It may be surprising, but there were at least 24 confirmed enslaved individuals in the town of Westford from 1730 to 1780. There is little in the historical record of these individuals and their lives, however some information has been compiled in an attempt to present what their life may have been like and to learn more about them.
Leslie Howard, President of the Westford Historical Society, received a grant from Freedom’s Way Partnership program through their Inclusive Storytelling track to research the life of Peggy who was enslaved by Joseph Hildreth, Jr. and the other enslaved individuals in town. She recorded a podcast at Westford CAT about some of her findings for Peggy, Cesar Bason, and York Hambleton.
The doll representation of Peggy is part of the Westford Women Doll Collection. You can view the rest of the collection here.
You can watch the podcast here:
To read the ebook Once Known: A History of Slavery in Westford Once Known_ A History of Slavery in Westford_11.1.23
To read the booklet Westford Taxation of Slave Owners by William Prescott Westford Taxation slaves WmPrescott
This project was generously funded by:
