People of Color, African and Native American, Worcester County 1790
Compiled by Thomas L. Doughton

The following is compiled from the Manuscript 1790 Census for Worcester County, here reproducing information on people of color, Native Americans and African Americans, living in Worcester County. More than 78 percent of the County's people of color were living in independent households by 1790, many others wage-earning servants or retainers, in the white households where they were owned prior to the "extinction" of Massachusetts slavery in 1783. Here under the heading Type, "independent" means an independent family living on its own while "with white family" refers to individuals enumerated as a part of a white household, the name of the person of color not included in the manuscript records. The "with white household" category includes people of color employed as domestics or field hands while in some instances former slaves continued living with their previous masters. Examples of former owners of slaves with people of color in their household include Joseph Henshaw of Shrewsbury and Nathaniel Paine, Timothy Paine, Jacob Hemenway and Christania Walker of Worcester. Also enumerated as "Negroes" are Native families with an African American spouse; examples include the families of Sharp Freeborn at Paxton, whose wife Esther Lawrence was a Nipmuc Indian from Grafton, and Thomas Humphrey at Sturbridge, whose wife Esther Pegan who been born at the Nipmuc reseveration at Dudley. Additional "Negroes" include Natives like Saul Job of New Braintree.

To return to our Main Page or to our Contents Page

Town

Type

First Name

Last Name

Number Persons

Ashburnham

independent

Philemon

Jackson

05

Ashburnham

independent

John

Franklin

05

Athol

with white family

Joseph

Easterbrook

01

Athol

with white family

James

Humphry

01

Athol

with white family

Hannah

Oliver

01

Athol

with white family

John

Oliver

01

Athol

with white family

James

Stratton

01

Barre

with white family

James

Allen

01

Barre

with white family

Ephraim

Brooks

01

Barre

with white family

David

Fisk

01

Barre

with white family

John

Buckminster

02

Barre

with white family

Joseph

Dana

01

Barre

with white family

Abel

Hinds

01

Barre

with white family

Jane

Nurse

01

Barre

with white family

Francis

Nurse

01

Barre

with white family

John

Smith

01

Barre

independent

Jacob

Caswell

04

Barre

independent

Moydore

Hillhouse

03

Barre

independent

Moses

Meldre

03

Barre

independent

Cromwell

Oliver

03

Barre

independent

Nimrod

Qaugs

02

Barre

independent

Richard

Thomas

04

Barre

independent

Simon

Oliver

05

Barre

independent

Robert

Parker

02

Barre

independent

Titus

Rogers

04

Bolton

independent

Peter

Morse

01

Boylston

independent

Cato

Bondman

07

Boylston

independent

Cease[r]

Suttle

04

Boylston

with white family

Daniel

Andrews

01

Boylston

with white family

Ezra

Beaman

01

Boylston

with white family

Eleazer

Fairbanks

01

Brookfield

with white family

David

Hitchcock

01

Brookfield

with white family

Luke

Baldwin

01

Brookfield

with white family

Abraham

Walker

01

Brookfield

independent

Phineas

Upham

01

Brookfield

with white family

Thomas

Waits

01

Brookfield

independent

Leafy

Stanley

02

Charlton

independent

John

Slater

01

Chaarlton

with white family

Richard

Dresser

01

Dudley

independent

Primus

Mawney

08

Dudley

with white family

Nathaniel

Healey

02

Dudley

with white family

Sarah

Cheney

01

Dudley

with white family

Abigail

Carter

01

Fitchburg

independent

Polly

Abner

01

Gardner

independent

Moses

Hendrick

01

Gerry

with white family

Ebenezer

Tucker

01

Hardwick

with white family

Caleb

Nye

01

Hardwick

independent

Martin

Kinsley

01

Hardwick

independent

Jonathan

Warner

01

Hardwick

independent

James

Pearce

01

Hardwick

independent

Daniel

Wheeler

01

Hardwick

independent

John

Jeney Jr

01

Hardwick

independent

Moses

Chamberlain

01

Hardwick

independent

Ned

Rueben

01

Hardwick

independent

Mike

Bumpo

05

Harvard

independent

Dinah

Wetherbee

05

Harvard

independent

Ceaser

Hammond

06

Hubbardston

independent

Anthony

Clark

04

Hubbardston

independent

Peter

Clark

03

Hubbardston

independent

Daniel

Clark

03

Hubbardston

independent

Amnon

Clark

04

Hubbardston

independent

Ami

Adams

02

Lancaster

independent

James

Taylor

05

Lancaster

independent

Abner

Mitchel[l]

04

Lancaster

independent

Francis

Davis

09

Lancaster

independent

Ceaser

Corbett [Cobbat]

05

Leicester

with white family

John

Lyon

01

Leicester

with white family

Edmund

Snow

02

Leicester

with white family

Joseph

Sprague

01

Leicester

with white family

Nahum

Tainter

01

Leicester

with white family

Thomas

Newall

01

Leicester

with white family

William

Sprague

01

Leicester

with white family

Thomas

Snow

01

Leominster

independent

Peter

Treslup

08

Lunenbrugh

with white family

Peg

Clark

02

Mendon

with white family

Moses

Daniels

01

Mendon

independent

Levi

Willard

01

Mendon

independent

Joseph

McClintock

01

Milford

with white family

Jacob

Tom

01

Milford

with white family

James

Millens

01

Milford

independent

Robbin

Mingo

03

Milford

independent

Andrew

Dewner [Duno]

07

N. Braintree

with white family

Elias

Hall

01

N. Braintree

with white family

James

Robinson

01

N. Braintree

with white family

Artemas

How

01

N. Braintree

with white family

Nahum

Thompson

01

N. Braintree

with white family

Joseph

Tidd

01

N. Braintree

independent

Saul

Job

09

Northboro

independent

Beaver

Cowden

04

Northbridge

with white family

John

Spring

01

Northbridge

with white family

John

Spring Jr.

