Peggy
Peggy was a slave in Westford from the 18th century, here highlighted as one of the Westford Women Dolls. The first twelve dolls were made in the 1980s. They were made to highlight women’s history and civil rights within Westford.
The 1754 Slave Census counted 2,720 slaves in Massachusetts, with five counted in Westford, two of which owned by Rev. Willard Hall (1703-1779). While no record of Peggy’s birth or death exists, church records show Peggy was baptized in the First Parish Church in 1732. She was the servant of Westford’s Joseph Hildreth, Jr., who lived with his family near Minot’s Corner. Baptisms meant that she could receive Christian instruction and attend church services. However, she had to sit in the gallery or in a rear corner seat. Being a part of a Puritan household in New England, she wore used clothes, helped with family chores, and aided in the care of the Hildreth children.
Slavery was abolished in Massachusetts by 1783, thanks to three related court cases, according to mass.gov.
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