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Page 1: Slavery in Connecticut: Venture Smith’s Remarkable Life · 2017. 8. 29. · enslaved people, Hannah was enslaved, too. Mumford sold Venture to Thomas Stanton. His new master lived

WhereILive:Connecticut

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SlaveryinConnecticut:VentureSmith’sRemarkableLife

Oneterribledayinabout1736,ayoungboy’slifewaschangedforever.TheboywasnamedBroteer.HelivedinDakandarrainWestAfrica(probablyintheareatodaycalledGhana.)Hisfatherwasaleaderofhisvillage.Onthatday,hisvillagewasattacked.Hisfatherwaskilled.Broteerwastakenandsoldintoslavery.Hewasaboutsixorsevenyearsold.AnAmericanslavetraderboughtBroteerforfourgallonsofrumandapieceofcalicocloth.Weknowhisstorybecausemanyyearslaterhepublisheditinaremarkablebook.Broteerwasgivenanewname:Venture.HewasputonashipforthelongvoyagetoAmerica.While

onboard,hegotsickwithsmallpox,butunlikemostwhogotthatdisease,hesurvived.WhenhearrivedinAmerica,hewassoldtoawhitemanfromRhodeIslandnamedGeorgeMumford.Thoughjustaboy,Venturehadtoworkhard.Hewasnotpaidforhiswork.Hewasconsideredhismaster’sproperty,likeacoworaplow.Heworkedwithabouta

Page 2: Slavery in Connecticut: Venture Smith’s Remarkable Life · 2017. 8. 29. · enslaved people, Hannah was enslaved, too. Mumford sold Venture to Thomas Stanton. His new master lived

WhereILive:Connecticut

©ConnecticutExplored,Inc. whereilivect.org

dozenotherenslavedpeople.Theyworkedonalargefarmthatraisedsheepanddairycows.Venturegrewtobeayoungman.HemarriedMeg.Megwasalsoenslaved.Venturetriedtorunawaytofreedom.ButMumfordputanoticeinthenewspaper.ThenoticedescribedVentureas“averytallfellow”with“thicksquareshoulders.”Venturewascaught.VentureandMeghadadaughternamedHannah.Asthedaughterofenslavedpeople,Hannahwasenslaved,too.MumfordsoldVenturetoThomasStanton.HisnewmasterlivedinStonington,Connecticut.Venturewasseparatedfromhisfamily.Slaveownersoftenseparatedenslavedfamilies.Thiswascruel.AyearlaterStantonpurchasedMeg.Venturewasreunitedwithhiswife,butHannahwasstillownedbyMumford.HeandMeghadtwomorechildren,namedSolomonandCuff.Oneday,VenturegotinthemiddleofanargumentbetweenMegandStanton’swife.StantonbeatVenture.HestolethemoneyVentureandMeghassavedtobuytheirfreedom.Venturecomplainedtothelocalauthorities.Buttheydidnothelphim.AfewyearslaterVenturewassoldawayfromhisfamilyagain.CaptainOliverSmith,aStoningtonmerchant,boughthim.SmithallowedVenturetoworkatotherjobsforpay.Venturecouldkeepsomeofthemoneyheearnedbuthadtogivesometohismaster.Venturewantedto

Page 3: Slavery in Connecticut: Venture Smith’s Remarkable Life · 2017. 8. 29. · enslaved people, Hannah was enslaved, too. Mumford sold Venture to Thomas Stanton. His new master lived

WhereILive:Connecticut

©ConnecticutExplored,Inc. whereilivect.org

earnenoughmoneytobuyhisfreedom.Hewantedtobuyhisfamily’sfreedomtoo.In1765,Venturereachedhisgoal.Hepurchasedhisfreedomandthenhisfamily’sfreedom.HetookOliverSmith’slastnameashisown.Ventureworkedharderthanever.Heworkedasasailoronawhalingship.Heworkedasafisherman.Hecutwood.In1770,Venturebought26acresoflandnexttoThomasStanton’sland.Hesoldthislandin1775andboughtapieceoflandinHaddamNeck.Withinafewyears,hehadboughtmorethan100acres.Hebroughthisfamilytogether.Hewasafarmer,fisherman,andtraderalongtheConnecticutRiverandtheeastendofLongIsland.Venturewasproudofhissuccess.Buthewasalsobitterabouttheinjusticeheandhisfamilyendured.Venturefoughtagainstslaveryuntilhediedin1805.HepurchasedfreedomforotherenslavedpeopleinConnecticut.HetoldhislifestoryinANarrativeoftheLifeandAdventuresofVenture,aNativeofAfrica,whichwaspublishedin1798.Itwasnearly20moreyearsbeforeConnecticutbegantoslowlyfreeitsenslavedpeoplewiththeGradualEmancipationActin1784.Inhisbookhewrote:…Butamidstallmygriefsandpains,Ihavemanyconsolations:Meg,thewifeofmyyouth,whomImarriedforloveandboughtwithmymoney,isstillalive.Myfreedomisaprivilegewhichnothingelsecanequal.NotwithstandingallthelossesIhavesufferedbyfire,bytheinjusticeofknaves,bycrueltyofmyowncountrymenwhomIhaveassistedandredeemedfrombondage,Iamnowpossessedofmorethanonehundredacresofland,andthreehabitabledwelling

Page 4: Slavery in Connecticut: Venture Smith’s Remarkable Life · 2017. 8. 29. · enslaved people, Hannah was enslaved, too. Mumford sold Venture to Thomas Stanton. His new master lived

WhereILive:Connecticut

©ConnecticutExplored,Inc. whereilivect.org

houses.ItgivesmejoytothinkthatIhaveandthatIdeservesogoodacharacter,especiallyfortruthandintegrity.

VentureSmithleftanimportanthistoricalrecord.TodayhislifeiscelebratedinEastHaddamattheannualVentureSmithDayinSeptember.AnarchaeologicaldigrediscoveredthelocationofhisfirstpieceofpropertyinwhatisnowtheStateofConnecticutBarnIslandWildlifeManagementArea.HisgraveisontheConnecticutFreedomTrail.

Thisessayisbasedon“VentureSmith,fromSlaverytoFreedom”byJohnWoodSweet,AfricanAmericanConnecticutExplored(WesleyanUniversityPress,2014)and“LifeandAdventuresofVenture,aNativeofAfrica”byGeneLeach,ConnecticutExplored,Winter2012/2013.


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