"People of Colour"
in Vermont &
New England
Although my interest is primarily centered on
Westminster, Windham Co., Vermont,
this section has been expanded to include other localities as well.
INDEX
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SIMEON SANKEE
A colored citizen was a
conspicuous character in town [Claremont
NH] for many years
succeeding 1832. He was a barber and kept a small shop where he dispensed
cakes, custards, candy, nuts, and ice cream in the warm seasons. He had a
poetic turn, and displayed his talent in this direction in advertising his
business. In the "National Eagle" of 1835, he introduced himself in
this wise:
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Look, gentiles! I'm Simeon
Sankee!
I shave in shine or rain;
Scissors! If I suit not each Yankee,
I'll shave him o'er again
~~~~~~~~~~
Insert on his accomplishments as
a "tonsorial artist"
~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Sankee may be found during
shaving hours, at this office, opposite Steven's Hotel, where he will attend
to the calls of his customers.
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Simeon Sankee died in 1861 at
Morristown, Vermont
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From: "The History of the
Town of Claremont,
N.H.
1764-1894," p. 462
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Introduction
The purpose of
this page is to begin to bring together some of the data that is available on
"persons of colour" who have lived in Vermont. It is also a means of bringing together those that
are searching for their ancestors so that they can share information.
In the vital
records of Vermont, sometimes, but not always, some notation is given
as to the "color" of the person(s) being recorded. Most often the
terms "coloured" or "person of colour" were used and on
occasion, "black man." It appears that these entries were used for
both black men and Indians and I suspect a few Frenchmen. Because of the
interchange of terms and the looseness by which they were used, research on
these families is often difficult, and we hope that this will serve as a useful
tool in helping to find and identify your family.
If you have
information to be shared, please
contact me.
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Burial of an Unknown Black Man
On
top of a hill known as "The Pinnacle," in Westminster West, Windham County, Vermont lies a lonely yet long
remembered grave. It consists of 2 field stones, as head and foot stones,
with a mound between. According to the oral history of the area, this is the
grave of a black slave.
May He Rest in Peace
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CENSUS
|
Westminster Census Summary by Year (1790-1850) |
|
Year |
Total |
Male |
Female |
Households |
|
1790 |
1 |
|
|
Chaffee – 1, Sage - 0 |
|
1800 |
7 |
|
|
Attwater-1, Avery-1,
Campbell-1, May-1, Richards-1, Sage-1, Upham-1 |
|
5 |
|
|
W. Tho. Skuylor
|
|
1810 |
? |
|
|
Not identified on the
1810 census shown online; in scanning of names of heads of households, no
names were recognized. |
|
1820 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
Bradley-1F, Clapp-1F,
Sage-1M, 1F, Willard-2M |
|
3 |
|
3 |
Jude Francis |
|
5 |
4 |
1 |
Jack Lee |
|
3 |
|
3 |
Susannah Reed |
|
1830 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
Bradley-1F, Clapp-2F,
Goodhue-1M, Hills-1F, May-1M, Sage-0 |
|
1840 |
4 |
|
4 |
May -1F, Ranney-1F, Ranney-1F, Sage-1F |
|
1850 |
? |
1 |
2 |
The enumerator did not
indicate race on the census. Three black persons have been recognized;
there may have been others. |
|
Note: No black
persons were ever recorded as being slaves in Westminster; all were
recorded as “free.” |
1790 Census: Slave Holders, Other
Free Persons and Slaves - Cheshire County - New Hampshire
with links to Vermont - Toni Feeney
& Joann Nichols
Census
Index of Persons listed as
Black or Mulatto in Windham County
1850-1880
African Americans in Vermont 1790 - 1870
- History Harvest Stories
Surnames
BROOKS,
CAMPBELL, CLARK, COOK, DOLBY, FARLEY or FODDY, FRANCIS, FREEMAN, FRISBIE, HUZZY, JACKSON,
LEE, LORD, Black MEROB, MORGAN, MUZZY, NORRINGTON, REED, SHELDON, SKUYLER, SMITH, THOMAS, THOMPSON, WHEELER,
WILLIAMS
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Black Nance
The Reverend Sylvester Sage went to Westminster, Windham Co.,
Vermont
to become the third settled minister in the Congregational Church there. He
began his ministry on 24 June
1790 and, except for two years, he preached there until 29 April 1838. He brought
with him a young woman called "Black Nance" or Nancy Freeman. It is
said that she lived with the Sage family as a servant for as long as Rev.
