Historical facts

Allegorische voorstelling op de afschaffing van de slavernij in 1863. Anonieme litho. Source: http://www.nationaalarchief.nl

As you may know Dutch slavery was abolished on July, 1 1863 on the Dutch islands. This year 2008 we remember that it was 145 years ago that all of this happened. The emancipation of July 1,1863: The abolition of slavery was official by law on August 8 1862 (S.165) and a fact on July 1,1863.

Papiamentse versie van de proclamatie van de opheffing van de slavernij in de Nederlandse West-Indische koloniën van 1 juli 1863.
Source:http://www.nationaalarchief.nl

Our special contact living in the UK Heather Nielsen recently send us the following information.

Source:http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/hart062jour01_01/hart062jour01_01_0026.htm

In the Curaçaosche Courant of May 25, 1822 there appears a letter adressed to Abraham Heyliger, St. Martin, dutch part, this letter had formerly been published in the Saint Christopher Courant on March 26, 1822 and it gives a list of the undersigners, first part white people, second part "free people of color" living in St. Martin at the time:

J. Ailen (or Allen), Abraham Arrindell jun., J.C. Arrindell, L. Arrindell, D. Atwell, Jacob F. Barry, John Barry, Benjamin Barton, Joshua Blakey, N.D. Blyden, John W. Burke, Richard Burke, Abraham Cannegieter, John H. Carty, R. Chippendale, James Cuthbert, John H. Davis, Lucas Davis, Jonathan Derrick, Johannes S. Gibbes, John Gruebey, Nathaniel Halman, Noah Hart, John Hirst, J.C. Hitzler, John H. Howell, William R. Howell, George Illidge jun., George Illidge, John Leverick, William Leverick, F.C. Machlott, Peter Maillard, William Hm. Maillard, Giles Mardenbrough, Alexander Nisbet, David Nisbet sen., David Nisbet jun., Abraham Oyen, Lucas Percival, Thomas Percival, James Peterson sen., James Peterson jun., John Daniel Peterson, Peter John Peterson, Thomas Peterson, William P. Peterson, M. Phillips, Jonathan Potter, Samuel Potter, John E. Richardson, R.R. Richardson, Thomas Richardson, P. Rogers, John J. Romney, Joseph Romney, Solomon Romney, Thomas Romney, John Rowland, Derick Smith, John D.Thomas, John Toland, L. van Britton, John Violenes, Nicholas Violenes, Azer Vlaun, Charles Vlaun, James Vlaun sen., James Vlaun jun., Peter Vlaun, Andrew A. Wade, Thomas L.P. Wade, P. Webster, Laurence Westerband, William Williams sen., William Williams jun.

Signed Phillipsburg St. Martin, 18.3.1822.



Het zegel van de Society for the Abolition of the Slavetrade "Ben ik niet een mens en een broeder". Source:http://www.nationaalarchief.nl
Second letter "We, free persons of the color... etc."

Kingsale Albert, Edward Azular, Robert Bailey, Samuel Bailey, A. M. Balborda, Isaac M. Balborda, A.F.R. Bancamper, Thomas R. Bart, George Barton, John Buntin, James Carty, John Carty, Richard Cashwell, John Creed, Elias Delyon, Lorang W. Discomb, John Doncker, William Gibbes, George G. Hanson, John William Hanson, A. van Heyningen, Peter Heyliger, Thomas Heyliger, Joseph Labega, John D. Pantoplet, Edward Richardson,

Signed Phillipsburg 15.3.1822.

To learn more please visit the National Archives of the Netherlands:
http://www.nationaalarchief.nl/vrij-van-slavernij/3_wetgeving.htm