Category: Black Indigenous History & Genealogy
Isaac Mason’s Escape Site Joins the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
A Legacy of Self-LiberationIn May 2025, the U.S. National Park Service named the Isaac Mason Escape Site to its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, one of only 31 new listings nationwide. This is a powerful acknowledgment of the courage of Isaac Mason, a man born enslaved in Kent County who self-emancipated from slavery and later published his story here in Worcester, MA in … Continue reading Isaac Mason’s Escape Site Joins the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
Slavery did Exist in New England
Slavery did exist here, both Africans and Indigenous peoples were enslaved. Written records online can be difficult to find though paper trails exist throughout the 6 states. Below are some statistics. Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont New Hampshire Maine Massachusetts 1754 Slave Census in Massachusetts In 1754, Governor William Shirley had ordered that an enumeration of all enslaved individuals, both male and female, over the age … Continue reading Slavery did Exist in New England
Reconstructing Family Trees Post-Emancipation
3 Key Steps After the 1870 Census After the Civil War, once enslaved Black families began to appear in U.S. federal records by name for the first time. The 1870 census is the earliest point where formerly enslaved people were recorded in a standardized, accessible way. That makes it a starting line for many researchers building African American family trees. But finding someone in 1870 … Continue reading Reconstructing Family Trees Post-Emancipation
Unraveling the Samuels and Christophers in the Vickers line
This post keeps auto-posting mostly because I keep pushing it aside. So I’m just going to let it post. I started this excel doc many years ago and I am certain that much more information can be added to it. Enjoy! Continue reading Unraveling the Samuels and Christophers in the Vickers line
The Murder of a Nipmuc in Vermont
William Wallace Murcommuck was a Nipmuc/Narragansett basket maker and musician and lived in an abandoned building in East Elmore, Vermont with his wife Hattie for about a year before his death. He was known to folks in the Worcester/Calais/Elmore area having lived there once before. His wife Hattie was an 18-year-old white woman said to be pretty and refined.[1] Friday, January 2, 1880 – The … Continue reading The Murder of a Nipmuc in Vermont
David Munnalaw, also known as my 9th great-grandfather
David Munnalaw, sometimes spelled Munnunaw, lived among the people of Hassanamesit long before King Philip’s War erupted in the Dawnland. His life was one of complexity and contradiction, embodying the difficult choices faced by many Indigenous people during that time. He was born at Wamesit (now called Lowell) about 1645 and was part of a group of Pawtucket people who lived in Okommakamesit – now … Continue reading David Munnalaw, also known as my 9th great-grandfather
Cheryll Toney Holley 