Slavery in Northampton, 1654 to 1783
A Zoom Presentation with Emma Winter Zeig and Shara Denson
A Zoom Presentation with Emma Winter Zeig and Shara Denson
In the 129 years from the English settlement of Northampton in 1654 to the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1783, fifty or more men, women, and children were enslaved in Northampton. Their stories illuminate how enslavers in Northampton exerted power over the lives of the people they enslaved, but also the ways that enslaved people took back control over their lives, gaining their freedom, starting families, managing careers, and amassing property.
For three years (2019-2021), the Slavery Research Project consisted of a team of staff, interns, and scholars who combed through every available record to identify those who were enslaved and to learn as much as possible about their lives and the lives of their children. Shara Denson, Historic Northampton trustee and project advisor, will introduce the Project. Emma Winter Zeig, director of Historic Northampton’s Slavery Research Project, will highlight stories of people who this project shed new light on, describe the challenges of researching slavery, and introduce the web portal where the results of the study are available. You can access it here:
For three years (2019-2021), the Slavery Research Project consisted of a team of staff, interns, and scholars who combed through every available record to identify those who were enslaved and to learn as much as possible about their lives and the lives of their children. Shara Denson, Historic Northampton trustee and project advisor, will introduce the Project. Emma Winter Zeig, director of Historic Northampton’s Slavery Research Project, will highlight stories of people who this project shed new light on, describe the challenges of researching slavery, and introduce the web portal where the results of the study are available. You can access it here:
Bess' death recorded in First Church of Christ Records, Forbes Library.
Emma Winter Zeig directed the Historic Northampton Slavery Research Project. In 2019, she earned an MA in History and a certificate in Public History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She worked at Historic Northampton from 2019-2022.
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Shara Denson is a trustee of Historic Northampton and project advisor. She is Human Resources Business Partner for Student Affairs & Campus Life, College of Education, College of Humanities & Fine Arts and Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Header image: “Amos S[on] of Amos Negro”: Baptismal record for Amos Hull Jr., September 15, 1754, First Church of Christ records, Forbes Library. The Slavery Research Project found that Amos Hull Sr. was enslaved and later became free. He owned livestock and paid for goods at the local store by mowing and threshing grain. He had a wife and five children, one of whom (Agrippa Hull) served in the American Revolution.