Cesar Raymond of Beverly, MA was an African American man born between 1750-1759, as there is no evidence of a birth record. Cesar Raymond was enslaved by Beverly local, Benjamin Raymond. At age 25 in July of 1776, Cesar Raymond self-emancipated from the Raymond family. In turn, Benjamin Raymond put out a $2 reward, as well as coverage of any necessary charges, in the newspaper for anyone to return Cesar to the Raymond family. The newspaper article describes Cesar as “a thick well let fellow, approximately 25 years of age, about 5 feet 6 inches high; had on when he went away, a homespun brown colored Great jacket, a ripped Under Jacket, a Pair of brown-colored Funian Breeches with black kneebands, his right knee bending inwards.”
Cesar Raymond enlisted in the Continental Army under Captain Page’s regiment and served under that regiment for three years in order to avoid enslavement by the Raymond family. Continental Army pay rolls account for service from February 20th, 1777 to July 7, 1777. Cesar Raymond reportedly died on July 7th, 1777 in Vermont, retreating from Ticonderoga during the Battle of Hubbardton. He was approximately 27 years old. There is no death record or knowledge of the final burial place for Cesar Raymond.
Sources
- Secretary of the Commonwealth. "Raymond, Caesar." Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. Vol. 1-17. Boston, MA, USA: Wright & Potter Printing, 1896-1908. Available at Ancestry.com.
- National Archives. "Raymond, Cesar." Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, Record Group 93, War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Series M881, NARA Roll 456. Available at Ancestry.com.
- "Runaway Slave Ad by Benjamin Raymond." American Gazette, July 30, 1776. Available at Genealogy Bank.