Wilton Historical Society Presents Enslaved Black Residents and Their Descendants: Five Lives from Wilton's Past, A Talk by Dr. Julie Hughes on Saturday, February 5 2:00 – 3:00 on Zoom
A Black History Month Presentation by the Wilton Historical Society
Wilton's first Black residents were enslaved by many of the same families whose names now define our streets, topography, and historic buildings, including the Cannons, Lamberts, Abbotts, Beldens, Raymonds, Keelers, and Marvins. We rarely know more than a name and perhaps a baptismal date, or sometimes a sale price, for these earliest enslaved peoples. Locating even these scant records – much less tracing the lives of specific individuals – is extremely challenging. Dr. Julie Hughes has conducted extensive original research and brought to light some remarkable findings for the Wilton Historical Society with the help of grant funding from the Elizabeth Raymond Ambler Trust. The lives of the few who do stand out despite the flaws in the historical record – because of their own determination, their charisma, or thanks to the capacity of bureaucracies for producing and retaining paperwork – tell fascinating, infuriating, and inspiring stories of how Black Wiltonians continually advocated for themselves (with a little help from their neighbors) from the 1700s through the early 1900s. Dr. Hughes will present fascinating information in her lecture “Enslaved Black Residents and Their Descendants: Five Lives from Wilton's Past” on Saturday, February 5 from 2:00 – 3:00 on Zoom, a Black History Month Presentation by Wilton Historical. The focus will be on Philes, aka Gin (Abbott Family); Jane Manning James (Abbott Family); Charles D. King (Lambert Family); Susan Dullivan and Charlotte Gilmore.
Julie Hughes earned her PhD in South Asian history from the University of Texas at Austin. She taught at Vassar College and Queens College and is the author of “Animal Kingdoms” (Harvard University Press, 2013). Since moving to the Wilton area, she has become interested in local history. She is now archivist at the Wilton History Room and has worked on history projects with the Wilton Historical Society, Ambler Farm, and the G&B Cultural Center. Her most recent work for Wilton Historical was research for the 2020 on-line exhibition Citizens at Last: Hannah Ambler, Grace Schenck and the Vote (available 24/7 at www.wiltonhistorical.org) as well as her talk “Caring for the Vote: Mothers and Suffragists in Wilton, Connecticut”.
Please register: info@wiltonhistorical.org Suggested donation $10 A Zoom link will be sent to you the day before the event.
The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897 www.wiltonhistorical.org