RAN-away from his Master, Joseph Barnard of Deerfield
a Negro Man named Prince, of middling Stature, his Complection
not the darkest or lightest for a Negro, slow of Speech, but speaks
good English; He had with him when he went away, an old brown
Coat. with Pewter Buttons, a double-breasted blue Coat with a Cape,
and flat metal Buttons, a brown great Coat with red Cuffs and Cape, a
new brown Jacket with Pewter Buttons, a Pair of new Leather Breeche^s,
check’d linnen Shirt and Trousers, tow shirt and Trousers, a red Cap, two
Castor Hats, several Pair of Stockings, a Pair of Pumps, a Gun and Violin.
Whoever shall apprehend said Fellow and convey him to his Master,
shall have Ten Pounds old Tenor, and all necessary Charges paid by

Deerfield, Sept. 18, 1749. Joseph Barnard
All Masters of Vessels and others are caution’d not to conceal or carry off
the said Negro, as they would avoid the Penalty of the Law.
(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Runaway slave ads that appear in the newspapers of northern colonies serve to remind us that although the conditions of slavery in the north were different, they were not necessarily better than those in the south. Despite sometimes working alongside their masters and living with them, northern slaves were still considered to be property and might be subject to harsh, cruel treatment just as readily as if they had been in the south. Although what caused Prince to run away from Joseph Barnard in 1749 is unknown, he was clearly unhappy. We do know that Prince was back in Deerfield within months of having left. He died three years later in 1752.

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