Sage was in Westminster.
Rev. Sage died on 21 Jan 1841.
It was said that Nancy
was a fine looking black woman with excellent manners, reliability, and
deportment. Each Sunday, she attended church and had her regular pew where
she sat with "pious decorum." Nance was born on 19 Dec 1784 in
Boston
MA in the family of Rev.
Mr. Freeman. Nance had a son named George Lord who was born in Westminster
11 June 1803.
It is believed that she died as Nancy Foddy on 17 Oct 1857 at age 73. She was
found dead by the roadside in Westminster.
Her son was then a servant in the family of Rev. Sylvester Sage.
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FRISBIE
"coloured person" who died 20 Apr 1812 in Westminster VT |
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Black MEROB
Black Merob had a child who died on 17 Jul 1848 in Westminster VT |
Some
Vermont Families
MONTGOMERY
BROOKS was born
ca1800. He married EUNICE REED. Resided
Alstead
NH, Rockingham VT
and
Westminster
VT.
Children: Thaddeus, William H.,
James, and perhaps, Martha. Montgomery was a Brothertown/Narragansett
Indian via his mother Sally Potter, dau of Sampson Potter.
Information submitted by Ray
H. Brooks, grandson of below mentioned, Nathan
Brooks
1901 NEW YORK INDIANS KANSAS CLAIM
Filed by NATHAN BROOKS and his two sisters ELLEN (PERRY) (BROOKS)
ROBERTS and CLARA G. (SCOTT) (BROOKS) (THOMAS); all their children are listed.
Also listed is MONTGOMERY BROOKS as BROTHERTOWN/ NARRAGANSET, via his mother
SALLY POTTER, and lists his wife EUNICE REED as a NARRAGANSET Indian.
HISTORY & ARCHEOLOGY OF THE MONTAUK, Volume III, 2nd Edition, by Gaynell
Stone
Includes a tribal roll which lists Nathan L.Brooks, as well as his sister
Ellen (Brooks) Roberts as a deceased Montauk, and her husband Perry who was
adopted into the tribe and all her children. Note: Information
received from Caroline Andler of the Wisconsin BROTHERTOWN Indians.
CAMPBELL, see
FRANCIS
ELIAS
DOLBY married ASENATH COOK.
He may have been the Elias Dolby
who lived in Cabot, Caledonia Co. in 1830
ASENATH (COOK) DOLBY lived in Westminster
in 1850. She lived to be about 100 years old, dying of old age in 1857.
According to her death record she was born in North Carolina and according
to the census, she was born in New York. Wife of Elias Dolby
CHARLES DOLBY lived in Putney, Walpole and
Winchester. Charles was a blacksmith. Perhaps son of Elias and
Asenath (Cook) Dolby.
RICHARD FRANCIS.
Resided Surry NH and Westminster VT. He married
JUDITH/JUDE CAMPBELL. Jude was listed on the 1820 census of
Westminster.
NANCY
FREEMAN, born 1784 Boston, resided Westminster with the family of Sylvester Sage. Nancy had son GEORGE LORD born ca1803. She married JOSEPH
HUZZY of Chester in 1806.
NANCY FREEMAN SANKEE, age 20, b. VT,
mulatto, living with Cato Freeman, age 94, b. VT, black; Rosa Freeman, age 60,
b. VT, mulatto. (1860 Census: Chelsea, Orange Co., VT. See also,
Simeon Sankee.
FRISBIE,
see above.
JOSEPH
HUZZY of
Chester married NANCY FREEMAN of Westminster.
