Marbletown Expenses for Children of Enslaved Women

According to the Gradual Manumission Act of 1799, masters of enslaved women who bore children could abandon their slave's children within one year of their birth by notifying the clerk of the city or town they resided in. The overseer of the poor of that town would then bind out the child until they reached the age of 21. These abandoned children would be considered paupers and would be liable to be bound out by the overseer of the poor of their respective towns. These children would then be supported and maintained by the state of New York, at a price of $3.50 a month. In 1802, this law was modified with the following changes:. The amount and duration of monthly compensation of abandoned children was reduced to $2.00 a month and owners of these "child servants" would only be paid until the child reached the age of four.

This Marbletown Town Record exemplifies a payment schedule for the 1803-1804 time period.