Slavery at
Heathcote Hill






 

Slavery at Heathcote Hill

"There were still slaves in New York at that time, and a family of them belonged to my Grandfather De Lancey. They had an easy time of it, I imagine." So recalled Susan Fenimore Cooper, the daughter of James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote an essay in 1883 for her grand-children to share her earliest memories of life in Mamaroneck on Heathcote Hill. A little booklet of the essay was handed down for several generations and was eventually published by one of the grandchildren - another James Fenimore Cooper - in 1922.

The Larchmont Historical Society maintains a website - Slavery in Mamaroneck Township - that documents the history of slavery in what is today called Larchmont and Manaroneck. Susan Cooper's essay provides a set of interesting new facts about slavery, and also raises some interesting questions for further historical research.

The Household Names...

Slavery in Mamaroneck Township includes a table of Names of Slaves that can be identified based on available records. The Cooper article provides us with some additional names:

  • Fred, who Cooper describes as "a colored boy from Heathcote Hill" and as "the waiter." Fred may be inspiration for the image of the black man standing behind John P.DeLancey in the mural at the Mamaroneck Library which is pictured above.
  • Harriet was described as the daughter of the cook who served as the chambermaid of the household. Harriet might be the same person that DeLancey identifies, in the Town Records in 1814, as "Harriot." Delancey was registering Harriot's daughter "Anne or Nancey" as required under NY State law at the time. By registering Harriot's daughter, DeLancey could retain ownership of the daughter as a slave until 1828.
  • Henry was described as Harriet's son.
  • The article also describes three other slaves in the household but does not name them: a "fat black woman" who was the cook and who was the mother of Harriet, and "a colored child or two." One of the children might be "Anne or Nancey" - the daughter of Harriet registered by DeLancey in 1814.

Therefore, this part of the Cooper article allows us to add at least four more lines to the table of slaves, assuming that Harriet is Harriot, and one of the two children is the daughter of Harriot recorded in the Town records of 1814.

So who is Joseph - "the Governor?"

Susan Cooper suggests another interesting possibility for two more slaves in the DeLancey household:

"The old negro seen in the picture of the Hall was an important personage in the family; he lived with my grandparents twenty years; his name was Joseph, but my Uncles often called him "the Governor." As you know, he is buried in the family ground. His wife Harris married again after his death, and lies in the Churchyard, near the front fence. My grandfather gave her a house and lot, on what is now Pine Street. Having no children, she left that house to John Nelson. Harris lived, after my Grandfather's death, with the Russells."

Cooper does not state outright that Joseph was a slave, but it seems likely. He must have been important in some way - perhaps he was a leading person in the community of slaves, perhaps a leader in the church.

We also learn that his wife was named "Harris" and that she and Joseph lived in a house on Pine Street which she left to John Nelson. Is this the Pine Street we know today in Mamaroneck?

Delancey gave Joseph and Harris a house - not just the use of a house but title to a house. This suggests that at the time, Joseph and Harris were not slaves. Might he also have freed them?

Cooper also notes that Joseph is buried in the "family ground." Does this refer to the Delancey Burial Ground, on Palmer Avenue? There are old stone markers at the family burial ground and probably one of them is for Joseph. Harris is buried "in the Churchyard near the front fence." Does this another burial ground adjacent to a church?

Ongoing Historical Research

Our knowledge of the history of slavery in Mamaroneck Township is extensive compared to what might be known in other small communities, but at this time our information is still fragmentary. Fortunately people like Susan Fenimore Cooper have left local historians some interesting clues for further research.