JOHN "JACK" LEE.
Jack and his wife JENNIE lived in Westminster,
where they are listed on the 1820 census. Jack died 22 or 23 Dec 1824 in
Westminster.
GEORGE LORD. Son
of Nancy Freeeman, born 1803.
GEORGE
LORD married LIZZIE (SANKEE)
BROOKS ca1885. He seems to be associated with Rutland and Westminster.
Black MEROB,
see above.
LYMAN
D. MORGAN married perhaps ANNA
SMITH (born Baltimore).
Mrs.
NORRINGTON lived in Westminster and was a cook for Mrs. George Holland of
Walpole NH. She was the wife of ARTHUR NORRINGTON.
Descendants of Daniel Potter by Caroline K. Andler
EUNICE REED, see
Montgomery Brooks.
SUSANNAH READ.
Listed on 1820 census of Westminster
Simeon Sankee
married
Nancy Freeman,
1820-1830 in Montpelier, Washington Co., VT (Town
Clerk Records).
SIMEON SANKEE,
age 58, b. NH, mulatto, barber, boarding with John B. Pike (1860 Census,
Chelsea, Orange Co., VT).
Simon Sanke
--- Living in Poor House, age, 76, b. NH, black, pauper, (1850 Census of
Gilmanton, Belknap Co., NH); Simeon Sanky --- Living in Poor House, age
77, b. NH, black, pauper (1860 Census of Laconia, Belknap Co., NH).
SARAH SHELDON, died 19
Sep 1817 in Westminster.
W. THOMAS SKUYLER.
Thomas was listed as a head of household on the 1800 census of Westminster, with
5 persons in household, including him. One Thomas Schuyler, black, lived
in Albany NY in 1820 and 1830.
TIMOTHY SMITH, had a
dau, ALMIRA SMITH, who died 14 Mar 1813 in
Westminster.
AMOS
L. WILLIAMS had a son by ANNA
SMITH, named Amos Henry Williams born 1872.
CATO
WILLIAMS (ca1820) married EUNICE
LANGLEY. Son James H. Williams.
Family
Data Bases
Do
you have a data base to link or add to this page?
Researchers
Resources
Books & Articles
- "Vermont's Adopted Sons and Daughters" by Sharon Carbonti Davis.
Vermont Historical Society, April 1963, pp. 122-127. Includes information on Reverend
Lemuel Hayes, Sister St. Mary Magdalen of the Congregation of
Notre Dame, Prince Saunders, Abijah Prince, Lucy (Terry) Prince, and Jack
York.
- "William J. Anderson: Shoreham's Negro
Legislator in the Vermont House of Representatives" by Elsie Adams. Vermont Historical Society, Fall
1976, pp. 203-213. Vermont's first Negro Legislator in the
Vermont House of Representatives.
- "The Redeemed Captive Returning to
Zion" by John Williams. Reprint: Ann Arbor,
University Microfilms, Inc., a subsidiary of Xerox Corp.; blue bound, March
of America Facsimile Series, Number 34.
- "Martin H. Freeman of Rutland,
America's First Black College Professor and Pioneering Black Social
Activist" by Russell W. Irvine, Ph.D. Rutland Historical Society
Quarterly, Vol. XXVI, No. 3, 1996.
- "The History of the Black Population of
Amherst, Massachusetts 1728 - 1870" by James Avery Smith (NEH&GS).
- "Black Families of Hamden, County, Massachusetts 1650 - 1855" by Joseph Carvalho III (NEH&GS).
- "Black Roots in Southeastern Connecticut 1650-1900."
- "Free Negro Heads of Families in the
United States in 1830" by Carter G. Woodson, Ph.D.
-
Historical Societies
- Rutland Vermont Library and Historical Society, contact Jim Davidson re Black history.
Web Links
Alexander Twilight "...the first African American to receive a
college degree at an American institution (Middlebury College, 1823). ......."
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People of Colour in Vermont & New England by Rachel V. Duffalo, © Copyright
1999, 2007
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Page last updated
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