Reminiscences of Colored People of Princeton, N. J.: 1800-1900Smith, Anna Bustill
History
Reminiscences of Colored People of Princeton, N. J.: 1800-1900
Smith, Anna Bustill
African Americans -- New Jersey -- Princeton; Princeton (N.J.) -- Biography
REMINISCENCES
OF
COLORED PEOPLE
of Princeton, N. J.
1800.-1900.
* * *
_By Anna Bustill-Smith._
Reminiscences of Colored People of Princeton, N. J.
Copyrighted 1913 by Anna Bustill-Smith.
There are so few histories of colored people, so few records of their
brave and honorable deeds in history, that I feel constrained to record
a few facts relative to these people. It is only a cursory glance I can
give—I could easily enlarge the sketch to twice this size.
We are proud when we read in Nell’s “Colored Patriots of the Revolution”
that _Oliver Cromwell_ enlisted in a company commanded by Capt. Lowrey,
attached to the Second New Jersey Regiment, under command of Col. Israel
Shreve. He was at the Battles of Trenton, _Princeton_, Brandywine,
Monmouth and Yorktown. He was with the army at the retreat of the
Delaware on the memorable crossing of December, 1776, and relates the
story of the battles of the succeeding days with enthusiasm. He gives
the details of the march from Trenton to _Princeton_, and told with
much humor “that they knocked the British about lively at _Princeton_.”
His discharge (says Dr. McCune Smith) at the end of the war, was in
_Washington’s own handwriting_. He was very proud of it and often spoke
of it. He received an annual pension of $96 until his death, January
24th, 1853, aged 100 years. Had he been white, every newspaper in the
land would have been eloquent in his praise.
Henry Hill was also in the battle of _Princeton_. He was buried with the
honors of war in 1833.
_Caesar Trent_ was well known here in 1804. _Peter Polite_, as _Mr. Peter
Scudder_ was called, accumulated some property and owned and conducted a
confectionery on Nassau street, says Hageman. He died in 1848.
_Anthony Simmons_ was highly esteemed. He was the leading caterer and
his place of business was next to Princeton Bank. His will disposed of
half a dozen properties and devised to the Witherspoon Presbyterian
Church all the property at the corner of Green and Witherspoon streets,
worth now about $7000, and gave a legacy of $500 to Princeton University.
_Joseph Ten Eyck_, a Princetonian, was a celebrated caterer in New York
city. He had a summer home at 256 Nassau street. He died about 15 years
ago, leaving an estate of $100,000. The largest legacy to Tuskegee
Institute, from a colored person, was $38,000, from Mrs. Mary Hood Shaw,
his adopted daughter. Virtually his money.
_Gilbert Scudder, Sr._, operated a barber shop on Nassau street, and
rated professors among his patrons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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