(1/3) Four days and 274 years ago, an ad was sent to the Boston Post Boy, calling for Smithfield residents to find and return Jeremiah Commoson to his legal master, Job Chase. Rather unusually, his full English name was given, but if he had an Indigenous name, it was not recorded.
Apr 12, 2025 06:16(2/3) Jeremiah Commoson is called an "Indian Man Servant," which could either mean he was enslaved or that he was forced to serve for a fixed period of time. As was often the case, terminology regarding slavery was unclear.
(3/3) Commoson chose to emancipate himself on March 26, and Job Chase paid for an advertisement in the newspaper on April 8. Receiving no response, he then paid for two additional advertisements, on April 22 and April 29. Source: America’s Historical Newspapers. Boston Post Boy, April 15, 1738.
