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John Hasbrouck

John Hasbrouck (John Murphy)

John Hasbrouck (1806-1879) was born a "slave servant" to Jacob J. Hasbrouck, a wealthy New Paltz landowner. Although not legally considered a slave, he was listed in Jacob J.'s inventory along with his mother at a price of $125, illustrating the ambiguous nature of servitude, and that in practice a servant was very often not much different than a slave. After the death of Jacob, in 1806, John was most probably inherited by Jacob's son Jacob J. jr.  John was freed some time between 1820 and 1830 as evidenced by his account book, which documents the labor he provided, and the compensation he received for in return.

View John Hasbrouck's Account book

View John Hasbrouck listed on Jacob J. Hasbrouck's inventory

View John Hasbrouck's personal letter to his daughter