01

Northbridge

independent

Jesse

Rutter

03

Oakham

with white family

Rudolphus

Carter

01

Oxford

with white family

Samuel

Campbell

01

Oxford

with white family

Josiah

Willicott

01

Oxford

independent

Jack

Whitmore

03

Paxton

with white family

Joseph

Knight

01

Paxton

with white family

James

Wicker

01

Paxton

with white family

Seth

Snow

01

Paxton

independent

Sharp

Freeborn

04

Petersham

with white family

Samuel

Cutter

01

Petersham

with white family

Roland

Weaks

01

Petersham

independent

Peter

Gore

03

Princeton

independent

John

Felton

03

Boylston

independent

Reuben

Kendall [Kindoll]

02

Rutland

with white family

Joseph

Buckminster

01

Rutland

with white family

Adenijah

Bartlett

01

Rutland

with white family

David

Bent

01

Rutland

with white family

Jeremiah

Gates

01

Rutland

with white family

John

McClanathan

02

Rutland

with white family

Thomas

Wood

01

Shrewsbury

with white family

Benjamin

Bush

02

Shrewsbury

with white family

John

Farrar

02

Shrewsbury

with white family

Joseph

Henshaw

02

Shrewsbury

with white family

Rebecah

Symms

01

Shrewsbury

with white family

Elijah

Rawson

01

Shrewsbury

with white family

Calvin

Newton

01

Shrewsbury

independent

Seras

Jones

03

Southboro

independent

John

Hagar

01

Spencer

with white family

Enoch

Mason

01

Spencer

with white family

Joseph

Pope

01

Spencer

with white family

Isaac

Jenks

01

Spencer

independent

Silas

Golden

03

Sterling

independent

George

Ivers

03

Sterling

independent

Pompey

Woodward

03

Sterling

independent

Ishmael

Dorchester

08

Sturbridge

with white family

Joseph

Smith

01

Sturbridge

with white family

Benjamin

Freeman

01

Sturbridge

independent

Thomas

Humphrey

02

Sutton

with white family

Nathaniel

Gibbs

01

Sutton

with white family

Asa

Goodale

03

Sutton

with white family

Robert

Goddard

01

Sutton

with white family

Jonathan

Holmes

01

Sutton

with white family

Joseph

Hall

01

Sutton

with white family

Ebenezer

Chapin

02

Sutton

with white family

Timothy

Bigelow

01

Sutton

with white family

Azor

Phelps

01

Upton

independent

Prince

Hasleton

03

Upton

independent

Ceazer

Jeney

05

Upton

independent

Ceazer

Jeney

04

Upton

independent

Christopher

Vickers

03

Upton

independent

Thomas

Webster

06

Upton

independent

Jonathan

Webster

04

Uxbridge

with white family

David

Draper

01

Uxbridge

with white family

Gideon

Frost

02

Uxbridge

with white family

Moses

Whitney

02

Uxbridge

with white family

Samuel

Willard

01

Uxbridge

independent

Cuff

Busher

03

Uxbridge

independent

David

Pearce

05

Uxbridge

independent

Abraham

Minto

02

Westboro

independent

Francis

Downs

04

Warren

with white family

James

Stone

01

Warren

with white family

James

Blair

01

Warren

with white family

Rueben

Reed, Jr

01

Warren

with white family

John

Patrick

01

Warren

independent

Joseph

Cutler, Jr

01

Warren

independent

Newport

Dan

03

Warren

independent

James

Morse

02

Westminster

independent

Peter

Seaver

04

Winchendon

independent

John

Dickinson

02

Worcester 

independent

Jeffrey

Hemenway

04

Worcester 

independent

Scipio

Hemenway

04

Worcester 

independent

George

Lynde

04

Worcester 

independent

Jack

Manses

04

Worcester 

independent

Cato

Walker

03

Worcester 

independent

Simon

Brook[s]

02

Worcester 

independent

Cato

Dawes

03

Worcester 

independent

Worcester

Winslow

02

Worcester 

with white family

John

Moore

01

Worcester 

with white family

Nathaniel

Paine

02

Worcester 

with white family

Nathaniel

Patch

03

Worcester 

with white family

Joseph

Allen

01

Worcester 

with white family

John

Nazro

01

Worcester 

with white family

Timothy

Paine

02

Worcester 

with white family

Solomon

Putnam

01

Worcester 

with white family

Amos

Putnam

01

Worcester 

with white family

Aaron

Bancroft

02

Worcester 

with white family

Jacob

Chamberlain

01

Worcester 

with white family

John

Stanton

01

Worcester 

with white family

Helyer

Tanner

01

Worcester 

with white family

Elijah

Dix

01

Worcester 

with white family

Eli

Flagg

01

Worcester 

with white family

Jacob

Heamingway

02

Worcester 

with white family

William

Sever

01

Worcester 

with white family

Christania

Walker

02

1