(Tribune News Service) — He was 21 in 1775 and he was determined to enlist in the Continental Army.

He had an obstacle to overcome, though: This free Black man, who was born in Amwell Township, N.J., in 1754, did not know his last name and a full name was needed to enlist. Refusing to allow this to stand in his way, he used the last name of a family with whom he worked as an indentured servant. This young man, whose first name was Jacob, would use the last name “Gulick” in order to fight.

Jacob, who would later learn his last name was Francis, served with 16th Massachusetts Regiment. He fought in the siege of Boston, the New York Campaign and the Battle of Trenton and would later return to Hunterdon County where he was born to live out the rest of his life.

“Black soldiers were not only in the Army but a crucial part of the Continental Army and militia ... and this is a history lesson that should have been told years ago,” said Roger S. Williams, president of the Princeton-Cranbury Chapter of the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

It was in Flemington where, after the war, Francis fulfilled his dream of raising a family and becoming a successful farmer.

It was in Flemington where a gravesite commemoration and marker installation ceremony was held for Francis, and his wife, Mary, on June 25 this year. The event took place at the Flemington Baptist Church.

According to William L. (Larry) Kidder, a Mercer County historian who has authored five books on the American Revolution and who served as keynote speaker at the event, Francis’ “enlistment occurred near or on the very day that Gen. Washington ordered his officers not to enlist any Black men, even free Black men.”

“As one of the survivors in his vastly depleted regiment, Jacob crossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776, and fought in the Battle of Trenton,” wrote Kidder, who authored “The Revolutionary World of a Free Black Man: Jacob Francis, 1754-1836.”

“While definitely not the only Black man fighting under Washington at Trenton, he may have been the only Black man born in New Jersey, since no New Jersey Continental regiments were present - just a state artillery company, some recruits, and about two dozen Hunterdon County militiamen who helped guide Washington to Trenton.”

After Francis’ Continental service, he served in the Third Hunterdon County Regiment of the New Jersey militia for the remainder of the war. Kidder said Francis “earned a solid reputation as a militiaman serving frequently on active duty and made a number of friends.”

A husband, father, farmer and man of faith

After the Battle of Trenton, this young soldier walked home to Hunterdon County to find his mother, whom he had not seen since he was 10 years old. He found her in Amwell and learned that his last name was Francis. He cared for his mother until her death a short time later.

Jacob Francis — who lived in New Jersey, New York, the West Indies, and Salem, Massachusetts — remained in Flemington until his death in 1836.

“While Jacob and Mary were well-known here during their lifetimes, the knowledge of just who they were and how they contributed to the history of the area was lost over time, as was true for many Black Americans,” Kidder, keynote speaker at the event said. “Appropriately, our celebration today takes place on the very land that was at the center of their lives and that they called home for over 30 years.”

Francis married Mary, an enslaved woman, whom he purchased and set free on their wedding day in 1789. Together, they raised nine children and became well-respected members of the Flemington Baptist Church. The Francis family home was located on church property, in fact.

Jacob and Mary were “very concerned about educating their children at a time when no schools in the Flemington area allowed Black children,” Kidder said. Several of the Francis children became literate and the couple’s youngest son, Abner Hunt Francis, became “very well educated.”

Kidder said Abner “somehow got the equivalent of a college education.” He speculates that Abner was educated at the Flemington Academy, a private school for white children located near Francis’s house on Main Street. “I believe that Jacob and Mary convinced administrators and teachers at the academy to work unofficially with Abner,” Kidder said.

“Over fifty years after their deaths, a short magazine article history of the school still recalled the ginger cakes and homemade root beer that Mary and Jacob gave to students during recess and supplied to the school for Sunday afternoon social get-togethers of students and their families. It may have been Mary’s homemade ginger cakes and root beer, combined with Jacob and Mary’s persistence, that helped Abner become exceptionally well-educated.”

Abner spent his adult life working for the cause of abolition and equal rights.

Inspired by his father, it has been reported that Abner said: “the principles of ‘76, which led … his country to throw off the British yoke, actuated my father to shoulder his musket and serve through a bloody contest. And not only my father’s but the blood of colored men were freely shed in that struggle for national independence.”

Abner Francis, who moved to New York, wrote for Frederick Douglass. He attended abolitionist conferences with Douglass, serving as secretary. Abner later went to California and Oregon, where he helped break the color line.

“One thing I always try to express about Jacob Francis,” Kidder said, “It’s a remarkable story of a man born in the 1750s as a free black man in society where black men were considered to be enslaved unless they could prove otherwise. He grew up as an indentured servant working for white families. From that background, he built a tremendously solid family and was greatly respected in his community. And, he engendered into his son the drive to make life better for all black people ...to make America what he fought for.”

A large gathering for a well-deserved remembrance

Many gathered at last month’s gravesite commemoration and marker installation.

In addition to visiting the gravesite and seeing the plaque, those on hand were able to view the Oh Freedom historical display as well as a map that Kidder drew showing where the Francis home was located.

Williams said Jacob Francis’ story is critically important to American history and the community recognition was well deserved.

“In school, students learn about Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson,” he said. “But beyond headliners, we rarely are we about the stories of common man and woman involved in our struggle for independence.”

Williams noted that Francis remained committed to the cause of freedom for his entire life. “Despite the fact that people around him were enslaved, he fought for the principle of freedom. Black men of that era probably understood the concept of freedom well more than their white brethren. We all need to honor that ... that is bravery.”

“Given our national discourse at the moment there are a lot of very good reasons this particular story resonates with so many people,” Williams said, adding, “As public historians, part of our task is to be able to embrace history and become the history tellers our fellow citizens deserve. It’s part of our mission of SAR and DAR to honor our heritage and tell our (American) story.”

He added, “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it’s important to remind fellow citizens of the founding principles that all men are created equal. In this day and age a lot of people going into different corners screaming and yelling. We must remember our founding ideals.”

The others assembled at the ceremony agreed that Francis’ contributions to family, church, community and country could not be overstated.

“Hunterdon County and Flemington hold important historical positions in the American Revolution, which are only enhanced by the significance of Jacob Francis’ life - a black man who fought bravely for his country’s freedom and freedom for all persons,” Mayor Karrow said. “Flemington is honored by Jacob Francis choosing to live in our community and, as a member of the Third Hunterdon County Regiment of the New Jersey Militia, fight for our freedoms.”

Speaking about the event, Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission executive director Natalie Zaman said, “Bringing untold stories to light, such as those of Jacob and Mary Francis, makes for a richer and fuller picture of our history and shows how extraordinary our country is.”

A well-liked man and his well-recorded history

Kidder said that much of Francis’ life story was preserved when he applied for a veteran’s pension in 1832.

In order to obtain his pension, Francis, who was illiterate, was required to dictate information about his military service to a court official who knew him.

“The application could have been short,” Kidder said. “However, the court official allowed, or perhaps persuaded, Jacob to talk in some detail about his life before, during, and after his service.”

Kidder speculates, “I think he was so highly respected by people in Flemington that the court official thought it was worth preserving (his story). That’s just my opinion. He didn’t need to do it, he encouraged Jacob to talk about what he felt about military experience, his reactions to how he felt during battle.”

“We should not forget,” Kidder said at the event, “that Jacob, Mary, Abner, and their other children fought through the cultural struggles we continue to fight to ensure that our country reflects the belief that all human beings are created equal with equal rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’”

This article is part of “Unknown New Jersey,” an ongoing series that highlights interesting and little-known stories about our past, present, and future — all the unusual things that make our great state what it is. Got a story to pitch? Email it to local@njadvancemedia.com.

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