Editing New Brunswick, New Jersey (section)

==== African American spaces and institutions in the early 19th century ====
By the 1810s, some free African Americans lived in a section of the city called Halfpenny Town, which was located along the [[Raritan River]] by the east side of the city, near Queen (now Neilson) Street. Halfpenny Town was a place populated by free blacks as well as poorer whites who did not own slaves. This place was known as a social gathering for free blacks that was not completely influenced by white scrutiny and allowed free blacks to socialize among themselves. This does not mean that it was free from white eyes and was still under the negative effects of the slavery era.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|99}} In the early decades of the nineteenth century, White and either free or enslaved African Americans shared many of the same spaces in New Brunswick, particularly places of worship. The First Presbyterian Church, Christ Church, and First Reformed Church were popular among both Whites and Blacks, and New Brunswick was notable for its lack of spaces where African Americans could congregate exclusively. Most of the time Black congregants of these churches were under the surveillance of Whites.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|113}} That was the case until the creation of the African Association of New Brunswick in 1817.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|114–115}}

Both free and enslaved African Americans were active in the establishment of the African Association of New Brunswick, whose meetings were first held in 1817.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|112}} The African Association of New Brunswick held a meeting every month, mostly in the homes of free blacks. Sometimes these meetings were held at the First Presbyterian Church. Originally intended to provide financial support for the African School of New Brunswick, the African Association grew into a space where blacks could congregate and share ideas on a variety of topics such as religion, abolition and colonization. Slaves were required to obtain a pass from their owner in order to attend these meetings. The African Association worked closely with Whites and was generally favored amongst White residents who believed it would bring more racial peace and harmony to New Brunswick.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|114–115}}

The African Association of New Brunswick established the African School in 1822. The African School was first hosted in the home of Caesar Rappleyea in 1823.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|114}} The school was located on the upper end of Church Street in the downtown area of New Brunswick about two blocks away from the jail that held escaped slaves. Both free and enslaved Blacks were welcome to be members of the School.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|116}} Reverend Huntington (pastor of the [[First Presbyterian Church (New Brunswick, New Jersey)|First Presbyterian Church]]) and several other prominent Whites were trustees of the African Association of New Brunswick. These trustees supported the Association which made some slave owners feel safe sending their slaves there by using a permission slip process.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|115}} The main belief of these White supporters was that Blacks were still unfit for American citizenship and residence, and some trustees were connected with the [[American Colonization Society]] that advocated for the migration of free African Americans to Africa. The White trustees only attended some of the meetings of the African Association, and the Association was still unprecedented as a space for both enslaved and free Blacks to get together while under minimal supervision by Whites.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|116–117}}

The African Association appears to have disbanded after 1824. By 1827, free and enslaved Black people in the city, including Joseph and Jane Hoagland, came together to establish the Mount Zion [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] and purchased a plot of land on Division Street for the purpose of erecting a church building. This was the first African American church in Middlesex County. The church had approximately 30 members in its early years. The church is still in operation and is currently located at 39 Hildebrand Way. The street Hildebrand Way is named after the late Rev. Henry Alphonso Hildebrand, who was pastor of Mount Zion AME for 37 years, which is the longest appointment received by a pastor at Mount Zion AME.<ref>Makin, Cheryl. [https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/faith/2017/10/27/local-ame-churches-celebrate-longevity/791940001/ "AME churches celebrate spirituality, longevity"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604183955/https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/faith/2017/10/27/local-ame-churches-celebrate-longevity/791940001/ |date=June 4, 2019 }}, ''[[Courier News]]'', October 27, 2017. Accessed December 12, 2019. "The historic Mount Zion A.M.E. Church-New Brunswick is the oldest African American church in Middlesex County. Now at 39 Hildebrand Way, the church began with a small plot of land on Division Street in 1827. The church was founded by a mix of 'enslaved and free people,' 36 years prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, said Eric Billips, pastor since 2013 at Mount Zion A.M.E. Church-New Brunswick.... In 1827, records show that Joseph and Jane Hoagland, along with other black men and women in the New Brunswick area, were founders of the church."</ref>

Records from the April 1828 census, conducted by the New Brunswick Common Council, state that New Brunswick was populated with 4,435 white residents and 374 free African Americans. The enslaved population of New Brunswick in 1828 consisted of 57 slaves who must serve for life and 127 slaves eligible for emancipation at age 21 or 25 due to the 1804 Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. Free and enslaved African Americans accounted for 11% of New Brunswick's population in 1828, a relatively high percentage for New Jersey.<ref name=SlaveryAndDispossession />{{Rp|94}} By comparison, as of the [[1830 United States census]], African Americans made up approximately 6.4% of the total population of New Jersey.<ref>Wright, Giles R. [http://westjersey.org/AFAMI.pdf "Afro-Americans in New Jersey: a short history – Appendix 3"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115131916/http://westjersey.org/AFAMI.pdf |date=November 15, 2017 }}, [[New Jersey Historical Commission]], 1989, [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. Accessed December 12, 2019.</ref>