The Huyck Bain Crandell Collection, Document BH015

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1739-06-20 Bill of Sale of Negro Boy, Quash, by Johannis Beeckman Jr. to Burger Huyck

Burger Huyck was a slaveholder as were too many colonists in Kinderhook and the greater Hudson valley during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Image: BH015 obv.jpg

Image: BH015 rev.jpg

Transcription

Know all men by these Presents that I Johannis Beeckman Junr of the City of Albany Mariner for and in Consideration of the sum of thirty five pounds Current Money of the Province of New York to me in hand paid by Burger Huyck of Kinderhook Yeoman where of I do hereby acknowledge the receipt and my self therewith fully and Entirely Satisfied Have Bargained Sold Sett over and Delivered and by these presents in plain and open market according to the just and Due form of the Law in that Case made and provided Do Bargain Sell Sett over and Deliver into the sd Burger Huyck a Negro Boy called Quash aged about fourteen years To have & to hold the said Negro Boy unto the said Burger Huyck his Exect. Heirs and Assigns to the only proper use & Behoof of him the said Burger Huyck his Exect. Heirs and Assigns for Ever And I the sd Johannis Beckman for myself my Exect and Heirs the sd Bargained Negro Boy unto the sd Burgere Huyck his Exect Heirs and Assigns against all and all manner of persons shall and will Warrent and for Ever by these presents Defend In witness whereof I have herewith Sett my Hand and Seal this 20th Day of June in the twelfth year of his Majesties Reign Anno Domini 1739 {signed}Joh. Beeckman Junr Signed Sealed & Delivered in the presence of us Ja Stevenson {signed}Yohanes Van Alstyn

Commentary

NOTE: These three documents were written in the same hand, apparently that of Ja Stevenson, Clerk. It seems likely they were all written at the same time since the first two are dated the same day and the latter affirms Burger Huyck's title to his farm covered by the litigation bond.

BH015 ~ 1739-06-20 Bill of Sale of Negro Boy, Quash, by Johannis Beeckman Jr. to Burger Huyck
BH010 ~ 1739-06-20 Litigation Bond, Huyck Patentees vs. Cornelius Schermerhoorn, Witnessed by Philip Livingston Jr.
BH016 ~ [[1679-07-01 - Affirmation of Title? - To Farm of Andres Hanse Huyck]]

All requiring a trip from Kline Kill to Albany, not insignificant in those days.

Notes:

Quash is a West African day name — specifically an Akan name for a boy born on Sunday (Kwasi). It was one of the most common names given to enslaved Africans in colonial New York, suggesting he was either African-born or of recent African descent.

£35 for a fourteen-year-old boy was a market-rate price for an enslaved person in colonial New York in 1739 — consistent with period records.

Johannis Beeckman Junr., identified as a mariner of Albany — the Beeckman family was one of the most prominent Dutch merchant families in New York. A mariner selling an enslaved boy in Albany in 1739 suggests Beeckman had acquired Quash through the Atlantic trade.

“in plain and open market” — this phrase was a standard legal formula in bills of sale for enslaved people, asserting the transaction was public and legitimate.

“The twelfth year of his Majesties Reign” refers to George II, who ascended in June 1727, placing year twelve at 1739 — consistent with the stated Anno Domini 1739.
Slavery was legal in colonial New York and practiced throughout the Hudson Valley, including in Kinderhook. The 1755 census of Albany County recorded significant numbers of enslaved people in the region.

Colonial-era bills of sale for enslaved people were deliberately drafted to mirror real property deeds, reinforcing the legal fiction that a human being was indistinguishable from land or goods in terms of title and inheritance.

The same witnesses as the Schermerhoorn bond confirms these were all Albany transactions conducted in a single session, likely before a notary or justice. (and dated the same day - jhc)

This document adds a dimension to Burger Huyck’s life and circumstances that the commercial receipts and land documents did not reveal — he was a slaveholder, as were many of his social standing in colonial Albany County.

— Notes by Claude.ai 4.6 2026-05-01 - jhc

Metadata

Document: BH015

Date: 1739-06-20

Language: English

Type: Bill of Sale

Subject: Commerce, Enslaved Persons

Principals: Quash, Johannis Beeckman Jr., Burger Huyck

Other Persons Mentioned: Ja Stevenson, Yohanis/Johannis Van Alstyn

Places Mentioned: Albany, Kinderhook

— page revised 2026-05-26 - jhc

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