Historic New England’s Recovering New England’s Voices scholars have already uncovered more than 580 previously unknown stories in the past two years and their work is ongoing. We share the following stories as we continue our commitment to telling a fuller more complex New England history.
Meet David Chesnut, a coachman at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Mass., who later became a career chauffeur, invested in nearby real estate, and raised a family. Learn more about Chesnut.
Cicero was one of at least three Black servants at Bowman House in Dresden, Maine, along with Boston and Dinah. Documentation suggests that Cicero and Boston were enslaved by Jonathan Bowman. Cicero ran away in 1775 probably to join the Continental Army and fight in the Revolution. This runaway notice was published on November 16, 1775. It provides a detailed description of Cicero and the clothes he was wearing when he ran away from Bowman House.
What court records can reveal
Read an article in Historic New England magazine about a conspiracy uncovered in Essex County Quarterly Court documents that involved an enslaved Black man called James who escaped from the household of Richard Dole.
Sharing stories through Rhode Island Slave History Medallion
Casey Farm in Saunderstown was one of many Rhode Island plantations that used people of Indigenous and African descent to care for crops and animals and handle domestic duties. Read more about enslaved people and their legacy at Casey Farm on the RISHM website.
Property ownership
In 1670 Zipporah Potter Atkins became the first black woman on record to buy a house and land in colonial Boston. Read more about this remarkable discovery in an article in Historic New England magazine.
JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and artist/educator Richard Haynes Jr. discuss their work with Historic New England to tell the stories of Ona Judge and Cyrus Bruce at Langdon House in Portsmouth, N.H.
Nancy Whipple Grinnell, curator emerita of the Newport (R.I.) Art Museum, presents a program on Edward M. Bannister, his upbringing, his marriage to Christiana Carteaux, and the challenges he faced as a Black artist.
Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, American historian and Harriet Tubman scholar, speaks about Tubman—the woman, warrior, soldier, activist, and leader—and discusses why her story resonates so much today.
Through these stories and others, we invite you to join us in celebrating Black History Month. For more stories, check out a few portraits from our carte de visite collection and an online exhibition highlighting African American vacation destinations in New England.
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