Witness Stones Project Inc.

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Student Work

West Hartford Town Council Approves Procedure for Honorary and Historic Renaming of Public Streets

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Kingswood Oxford student Regina Miller advocates for renaming New Street to honor Peleg Nott, a former enslaved man from West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton.

By Sophie Christensen on We-Ha.com on June 9, 2021

In a January Letter to the Editor, Aliza Sadiq and Regina Miller (two Kingswood Oxford students) asked the West Hartford Town Council to rename New Street in Blue Back Square. They wish to honor Peleg Nott, who had been enslaved in West Hartford but according to research was an extraordinary man eventually elected to the honorable position of “Black governor.”

After their research for the Witness Stones Project, Aliza and Regina discovered shocking truths about the history of slavery in town. There were about “70 people enslaved in West Hartford alone, which is double the number we thought it was four years ago,” they said in the letter. Continue reading.

Tombo’s Story

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By Huiying Muhs, Elisabeth C. Adams Middle School, ’21

Many people know about slaves and some know their names, but most people don’t think about their life stories because there is not a lot of information to tell. One of the slaves that we should know about is an African-American man named Tombo. Tombo went by many names throughout his lifetime each connecting to the stages of his life. He lived in North Guilford, which might seem impossible. The idea that if you walk past Melissa Jones Elementary School you may be walking on the path of a slave more than two-hundred years ago. Tombo -also known as Thomas Beau, Bow, or Bray- was enslaved by a man named Reverend Thomas Bray. But, the fact that he was a slave under this Reverend does not make up his whole identity.

Tombo’s enslaver, Reverend Thomas Bray, was a wealthier white man who participated in church and was viewed as gentle and cheerful. He lived for seventy years which is quite a long life-span during this time period. He was born on October 3, 1738 and spent his life becoming a minister of North Guilford Congregational Church. He was married two times to Sarah Robinson and Anna Bates of Durham and had a total of eleven children. He later died on April 23, 1808 having lived a long life. To him, owning Tombo was a small part of his life for it was the regular thing to do during his time, but to Tombo it is a different story.

Because Tombo was an African-American slave, many pieces of his life were not recorded such as his date of birth, death, when he was enslaved and when he was set free. This was because slaves were treated as less than humans. They were not worthy of needing to be recorded into history and this is also why while Tombo was a slave he had no last name. What we do know was while he was a slave, he was able to get baptised at his local church of North Guilford on October 18, 1772. Doing something as simple as getting baptised should have been a right that any person was given but many were not allowed it. So by doing so Tombo showed a sense of human agency, participating in an action that humanises him even in the slightest amount. He also married a woman named Pender and had a daughter named Nancy-Jetter who was also baptised. Sadly, Pender died before the age of fifty. We don’t know the exact age because owners and other people believed they were superior so they treated the slaves horribly and that was one of the many horrible things that Tombo had to endure. Much like other slaves he was treated as property. He was able to get remarried to a woman named Candace.

Candace was also a slave but was freed in January 18, 1793 when she was between the age range of twenty five and forty five by the descendants of her original enslavers due to the 1792 Act stating slaves can only be free if they are between the ages of twenty five and forty five and in good health. Tombo soon followed in Candace’s steps and also became free and lived in a house with two other people in the Nut Plains area who we can assume were his wife and child. Later in their lives they sold his father-in-law’s property on Nut Plains with his family of Moses, Pompey, Cesar, and Candace making a profit of $26.67; this shows the advancement they made in their lives to be able to show a level of agency by not just owning property but being able to sell and make a profit from land

The Narrative of the Life of Peter Gardner

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By Cassandra Ward, Elisabeth C. Adams Middle School, ’21

Many years ago, enslaved people lived in Guilford. Still today, people are remembering their lives and legacies. For some enslaved people, their stories are never told. But Peter Gardner has a story. A story of hardship and triumph. A story worth telling.

