Witness Stones Project, Inc.

Restore History, Educate, and Honor Humanity

#CandaceCT3

Curriculum Design and Memorials with Witness Stones

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From the Anti-Racist Teaching & Learning Collective on March 22, 2021

The Witness Stones Project began in 2017 in Guilford, Connecticut with the placement of three small plaques commemorating the lives of Moses, Candace, and Phillis. The project was inspired by the Stolpersteine project, which works to place small stones inscribed with the names and life details of Jews who were kidnapped and murdered during the Holocaust in front of the homes in which they used to live. Witness Stones has been working to memorialize enslaved individuals in several cities across Connecticut in a similar way. Continue reading.

 

A Witness to History: Brown Chairs Witness Stone’s Juneteenth at Hyland House

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Stephanie Little Brown at the Hyland House Museum. (Photo: Pam Johnson / The Courier)

By Pam Johnson on Zip06.com on June 12, 2019

GUILFORD — “When we did the first Juneteenth last year, the first question we asked the audience was, ‘How many people know what Juneteenth is?’” recalls Stephanie Little Brown. “Now this was in a crowd of about 80 adults. Probably eight hands went up. That’s through no fault of their own—they didn’t know what they didn’t know. But that just solidified, for me, how important it is to keep this going. Because if you don’t know your history, you are going to be doomed to repeat it.” Continue reading.

National Recognition for Witness Stones in Teaching Tolerance

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Photo Credit: Shana Sureck and Ian Christmann from Teaching Tolerance Magazine

Please read the feature article, “Bearing Witness” by Jenifer Frank, in the Spring 2019 issue of Teaching Tolerance:

Hana started her school paper with a description of Guilford’s town green—and for good reason. The beautiful, centuries-old space is the hub of this Connecticut coastal community. Residents like Hana, who attends Adams Middle School in Guilford, stroll beneath its shade trees, browse at the quaint shops on its perimeter and gather there for the town’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting. Continue Reading.

Teaching Tolerance is on a mission is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. They provide free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use their materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. The program emphasizes social justice and anti-bias.

Remembrance Deferred

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By Yonatan Greenberg in the New Journal at Yale on February 16, 2018.

Guilford, a town of twenty-thousand half an hour north of New Haven, is a place that loves its past. There are three historical societies, and in the town center, by the chocolatier and tea shop, historical markers nearly outnumber street signs. A lone soldier stands at the center of the town green, looming over the dog walkers and families. Tall and imposing, with a musket by his side, he is the centerpiece of an 1877 memorial dedicated to the town’s Civil War veterans. Until recently, there was no such memorial for the town’s slaves, who are buried beneath him. In Connecticut, slavery dates back to the mid-1600s, and though it’s hard to know when it reached Guilford, by the late 1700s there were around fifty slaves living there. For all that Guilford loves to remember, until not long ago, their slaves had been forgotten. Continue reading.

Emancipation of Candace by Hooker Bartlett

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Emancipation of Candace by Hooker Bartlett et al

Guilford Grantor – Grantee Property Records

Volume 14, page 233 (Transcribed)

 

Hooker Bartlet, (et al) Their Letter of 

Emancipation to Their Negro Girl Candace

 

To all People to whome these Presents shall come Greeting

Know ye that we the Subscribing Authority being apply’d to by Hooker

Bartlet Samuel Bartlet Nathaniel Bartlet & John Elliot Jun’r all of 

Guilford the County of New Haven & State of Connecticut do Exam-

Ine into the State of Health and age of their Negro Servant & Slave

Candice as also her Disposition Respecting being made free do Certify

that an Actual Examination the said Candace is in good Health and is 

not of Greater Age than forty five years or less age Twenty five 

Years and is desirous of being made free ————————-

 

Given under our Hands & Seals in said Guilford this 18th

Day of January Anno Domini 1793

Tho’s Burgis Jun’r (Seal) Justices of the Peace

    for the County 

William Starr       (Seal) of New Haven

 

Know all men by these Presents that we Hooker Bartlet Samuel Bartlet

Nath’l Bartlet and Jon Elliot Jun’r all of Guilford in New Haven

County and State of Connecticut being Jointly & Severally Masters and 

And owners of a certain Negro Woman Named Candace a Slave for life

Impowered for the Purpose by one certain Statute law of said State Intitled

an Act in addition to an alteration of an act concerning Indian Mulattos

& Negro Servants & Slaves having thus far conformed to the Act and Previous-

Ly obtained a Certificate from under the Hands of two of the Civil authority

Within and for s’ County as required by said Act Now we the said Hooker

Bartlet Samuel Bartlet Nathaniel Bartlet and John Elliot Jun’r

do by this present writing or letter of Emancipation from the date

Of these presents forever hereafter Emancipate and make free our said Negro

Woman Candace and for our Selves our Heirs Executors & Administrators do

renounce give up and forever Quitclaim all right and Title to the whole or 

any part of her Services & Earnings Emoluments also all right to Control the person of

her the said Candace Either directly or indirectly in any matter whatever. And 

furthermore we the said Hooker Samuel Nath’l & John for ourselves our Heirs

Executors Administrators and assigns do Covenant & Grant to and with the 

Said Candace her Executors Administrators and assigns that the s’d Candace her

Executors Administrators & assigns shall & may from Time to Time and at all 

Times hereafter Lawfully Peaceably & Quietly have hold receive take and enjoy

To her & their own proper use & behoof the advantage of all her S’d Services

Earnings and Emoluments and all or any the Proceeds & Profits thereof with out

Let trouble Molestation or Interruption of or by us the said Hooker Bartlet Samuel

Bartlet Nathaniel Bartlet John Elliot Junior our Executors Adm’r  or assigns or 

(Any others Persons or Persons whatsoever Lawfully claiming from by or under us)  or any of us or by

any or either of our Acts means or procurements — In Witness whereof we have here-

Unto Set our Hands & Seals this 18th Day of January Anno Domini 1798

Signed in the presence of Hooker Bartlet (seal)

William Starr {Rec’d for record Jan’y 19th 1793   } Samuel Bartlet (seal)

Joseph Cruttenden {& is truly Entered –       } John Elliott Jun’r (seal)

Nathaniel Graves Jun’r {Test. Tho’s Burgis Jun’r Jun’r Reg’} Nathaniel Bartlet (seal)

 

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