AFRICAN AMERICAN ANCIENT GRAVES

Hartford, CT – Ancient Burying Ground – I was walking through the burying ground and came upon this gravestone. Even though it has a death head on it I think that it is a recent stone. I don’t think the term “African Americans” was used in the 18th century. What caught my eye was “Five Black Governors”. I Googled the term and found out that African American slaves in New England elected their own Governor or King. These Governors were local leaders in their community and were often slaves of influential people in white society. The first black governor was London, a slave of Captain Thomas Seymour. He was elected in Hartford in 1755. The last black governor in Connecticut was Wilson Weston who served as governor in the town of Seymour in 1856.

It was thought that Connecticut supported the elections because it was a way to make sure that the African American population conformed to the colonies rules and regulations. If a black governor was responsible for carrying out punishment on his fellow citizens, the threat to the colonies authority was minimized.

Info from: Connecticut State Library