A large amount of Peter Gardner’s life is still unknown. Information from census data and letters provides some insight into what his life was like. But still, the full story of his life is somewhat unclear. Part of the problem for many enslaved people was they were not given names or their names were never recorded. A name may seem like a basic human right, but sometimes enslaved people were not given a name. On many records, enslaved people were reduced to nothing but a number or listed as “slave”. The lack of names was not only degrading, but it made it hard to recognize who the census was referring to. On the 1790 census, Peter was never named. However, his owner, Jared Scranton, did appear and he had one unnamed enslaved person listed (1790 U.S. Census of Guilford, CT). Since he only had one enslaved person, it was assumed to be Peter since in a later emancipation letter, Peter is named as the enslaved person of Scranton. In addition, until about 1810 Peter was simply known as Peter. On the 1810 census, for the first time on record, Peter had the surname Gardner (1810 U.S. Census of Guilford).

According to Jared Scranton Letter of Emancipation To His Negro Man Peter, Peter was emancipated on January 22, 1793 (Guilford Property Records). The year before, the Emancipation Law was put into place which stated the requirements for emancipation. As stated in the 1792 Addition and Alteration to an Act Concerning Indians, Mulattoes, Negro Servant, and Slaves, one of the requirements was the enslaved person must be between the ages of 25 and 45 and in good health, (Statutes of the State of Connecticut, 1792). Requiring that enslaved people must be in good health to be emancipated made sure the owner must take care of their enslaved people to some degree and not overwork them, if the owner desired emancipation. While Peter’s age or date of birth was never stated, but since he was emancipated it can be assumed that he was between those ages too. The rules for emancipation involving age and health helped control the economics of owning and freeing enslaved people.

Another requirement for emancipation was that the owner must be the one to seek emancipation of their enslaved person. In the 1792 Addition and Alteration to an Act Concerning Indians, Mulattoes, Negro Servant, and Slaves, it said, “If any master or owner of any slave shall be disposed to emancipate and make free such slave,” (Statutes of the State of Connecticut, 1792). This meant it could not be the enslaved person who requested that freedom. The owner had control over this situation even though it wasn’t their own life. Part of the reason a slave owner would seek emancipation was emancipation allowed the owner to no longer need to support the enslaved person. Jared Scranton no longer was responsible for Peter Garnder after his emancipation.

The same year that Emancipation Law was established, a girl named Dinah was purchased to work for four years and promised freedom afterwards. According to the Bill of Sale of Dinah to the Selectmen of Guilford, CT, “for the full end & term of four years fully to be compleat & ended; after which time said Girl shall become free, and Thereby be entitled to all the privileges granted by our Laws to Emancipate Slaves,” (Caldwell). In this case the girl being referred to was Dinah. In order for her emancipation to follow the Laws of emancipation, in 1796, Dinah would also be between the ages of 25 and 45. Overall, the laws established regarding emancipation gave the owners control over the emancipation.

Even after Peter’s emancipation, he still wasn’t treated respectfully. As said in Jared Scranton Letter of Emancipation To His Negro Man Peter, “from Time to Time & at all Times hereafter Lawfully, Peaceably & Quietly, have hold, receive, take and enjoy to his & their own proper use,” (Guilfrod Property Records). This statement in Peter’s letter of emancipation comes across as a threat. Even though the letter declared him no longer an enslaved person, he was still treated poorly.

A few years after both Peter and Dinah were freed, the two of them got married. On January 10, 1799 the two were wed in the North Guilford Congregational Church (North Guilford Congregational Church Records). This was a triumph because many enslaved people, even freed enslaved people like Peter and Dinah, were prohibited from marrying. This was one of the ways Peter was able to show agency and live freely. After their marriage, property records in 1800 showed that Peter owned land and a house which he likely shared with his wife. Owning land as a freed enslaved person was impressive but keeping the property was even harder. According to The Brief Appearance Constant Disappearance of Dinah aka Dinah Gardner, Peter’s land was near the area where Jared Scranton (Peter’s former owner) lived even though he lived separately from Jared Scranton (Culliton).

After nearly 29 years of marriage and 35 years of freedom, Peter Gardner passed away. After his death, Dinah was allowed to keep the home and some of Peter’s belongings. Peter Gardner had many possessions. Probate records show his property amounted to $238.54. He owned a variety of things such as a gun, violin, canoo, and many ordinary household items (Peter Gardner Probate Inventory 1828). The reason he owned some of these items, such as the canoo, still have not been fully explained. For a previously enslaved person, Peter had a decent amount of possessions. Despite many hardships and challenges Peter and his wife seemed to live a successful life after their emcaipations.

