In 1799, New York State enacted a law to gradually abolish slavery. A child born to enslaved mothers was deemed “free”, but the enslavers were to register the birth and were entitled to 25-28 years of service from the child. Alternatively, the enslaver, within a year of the birth, could “abandon” the child to be cared for by the overseers of the poor. The images below provide the text of the 1799 law and show the registrations of each child born to an enslaved mother in the Town of Mamaroneck. The original registry document resides at the Mamaroneck Town Center.
