Editing Solomon Northup (section)

==Early life==
Solomon Northup was born in the town of [[Minerva, New York|Minerva]] in [[Essex County, New York|Essex County]], New York on July 10, 1807<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1945850/Solomon-Northup|title=Solomon Northup|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|last=Chisholm|first=Hugh|author-link=Hugh Chisholm|orig-date=1911|year=2019|edition=11th|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref> or July 10, 1808.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|pp=18–19}}{{sfn|Nelson|2002|p=290}}{{efn|Although Northup gives his year of birth as 1808 in his book, in sworn testimony in 1854, he said he had reached the age of 47 on July 10 that year, making his year of birth 1807, which is consistent with a statement by his wife in 1852 that he was "about 45".}} His mother was a [[free people of color|free woman of color]], which meant that her sons, Solomon and his older brother Joseph, were born free according to the principle of ''[[partus sequitur ventrem]]''.{{sfn|Fradin|Fradin|2012|pp=15, 100}}{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}{{efn|His brother settled in [[Oswego, New York|Oswego]] and was still living there in 1853.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}}} Solomon described his mother as a [[quadroon]], meaning that she was one-quarter African, and three-quarters European.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=21}}

His father, Mintus, was a [[freedman]] who had been enslaved in his early life by the Northup family. Born in [[Rhode Island]], he was taken with the Northups when they moved to [[Hoosick, New York]], in [[Rensselaer County, New York|Rensselaer County]]. His master, Henry Northrop, [[Manumission|manumitted]] Mintus in his will,{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=18}}<ref>[http://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-24601-12862-23?cc=1920234&wc=M9S9-Y5T:261248716 "Last Will & Testament of Henry Northrop"] (recorded October 3, 1797), ''Rensselaer County, New York Will Book,'' vol 1, pp 144–145. Accessed October 22, 2013.</ref><ref name= Oxford>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordaasc.com/oa/article/opr/t0001/e0427?p=oamonthAut1oFZq3VRb.&d=/opr/t0001/e0427|title=Northup, Solomon |work=OxfordAASC.com |first=David Lionel |last=Smith |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116203129/https://oxfordaasc.com/oa/article/opr/t0001/e0427?p=oamonthAut1oFZq3VRb.&d=/opr/t0001/e0427 |archive-date=January 16, 2014}}</ref> after which Mintus adopted the surname Northup. His surname was sometimes spelled Northrup in records.{{efn||name=surname}} Upon attaining his freedom, Mintus married and moved to Minerva with his wife.<ref name="PS - freedom">{{Cite news |date=February 23, 1992 |title=Man sold into slavery never gave up on freedom |page=16 |work=The Post-Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80276301/man-sold-into-slavery-never-gave-up-on/ |access-date=June 26, 2021}} Referenced ''Twelve Years a Slave'' by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon, published by Louisiana State University Press.</ref>

Northup said his father was "a man respected for his industry and integrity". A farmer, Mintus was successful enough to own land and thus meet the state's property requirements for the right to vote.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}<ref name= Oxford/>{{efn|From 1821 on, when it revised its constitution, the state retained the property requirement for black people, but dropped it for white men, thus expanding their franchise. It is notable that Mintus Northup saved enough money as a [[freedman]] to buy land that satisfied this requirement, and registered to vote.<ref name="1821 Const">{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/showcase/201011afamvoting/trans_1821.shtml |title=Transcription of New York Constitution of 1821 excerpt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231201444/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/showcase/201011afamvoting/trans_1821.shtml |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |work=[[New York State Archives]]}}</ref><ref name= Oxford/>}} His sons received what was considered to be a good education for free black people at that time.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}<ref name="Curtis">Curtis, Nancy. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Rk7NPRm_nB0C&pg=PA117 ''Black Heritage Sites: the South''], 1996, p. 118.</ref> Northup and his brother worked on the family farm as boys.<ref name=Britannica/><ref name= Oxford/> He spent his leisure time playing the violin and reading books.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=20}}

[[File:OLD FORT HOUSE FT EDWARD NY v3.jpg|thumb|[[Old Fort House (Fort Edward, New York)|Old Fort House]] is a historic house located in the town of [[Fort Edward (town), New York|Fort Edward, New York]]. The house, the oldest house in [[Washington County, New York]], is operated as a local history museum. Solomon Northup lived in Fort Edward as a child, he was married there, and he started his family in the town.]]
Mintus moved his family to [[Washington County, New York]], and worked on several farms owned by the Northups. From Minerva, they moved to the farm of Clark Northup near Slyborough (Slyboro) in [[Granville, New York|Granville]], Washington County, for several years.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}{{efn|Clarke Northup's house still stands in the Slyborough (Slyboro) section of Granville on the north side of County Route 23. Nearby, Mintus lived on the south side of Aldous Road near a small pond. The house no longer exists.{{sfn|Fiske|Brown|Seligman|2013|p=174}}}} The family of four then lived at Alden Farm, a short distance north of Sandy Hill (now called [[Hudson Falls, New York|Hudson Falls]]). They later moved to an area east of [[Fort Edward (village), New York|Fort Edward]] on the road from Fort Edward to [[Argyle, New York|Argyle]], where Mintus lived until his death.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}<ref name="PS - freedom" /> Mintus died at Fort Edward on November 22, 1829,{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}<ref name= Oxford/> and was interred at the [[Hudson Falls, New York|Hudson Falls Baker Cemetery]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Spangel |first=Beti |date=July 22, 2014 |title=New headstone unveiled to help tell story of Solomon Northup |language=en |work=Post Star |url=https://poststar.com/news/local/new-headstone-unveiled-to-help-tell-story-of-solomon-northup/article_206c88b0-0f9f-11e4-8c46-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=June 26, 2021}}</ref> His mother died during Northup's enslavement (1841 to 1852).{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|p=19}}{{sfn|Fradin|Fradin|2012|p=20}} According to her daughter-in-law Anne and Nicholas C. Northup, she died around 1846 or 1847 in [[Oswego County, New York]].{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|pp=326, 331}}{{efn|Five or six years before 1852.{{sfn|Northup|Wilson|1853|pp=326, 331}}}}