CAPTION
Printed in the weekly Poughkeepsie Journal on September 5th, 1810, this runaway slave notice from one of the most prominent New Paltz families advertises the reward for the return of their slave, Harry. Slavery in the North, though thought to be much less brutal than in the South, was still prominent, and living conditions were detestable enough that slaves were still desperate to run away.
DESCRIPTION
On an off-white page in the Poughkeepsie Journal newspaper lies a rectangular announcement nestled amongst “for sale” and “wanted” advertisements. Atop the eggshell colored paper made from discarded cotton and linen rests crisp, typed words printed in ebony ink announcing a reward for runaway slave Harry from New Paltz, New York. It then describes Harry’s general physical appearance, the items he took with him, and states the company that he ran away with. The inked letters are stamped inconsistently in pressure, with some letters having a bolder, darker presence on the page. Some letters are almost illegibly soft and blurred, maybe due to over two hundred years of survival. Although there is no title, the first four words are printed larger than the rest, begging your eyes to keep reading about the reward and Harry. All 158 words are an unformatted, standard text, except for five words located approximately ¾ inch from the bottom of the advertisement— “widow of David Hasbrouck deceased.” Even after 203 years, the advertisement is still smooth to the touch and legible for all those who desire a snippet of New Paltz slave history.
PROVENANCE
The newspaper containing this slave runaway notice was distributed out into the mid-Hudson Valley region. It is unknown how many prints were made; however, newspapers during this time were better equipped to survive than later newspapers because when papers began to be made out of paper, they were quick to deteriorate. This newspaper was most likely owned by a white resident. This specific ad survives today, and is now located in the New York State Library in Albany, New York.
DATE OF CREATION
Although some slave runaway notices were posted in the paper more than once, this advertisement was only placed in the Poughkeepsie Journal one time, on September 5th, 1810. Because the newspaper was not a daily newspaper until the Civil war, the notice itself was written sometime within the six days before the 5th of September. Because it is dated September 3rd, we can assume that this is the day that it was written.
NARRATIVE
The view of the mountains comforts me in these troubling times. My name is Harry and I formerly lived on Butterville road, with a fantastic view of Paltz point located to the west of my residence. Many would find this home ideal— a medium sized stone house, measuring 40×35 feet, with eleven windows. But life for me on Butterville Road was dreadful. Why? My home wasn’t my home by choice. In fact, it wasn’t even really my home. I was enslaved to Mary Hasbrouck.
Days have passed since I ran away with my friend Caesar, although we’re still in the New Paltz area. My life has not been the way most people from different parts of the world probably imagined it to be. I heard tell that many people believe that cruel treatment of slaves only happens in the South because the North has abolitionist feelings. However, this is not the case. New Paltz is situated in New York—a Northern state. You might believe that people here hold antislavery views. I can say without hesitation that this is not the case.
Take a look at my runaway slave notice posted in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Although I’m a human being just like anyone else, I’m painted as inferior. I’m referred to as “remarkably well spoken,” as though it is surprising that I would be able to speak civilly and respectably because I am a person of color. I ran away from the Hasbrouck family, a founding family of New Paltz who signed the New Paltz patent. They are very prominent and influential in the community, and are therefore promoting discriminatory views that degrade people of color. Slavery is an acceptable part of New Paltz, a place that I have been forced to call home.
Many people do not realize that life as a slave in New Paltz has not been easy. Every prominent household has at least one slave. Let me tell you about the Hasbrouck family. Although they put out this notice to capture me, the Hasbroucks have more than enough money to hire someone to work for them instead of promoting slavery. March Hasbrouck’s mother-in-law, Wyntje Deyo, is one of the wealthiest residents of the community and David Hasbrouck (Mary’s deceased husband) inherited all of his father’s land in Ulster county.
So why is Harry’s slave notice significant to the history of New Paltz? “Harry” mentioned that people in that time might think that slavery was only cruel in the South, and this is true of today as well. We are blind to so much of our history. In school, we learn about slavery in America and the abolition movement that took place in the North. Yet, we never stop and think, what about right here? What about this very street I’m walking on? Were people here against slavery? Were blacks filled with terror when walking through the streets of New Paltz? It’s easy to convince ourselves that New Paltz was a community against slavery since it is located in New York, a state in which many abolitionist movements took place. However, this is not entirely true. We learn from slave notices like this one that New Paltz was heavily involved with slavery and believed that blacks were inferior.
The slave runaway notice is significant because we gain insight into the different worlds between slaves and a wealthy family such as the Hasbroucks. The notice shows us how few possessions and clothing the slave owned, making him easily identifiable to others in the area. The detailed focus on the slave’s attire and possessions shows that New Paltz took the capture of slaves seriously. Although we may be naïve and think that New Paltz was a safe place for people of color, New Paltz must have been terrifying to live in if you were black. There was mistreatment and hatred towards blacks.
RESOURCES: ******
Downey, Meg. “From the Bill of Rights to IBM.” http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/services/aboutthejournal.pdf
The Materials of History, Thought, and Art 
So far, I like the general feel of your narrative. I like that you chose to write from the perspective of the slave. I can’t wait to read it when it is finished! Maybe try discussing what exactly the slave notice says in your description area. Even though it says it in the photo, I think it would be a nice addition.
I agree with Maggie. I think this is a great first start! Is there anything else we can find out about Caesar? I imagine he must also have been employed locally – perhaps the same family? I might pay more attention to just how much danger they would have been in. They must have planned it all out so carefully, been terrified, been cold and hungry and scared. I might add a bit more emotion to really capture the reader and make him/her realize how serious this was.
Hi Steph, thanks for the feedback! There is no information on Harry or Caesar. I actually had such a hard time researching- I called several different libraries and people so it’s been so frustrating that I’ve worked so hard and I’m not finding very much information. I guess in a way that goes to show that the slaves individual lives were not valued- they were just property. And I definitely will try to add more emotion to the narrative, thanks! I’ve just been trying to stay away from anything false (my imagination went a little nuts at first, like talking about them walking through the wilderness around NP, but I cut it back since it became too fictional— I think that has made it a little emotionless.) Thanks for the feedback!
wow this is intense…. were you able to find out anything about Harry’s family or how he got to where he was? Was he the only slave in that household? I’m not sure if you mentioned this, but did he successfully get away? Sorry for the bombardment of questions, its just this is so fascinating!! Maybe adding more solid information would help? There must be soo many stories on runaway slaves too, was there many of these ads (for other runaways) when you were doing your research?
Thanks for the feedback. There is no information on Harry more than what I have. I couldn’t find if he successfully got away. There really isn’t much solid information for my object.