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Emigration of free blacks from Farmington to Liberia
Farmington, Connecticut, the Colonization Society, and African American Periodicals

Farmington, Connecticut, the Colonization Society, and African American Periodicals

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Phebe Janes lived in Farmington, the wife of Elijah Janes (1758-1823), whom she married in 1791. She was the daughter of Fisher Gay (1735-1776) and Phebe Lewis (1735-1772). She was admitted to the church on Oct. 22, 1837, from Lansingborough, NY. She died at the age of 83 on Jan. 8, 1850. (Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 gives her age as 83.) (US Census, 1840 gives her birth year as 1767.) She was also a benefactor of the American Colonization Society. Phebe Janes left a…

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Free in Farmington: The Stories of Two Men Named Frank

Free in Farmington: The Stories of Two Men Named Frank

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Author: Tavvia Jefferson The history books are mostly silent about two free black men named Frank who lived in colonial Farmington. Christopher Bickford’s town history, Farmington in Connecticut, omits them entirely. Barbara Donahue’s book, Speaking for Ourselves: African American Life in Farmington, Connecticut is one of the few books to mention the men. There are no records documenting the dates of the births of either Frank, but there are probate records that provide glimpses into their lives.  In the probate records from 1698 and…

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“How to find Onepenny: Re-telling Connecticut’s Native History through Wongunk Genealogy”

“How to find Onepenny: Re-telling Connecticut’s Native History through Wongunk Genealogy”

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On May 25, 2018 Prof. Katherine Hermes, J.D., Ph.D. and Prof. Alexandra Maravel, J.D.  of Central Connecticut State University, New Britain sat down with Ronna Stuller on the public access television show, “Thinking Green,” to discuss their genealogical research on the Wongunk (Wangunk), the Native people who lived (and in some cases still do) along the Connecticut River from Hartford (Suckiog) in the South Meadows, Wethersfield (Pyquag), South Glastonbury (Nayaug), Middletown, Portland (Wongunk Meadows), Haddam and Thirty Mile Island, East Hampton, Killingly…

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The 1776 Election of Hartford’s Black Governor

The 1776 Election of Hartford’s Black Governor

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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

The Service of Africans from Connecticut in the American Revolution

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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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