In the 18th century, it was commonplace for Irish Indentured Servants to come to America seeking better fortunes. The indentures that they signed promised travel, housing and food in exchange for up to 7 years of labor, with the option to extend the indenture if so desired. At the end of this tenure, the servants were to be granted "freedom dues", which could come in the form of either land or capital. They were not slaves in the sense that we know it, but there was often little difference in their treatment.
Most indentured servants worked as farm hands, or domestic help. Some knew trades and applied them in the new world. Many were unskilled, under-educated, and unwilling to stick with the deals they struck which brought them here in the first place.
Once they got here, many of the servants left the employ of their masters, as evidenced by the plethora of classified ads in 18th century newspapers. The following advertisements for runaway and found servants are all from the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Some of the descriptions of the runaways are extremely detailed. Masters must have really paid attention to what their servants wore, as the descriptions are often complete down to the color of the stockings.
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| Feb 22, 1732 |
Here we see a runaway
Servant Man who allegedly changed his name from Charles O'Neal to Thomas Davis. His master, James Yates Jr., was the son of James Yates, who would participate in the Walking Purchase 5 years after this advertisement.
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| Apr 25, 1751 |
Amos Strickland was a large landowner, one time Sheriff, and influential citizen of Newtown. Here, he reports that his
Irish servant man John Murphey had run away a few weeks prior. This fellow was
much addicted to drinking. The reward for Murphey was three pounds, the same as for Yate's man almost twenty years prior.
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| Jul 5, 1764 |
John Beaumont, a noted man from Upper Makefield, lost his
native Irish Servant Man Richard Burk, who was a heavy smoker and over-user of the word Sir. This particular ad says that the man came from Cork, on a certain ship, 5 weeks prior.
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| Jul 12, 1770 |
Six years later, John Beaumont lost another Irish servant. This time the man ditched his wife and left her at Beaumont's house.
His wife is at my house, and much desires to see him. It is unknown whether the man was running from Beaumont, or his wife.
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| 1851 Map showing what remained of John Beaumont's Land Holdings |
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| Dec 20, 1764 |
Here, John Atkinson, local blacksmith, is advertising the loss of his
Irish Servant Man John McGlaughlin. Atkinson gained notoriety for his involvement with the Doan Gang's robbery of the Treasury building. More info on the house he lived in can be found in this post:
https://buckshistory.blogspot.com/2023/01/you-beautiful-jerkinhead.html
Ads for runaway indentured servants weren't the only ones running in the Gazette. There were also advertisements for found servants.
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| Aug 7, 1772 |
Jailer John Anderson advertises that he captured a suspected runaway
Irish servant lad. A subtle crafty fellow who
will give but little account of himself.
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| Dec 1, 1775 |
Solomon Park (Parke) was an acclaimed clockmaker in Bucks County, also at one time the jailer. Here he advertises a jailed Irish runaway named Dennis Ford, who claimed he was indentured to a man in another county.
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| Early Solomon Park Clockface |
Indentured servitude wasn't restricted to Irish men, there were also Dutch and female indentured servants running away from their masters.
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| Jul 23, 1772 |
In this ad we see young Judy Fagen had run away from Thomas Morgan.
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| Courtesy Monmouth County Historical Society |
Here's a sample indenture from Monmouth County for a man named Alexander McDonall, who signed up to serve for 5 years.
Clearly, indentured servitude wasn't the life that many of these men sought in America. One can imagine that their treatment wasn't always great, and the promises made weren't always kept. Who knows how many of these men found the freedom they sought, and how many were returned to the life that they tried to escape from.
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