An unusually significant piece of antebellum New Jersey legal ephemera naming Isaac Van Blarcom, the documented Paterson abolitionist associated with the city's Underground Railroad network.
This original printed and manuscript summons was issued in Passaic County, New Jersey on February 7, 1855. It orders Isaac Van Blarcom to appear before Justice of the Peace Adrian Van Riper "at My House" in the Township of Acquackanonk on February 16 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon to answer Samuel Clark in a plea of debt for Four Dollars and Seventy-Five Cents ($4.75).
The document is signed in manuscript by Adrian Van Riper as Justice of the Peace.
The reverse is particularly interesting and contains the constable's original service return dated February 10, 1855:
"I served this summons
By Reading it to a member
of defendants family above the
age of fourteen years and gave
her a copy at defendants
Residence defendant not
found"
The return is signed Daniel H. Paxton, Constable.
Additional period docketing on the reverse identifies Samuel Clark versus Isaac Van Blarcom, "Sum in Debt," the $4.75 amount, and costs.
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION:
Research strongly identifies the defendant named here as Isaac Van Blarcom (1812-1894), a prominent Paterson-area brick and stone mason, abolitionist, Liberty Party activist, member of the New Jersey Anti-Slavery Society, and later Republican.
Historical research by the Paterson Museum and the Huntoon & Van Rensalier Underground Railroad Historic Site identifies Van Blarcom as part of Paterson's Underground Railroad network. His Marshall Street residence had deep cellars that were reportedly used to conceal and safeguard freedom seekers moving north.
A contemporary 1859 Paterson city directory lists Isaac Van Blarcom at 89 Marshall Street and identifies his brick business, Van Blarcom & Co., at 216 Marshall Street. The documented Underground Railroad site associated with Van Blarcom is identified as 85-89 Marshall Street, providing unusually strong geographical corroboration for the identification.
Van Blarcom was also involved in the construction of the Passaic County Jail, receiving a masonry contract for the building during the 1840s.
IMPORTANT: This summons itself concerns an ordinary private debt and is NOT an Underground Railroad legal case. Its historical importance lies in being an original, contemporaneous 1855 Passaic County document naming Van Blarcom during the exact period in which his abolitionist and Underground Railroad activities are documented.
Isaac Van Blarcom did not sign this document. The original signatures present are Justice of the Peace Adrian Van Riper on the front and Constable Daniel H. Paxton on the reverse.
A fascinating survivor for collectors of the Underground Railroad, American abolitionism, African American history, antebellum New Jersey, Passaic County and Paterson history, early American legal documents, and 19th-century manuscript ephemera.
CONDITION:
Original 1855 document with substantial but entirely understandable age and handling wear. Edge chipping, small tears and paper losses are present, particularly along the right edge and corners and to a lesser degree at the left edge. Old folds and creases, toning, scattered staining/soiling and general handling wear. The principal printed and manuscript content remains highly legible, including both original signatures and the constable's service return. Approximately 7 1/4 inches wide; please see ruler photographs for scale. No attempt has been made to conceal the defects. Please examine all photographs closely as they form an important part of the condition description.
Ships USPS Ground Advantage with tracking, carefully protected with rigid support and moisture protection appropriate for fragile 19th-century paper.
Type: Original Legal Document / Civil Summons
Document Type: Plea of Debt Summons
Date: February 7, 1855
Service Date: February 10, 1855
Appearance Date: February 16, 1855
Era: Antebellum / Pre-Civil War
State: New Jersey
County: Passaic County
Township: Acquackanonk
Defendant: Isaac Van Blarcom
Plaintiff: Samuel Clark
Justice of the Peace: Adrian Van Riper
Constable: Daniel H. Paxton
Debt Amount: $4.75
Historical Association: Isaac Van Blarcom / Underground Railroad
Historical Theme: Abolitionism / Underground Railroad / New Jersey History
Format: Printed Form with Manuscript Entries
Signatures: Adrian Van Riper and Daniel H. Paxton
Reverse: Manuscript Service Return and Docketing
Material: Paper
Language: English
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Approximate Width: 7 1/4 in.
Condition: Antique original with edge losses, tears, folds, toning and handling wear; see photographs
Related Items:
1855 NJ Summons Isaac Van Blarcom Underground Railroad Abolitionist Passaic
$749.95
S Huffsey Teal Calabash Flask Bottle Open Pontil Isabella Glass New Brooklyn NJ
$595.00
1855 Handwritten letter Jacob Romel to Benjamin T Mulford Cumberland NJ woodruff
$24.97
