African American Burial Sites in New England from Colonial Times through the Early Twentieth Century

For most of New England’s history, African Americans have been present. Their history here begins as far back as at least 1629, when enslaved Africans were brought to Massachusetts, African Americans subsequently making significant contributions at all levels of society from colonial times down to the present. Their early history, however, was often denied or forgotten altogether by White scholars who were anxious to keep the issues of slavery and racism under wraps, either uncomfortable or unwilling to acknowledge that it was part of the region’s heritage. But now, that history is being retold by a modern generation of scholars, with new aspects being researched and recovered every year. Indeed, it is not just Black history that is being brought to light, but American history as a whole that is being more comprehensively explored, examined, and, yes, taught.

At first glance to many, the evidence of African American history in the landscape of New England seems to be lacking. In some larger towns and cities, like Boston, Portland, or Hartford, historic Black churches can be found, but in many smaller communities, the historical evidence of a Black presence is seemingly lacking. Or is it? In fact, it is in the region’s many burial grounds and cemeteries, both big and small, that New England’s African American history comes alive. Though it may take a little time and some simple research to discover where these sites may be found, there are many resources to turn to and the results are well worth the effort.

The earliest known burial places for African Americans were in those segregated spaces on private property designated by White slave owners as slave burial grounds or cemeteries. While many such sites have been lost to development over the years, some remain to tell the story of the institution of slavery that was once so prevalent. Most of those remaining are to be found, although often inaccessible, in Rhode Island, the largest of the slave-holding states in the region, where slavery was practiced on a large scale similar to that of the plantation-style economy of the South. But they can be found in other states, too. These early cemeteries for enslaved people are usually distinguished by their simple fieldstone markers that have no writing on them to give the identity of the person buried there. The Langdon Slave Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, hidden in plain sight, offers an excellent example of this type of cemetery, established by one of the state’s most influential early families. No records for cemeteries of this type are usually kept, and so the identities of the deceased here are largely unknown. Among the occupants are Hannah, who was bought by the family in 1716, and Pomp, purchased in 1743. These are just two of the enslaved people held by the Langdon family.

Outside of Rhode Island, most of those enslaved were held in much smaller numbers and groupings. Wealthy individuals, including judges, farmers, merchants, and even ministers, who were amongst the largest group of slave owners in colonial America, might hold a single person, or perhaps two or three, in bondage. These individuals were sometimes buried in family cemeteries without an identifying marker, but many were buried in the town burying grounds and cemeteries that were established in every community in New England. Sometimes, as was the tradition in Boston, they were buried close by the burial sites of their masters, and sometimes even within the same family tomb. In many areas, however, segregated spaces within (usually in a far rear section or corner) or adjacent to the town burial ground were set aside for people of color, whether enslaved or free. Of course, town cemeteries usually grew in size down through the years, and a space that was once the rear of the cemetery, over the years became seemingly integrated with the passage of time and changing attitudes. However, an examination of the dates of surrounding gravestones usually reveals the fact that this process took decades to evolve.

Interesting early examples of segregated burials include the graves for Primus (died 1731), a “free Negro,” and Quash Gomer (died 1799), described on his gravestone as “a Native of Angola,” in the African section of the Ancient Burying Ground in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Further north, in Princeton, Massachusetts, there may be found in the Meetinghouse Cemetery the finely carved stones for Flova (died 1778), a “Negro woman Servant,” and Thomas (died 1783), a “negro man servant,” both enslaved by Moses Gill. No matter where one may go to see these sites, the one aspect that will jump out to the viewer is the word “servant” inscribed on the stones, a euphemism for the term “slave,” and perhaps a sign of the conflicted morals of New England slave owners.

By far the most prominent example of the early segregated spaces is God’s Little Acre Burial Ground, adjacent to the Common Burying Ground in Newport, Rhode Island. This site is the most significant African American historical site in New England, and one of the most important in all of America, for here are the documented burial sites for about 250 people of color, many enslaved, who lived before 1800. It is a stunning site to visit for several reasons, the most notable being the large number of inscribed gravestones found here that serve to document these early Black lives. Several were carved by an enslaved man named Pompe Stevens, the only known African American stonecutter in New England, while others feature faces with distinctly Black features, the most important and touching being the dual gravestone for Phillis Stevens and her infant son, Prince (died 1773). Once seen, it will never be forgotten. Among the others buried here are Fisherman Cahoone (died 1760), Violet, “the wife of Cape Coast James” (died 1772), and Kedindo Pero, who kept his African name, and his son Adam (died 1748–1749). Whether you visit God’s Little Acre in person, or study the pictures of these gravestones from afar, your perspective on New England history will forever be changed by doing so.

The tradition of segregation within burial grounds was carried on in many locales in New England after the American Revolution and continued well into the twentieth century. In the African American section (once called the “Colored Ground”) of Portland, Maine’s Eastern Cemetery, there may be found the grave of Revolutionary War soldier Lewis Shepard (died 1833), while even in Vermont, where African American burial sites are less prevalent due to the population size, there is the African American section found at the rear of the River Street Cemetery in Woodstock. It is the final resting place for, among others, Civil War veterans Austin and James Hazard. Indeed, even the successful conclusion of the Civil War did not result in an end for segregated burials in New England, as is proven in Hartford, Connecticut’s Old North Cemetery. Here was established a section for Black veterans, many of whom served in the Black regiments raised by the state to join in the fight to end slavery.

Finally, while many African American burial spaces have been lost or deliberately destroyed over time, several have been reclaimed and commemorated over the years in ways big and small. In Washington, Connecticut, the Old Judea Cemetery has a simple cast iron marker that reads “Jeff Liberty and his colored Patriots,” likely erected in the early twentieth century, while in Plymouth, Massachusetts, there is the modern granite monument erected at the Parting Ways Cemetery in memory of “Four Negro Slaves” who were given the land on which the cemetery is located in return for their Revolutionary War service. The most notable example, perhaps, of these spaces to be commemorated is the African Burying Ground Memorial Park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Since colonial days many enslaved and free Blacks were buried on this site, which eventually was taken over by urban growth and destroyed. When remains were discovered by utility workers in 2003, this led to preservation efforts that resulted in the reestablishment of the burying ground as a historic site in 2015. This site, and many others that have been reclaimed or are being reexamined in ongoing initiatives, are exciting examples of the Black history that can be discovered in New England all around us, if only we care to look for it.

Glenn A. Knoblock is the author of more than fifteen books on topics in American history. His recent publications include African American Historic Burial Grounds and Gravesites of New England (McFarland & Company, 2015) and The American Clipper Ship, 1845–1920: A Comprehensive History, with a Listing of Builders and Their Ships (McFarland & Company, 2014). He is a leading military contributor to both the print and online editions of African American National Biography, a joint project of Harvard and Oxford University Press.