township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey who was indentured out by his free Black mother to age 21. Five different men "owned his time" during his indenture and each provided a different experience for him. The last man lived in Salem, Massachusetts and Jacob lived there between 1768 and 1775 during the buildup to fighting in the American Revolution. Jacob enlisted in a Massachusetts Continental regiment in October 1775 and served through the siege of Boston, the New York campaign, and the Battle of Trenton. When his enlistment expired on January 1, 1777, he left the army and went back to his birthplace to find his mother and learn his family surname. He established himself in Amwell and turned out for active militia duty for the rest of the war. In 1789 he married an enslaved woman named Mary whose master sold her to him on their wedding day. He freed her and together they raised a family of nine children. After his life of farming, Jacob and Mary moved into the village of Flemington about 1811 and lived there the remainder of their lives. They were active in the local Baptist Church and their youngest son, Abner, became an ardent abolitionist opposed to the idea of sending freed Black people as "colonists" to Africa. Abner always noted that his father's participation in the Revolution had been an inspiration for his lifelong endeavors to achieve equal rights Black people as well as White people. The story of Jacob and his family helps us understand the longstanding systemic racism that Black people in the United States have had to deal with while working to establish their place in society. It is a story of grit and determination combined with kindness and friendship.