The Ganges Incident
The Ganges Incident
It has long been assumed that the Ganges Africans landed at the Tinicum Lazaretto, construction of which began in 1799. However, the old quarantine station on Province Island (where the Schuylkill empties into the Delaware--see Maps) was also sometimes referred to as “the Lazaretto,” and my research has determined that in August 1800, the Ganges, Phebe, and Prudent must have arrived at the old Lazaretto, which continued to serve as the Port of Philadelphia’s quarantine station until the new facility opened in the spring of 1801.
Nevertheless, there remains an intriguing connection between the Ganges and the Tinicum Lazaretto. Among the Ganges indenture papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, I found one for “Mary Ann Ganges,” who was indentured to Thomas Egger, the last Quarantine Master at the old Lazaretto and the first Quarantine Master at the new Lazaretto. The girl must have been about nine years old, as girls were typically indentured until age 18, and she was indentured for nine years. I have so far been unable to find any other record of her life (but I’m still trying). See the indenture by clicking the link below:
Neither Slave Nor Free: the Ganges Africans at the Lazaretto (1800)