Peter Gardner spent part of his life enslaved and controlled by Jared Scranton. Eventually he met the requirements of Emancipation Laws and was freed. He took his freedom as an opportunity to create a desired life. He took this chance to marry Dinah and own his own property. He was able to overcome mistreatment and cruelty to live an independent and more rewarding life. Peter Gardner was able to accomplish so much in his life and deserved the utmost praise

Shem’s Story

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By Sofia Welch, Elisabeth C. Adams Middle School ’21

Shem was an African-American enslaved being who lived in Guilford, Connecticut. He was born in 1726 and was first enslaved under a man named John Scranton the 3rd. John Scranton had 10 children, including his daughter Submit Scranton. John owned two slaves, a Black man, 1Shem, and an Indian woman. In his will, John detailed that after his death, his slaves were to choose which of his children they wanted to serve.

After John had died, Shem went to serve Submit Scranton, the child of John’s that he had chosen. Eventually, Submit married a Deacon Simeon Chittenden, a very well respected man, and became Submit Chittenden. When Submit was married, all of her legal possessions were under the control of her husband, meaning Shem now belonged to the Deacon. Submit gave birth to seven children and Simeon detailed in his will a hierarchy of who would receive his properties, property including Shem. His belongings were to be given to his wife, Submit, first, then his children, then ultimately his grandchildren.

hem and Simeon clashed a lot, as Shem would often outright refuse the Deacon’s orders and was resistant towards the religion that Simeon forced upon him. For 40 years, Shem continued to resist and he was told by Simeon to pray to the lord to “raise the curse that was upon him.” Eventually, by his own choice, he did choose to pray and strengthened his spirituality and closeness to god in the process.

As the American Revolutionary began in New England, Shem actually fought in the war as an enslaved human being, not for his own freedom but the freedom of those enslaving him. Later, on April 12th 1789, Dean Simeon Chittenden passed away and now Submit once again owned him. She owned him all the way up to Shem’s death in 1794, and then eventually died herself in 1796. Shem was forced to serve the same lineage for his whole life and sadly never got to enjoy freedom.

Student Poetry from Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Students

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Seventh-grade students from the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School wrote poems to tell the life stories of Jenny Freeman and Lewis Lewia. 

Jenny Freeman
By Ilona Binch

Sun shining through the windows.
Children running through the halls.
There were joyful voices in the air
Even though nothing was right at all.

I was knitting socks and gloves
For children that weren’t mine.
My children worked for families that weren’t ours.
Their children got toys – my children got scars.

My body was their property.
To the Noyes my enslavers.
I took care of their children,
But my thoughts were of mine.

When I was “Old Jenny,”
I worked and worked not even getting a penny.
I would care, and I would clean.
I was nothing, not even a thing

When I was a “Freeman,”
I was something
I helped others be free like me.
No one should have to suffer the indignities of slavery.

[Read more…] about Student Poetry from Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Students

The Story of Elizabeth Freeman

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Students at Witness Stone affiliate the Salisbury School have been uncovering the history of slavery in Northwest Connecticut. Here they present the life of Elizabeth Freeman.

Foote School Students Recover the Life of Pink Primus

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Students from the Foote School gathered at the Pardee-Morris House on June 2, 2021, to remember the life of Pink Primus. Students read original poetry and displayed the infographics they created to share the life of Pink with their community.

 

Marshall Miles Interviews Caleb May and Rhonan Mokriski about “Coloring Our Past”

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“This movie has forced us to confront history that challenges our perception of who we are and how we became a country. Looking at the contributions local families of color like the Mars and the Cesars have had on our communities has really opened our eyes. In turn, our aim is to use our work to help form a more complete and inclusive history that highlights the contributions of all Americans. This project is not about simply uncovering the history of one Black family in America, it is also about completing the inaccurate and incomplete history of our diverse American Family.” -Nicholas Gray, Producer

Listen to the interview here.

Coloring Our Past Film

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Among several class projects, this film is one of three documentaries students from Salisbury School’s Searching for Slavery class have created over the course of the year to carry out their mission of educating the public about this important history, rewriting the stories that have been recorded incorrectly, and uncovering lives that have been ignored or buried.

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