Ann Downing Bradstreet Will, 1713
The will of Ann Downing Bradstreet, including the emancipation of Hannah, her slave: “I give my Negro Hannah her freedom. The bed bedstead and bedding whereon she lyes- one pr of course (coarse) sheets four course napkins, two towels, a little iron pot, two old pewter basins, one pewter dish marked RET, one with out a brim, two iron candlesticks a warming pan and a doz. trenchers”
Petition to Stop Negro Election Day, 1768
Partial Transcription of Petition
A petition from nine of the slaveholders in town to add to the town meeting warrant that
Salem regulates the “great disorder usually happens among us on Election day by negroes….”
John Bassett's Manumission of Sampson, Lynn 1776
John Bassett’s manumission, setting Sampson free on the idea that “all Men are by Nature equally Free”
Salem Poor Manumission(1769), Enlistment Records(1777), Envelopes/Stamps(1975)
Salem Poor was a slave who purchased his freedom from his enslaver and later fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the revolutionary war. He was later publically acknowledged and celebrated in the 1970s.
William Bentley's Diary, 1817
Excerpt from William Bentley’s Diary (*see paragraph 3)
The diary of William Bentley which describes “the blowing up of a quarter deck .., the in Boston Harbour by the mad resentment of a black man because he was not allowed yesterday to go to election”
Black Celebration King Pompey of Lynn, 1830
Article Published in Columbian Centinal
Famous Abolitionists
Frederick Douglass and John Collins Removed from a Train, 1841
1st Excerpt from The Liberator
2nd Excerpt from The Liberator
Two excerpts from The Liberator recounting Frederick Douglass and John Collins getting removed from a train by “ruffians” and more attempts to get on trains
MA Bill for Railroad Equality, 1842
A Report Of The Joint Special Committee Regarding The Petition Of Francis Jackson And Others For A Law Securing To Colored Persons Equal Rights in Rail-Road Accommodation
Article About Charles Remond in The Liberator, 1842
Article Published in The Liberator
Poem Written by Charlotte Forten, 1856
Charlotte Forten Poem and Description
A poem written by Charlotte Forten, published in the Salem Register at Salem State College, read by Forten at the graduation ceremony of the Class of 1856
Equal School Rights Presentation Meeting, 1856
Presentation Meeting Proceedings
Hartford CT Excerpt of The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, 1882
Life And Times of Frederick Douglass Excerpt
Excerpt from Frederick Douglass’ autobiography documenting a prejudiced incident in a railroad car
Projects
Set at Liberty – Historic Beverly: A multi-part website comprised of information, primary sources, and stories regarding enslavement in Beverly, Massachusetts
Slavery and Freedom – Salem Maritime National Historic Site: A collection of primary sources, videos, information, and stories concerning slavery and emancipation in Salem, Massachusetts
Atlantic Black Box: A website that consists of stories, or logbooks, about enslavement in New England including Essex County
North Shore Freedom Cases: A database of lawsuits in which the cases refer to the lives of enslaved people and their freedom
Hidden in Plain Sight – North Parish Unitarian Universalist Church: A digital booklet that contains information concerning enslavement in Andover Massachusetts
Cape Ann Slavery and Abolition: A website that is comprised of the history of slavery and abolition in Cape Ann, Massachusetts
A Narrative of the Life and Travels of Mrs. Nancy Prince: Nancy Prince’s autobiography describes her life as a Black female abolitionist in the 19th century
Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Marblehead – Marblehead Museum: A webpage containing a variety of resources relating to slavery, abolition, and Black history in Marblehead, MA including an online database of free and enslaved people of color
1754 Massachusetts Slave Census – Primary Research: A database of primary sources that document slaves of towns in Massachusetts in 1754
Nancy Prince – National Park Service: An article about Nancy Prince’s life which also refers to her autobiography
Unfolding Histories – Cape Ann Museum: A digital database and website that houses primary sources related to enslavement and abolition as well as information on slavery in Cape Ann, Massachusetts
Climate Safe Neighborhoods: A website highlighting the role of race in climate change by utilizing GIS mapping to show connections between historic redlined neighborhoods in Haverhill, MA and Lawrence, MA and current-day climate issues
References
“1842 Massachusetts Senate Bill 0063: Bill for Railroad Equality: Report of The Joint Special Committee Regarding The Petition of Francis Jackson And Others for A Law Securing To Colored Persons Equal Rights in Rail-Road Accommodation.” 1842. Archives of Massachusetts.
“A Horrid Murder!.” Haverhill: Guardian of Freedom, February 19, 1795. Teaching Hidden Histories.
“Black Celebration King Pompey of Lynn.” Columbian Centinel, March 6, 1830, pg. 4.
“Diary of William Bentley: 1819.” Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1914.
Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.
Forten, Charlotte. “Valedictory Poem.” Salem Register, July 28, 1856. Salem State Archives, Salem, MA.
“Frederick Douglass and John Collins Removed from a Train.” The Liberator, October 8, 1841, pg 2. In Newspapers.com. Teaching Hidden Histories.
“From the Herald of Freedom: Charles Lenox Remond.” The Liberator, October 21, 1842, Page 166. In Newspapers.com.
“Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself. His Early Life as a Slave, His Escape from Bondage and His Complete History to the Present Time.” Hartford, CT: Park Publishing, 1882.
National Park Service. “Salem Poor.” Accessed December 20, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/people/salem-poor.htm.
“Petition to Stop Negro Election Day in Salem.” 1768. Salem State University Archives.
“Presentation Meeting, Held in Boston Dec. 17, 1855.” Boston, MA: R. F. Wallcut, 1856.
“Salem Poor Envelopes and 1 set of Stamps: ‘Contributors to the cause during the Revolution.” 1975. Teaching Hidden Histories.
“Salem Poor Manumission.” 1769. Peabody Essex Museum Phillips Library Archives.
“Salem Poor of Andover Enlistment Records.” 1777. In Fold3, Teaching Hidden Histories.
“John Bassett Manumission of Sampson.” 1776. Shared by Lynn Museum’s Untold Stories Exhibit, Peabody Essex Museum Phillips Library Archives.
The references for these sources contain as much information as was available to Essex Heritage at the time. Many of the sources used on this site are from a previous initiative, Teaching Hidden Histories. If you have any questions concerning a particular citation, feel free to contact us at info@essexheritage.org and we will do our best to assist you.
Additional Resources
National Park Service. “Self-Emancipation.” Accessed December 20, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/mava/learn/historyculture/self-emancipation.htm.
Massachusetts Historical Society. “The End of Slavery in Massachusetts.” Accessed December 20, 2023. https://www.masshist.org/features/endofslavery.
North Shore Slavery. “North Shore Slavery.” Accessed December 20, 2023. http://www.northshoreslavery.org/.
Cape Ann Slavery. “Cape Ann Slavery & Abolition.” Accessed December 20, 2023. https://capeannslavery.org/.
