Renty arrived in the United States before the 1808 slave embargo

Evidence

According to this record, Renty was 13 years old in 1800,” Rich wrote. “That would make the Renty in the daguerreotype 63 years old. It also states that he was from the coast of New Guinea, which, I believe, is part of the Congo, or at the very least abuts it. This Renty’s mother was Rose and his father was Hector. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 811