Slavery – Digital Farmington

A Brief Bio of Peter Tusco, a “Spanish Indian” of Southington

July 27, 2021 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 2 comments

AUTHOR: Katherine Hermes Peter Tusco died in Southington, Connecticut in 1767 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. His origins are not known, but in the probate records, he is identified as a Spanish Indian. He was probably an indigenous person from someplace in the Spanish territories, such as Florida. New England colonists considered Spanish Indians lawful captives under the presumption that they had been enslaved under the laws of New Spain. The desire for captive labor motivated colonial wars…

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“According to the writing:” Richard Negro of Farmington

November 10, 2019 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 2 comments

Author: Lisa Johnson Richard Negro was a captive Black man who lived and worked in Farmington during the early years of the 18th century. Richard may have been typical of many enslaved people who resisted their captivities and actively worked for their own emancipation. Richard, also known as Dick, was owned by Thomas Hart and his son Josiah, both residents of the village of Farmington. His birth date and origin are unknown. The first record of him in 1714 describes…

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Slavery, Liberty, and Revolutionary Connecticut

February 27, 2018 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 0 Comment

Author: Ryan Paolino An enslaved man refused to work further and upon his master’s inspection lashed out with a knife. The slave killed his former master and wounded the master’s son in the cheek. Both the son and mistress escaped without further harm. The Connecticut Journal, as well as the New-Haven Post-Boy, reported that the captive stole the knife and an ax as he escaped into the woods. In 1767 the colony was eight years away from the beginning of…

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The 1776 Election of Hartford’s Black Governor

January 22, 2018 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 0 Comment

Author: Chris Menapace From 1749 to 1855, Black communities around Connecticut elected leaders, named “Black Governors.” Little information is available on the men who held the title of Black Governor, but there is evidence of at least 27 individuals from 11 different towns, including Farmington. This position of leadership among free and enslaved black people was not unique to Connecticut. Black Governors, sometimes referred to as Black Kings, were elected in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; yet Connecticut had…

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The Service of Africans from Connecticut in the American Revolution

December 26, 2017 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 2 comments

Author: Kenneth Neal The American Revolutionary War era is consistently at the forefront of the consciousness of Americans, whether in touting the contributions of the founding fathers, or boldly asserting rights promised by the Constitution. The present day development of American Revolutionary War consciousness has been shaped by a selective use of the historical written record from the American Revolution that has devoted considerable attention to the subjects of the ‘Founding Fathers’ and ‘Rights’. A recent collaboration of a number…

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A Glimpse into Farmington’s Past: The Charlotte Cowles Letters

May 13, 2016 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 0 Comment

Author: Garrett Coady Farmington, Connecticut had been a New England hub for evangelical abolition during the decade of 1835 and 1845. Farmington had established an anti-slavery society in 1836 that was initiated around abolitionist reform and evangelical revival. One of the Farmington Anti-Slavery Society’s founding members had been Horace Cowles. Horace and his wife, Mary Anne Steele Smith Cowles had a large family. Among their ten children was their daughter Charlotte Cowles. During the heart of the Farmington abolitionist movement,…

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Charlotte Cowles: Writing Herself into History

May 10, 2016 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 1 comment

Author: Regan Miner Charlotte Cowles (1821-1866) lived in Farmington, Connecticut during an extremely polarizing time. During the 1830s, Farmington was grappling with the divisive issue of abolitionism; many people in town were either indifferent to or opposed to changes to the current gradual emancipation legislation. There was a significant minority of influential and wealthy citizens who favored abolitionism. Many abolitionists in Farmington were members of the same social and familial networks. Numerous members of Charlotte’s extended family were abolitionists, such…

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Selah Hart: Saint and Sinner

May 9, 2016 Dr. Katherine Hermes Comments 2 comments

Author: Christopher Menapace In 1777, Selah Hart was sitting in prison, captured by British forces in battle, while at the same time his slave Pharaoh was attacking General Howe’s British forces in Germantown, Pennsylvania. These two men were fighting for America’s freedom, yet only one of them was free. Born in Farmington, Connecticut in 1732 to Nathaniel Hart and Abigail Hooker, Selah Hart was raised in a wealthy and prominent family. The Harts were influential members of their community, so…

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