History of Blacks in Medford

– Nekita Lamour

As InsideMedford posted two events occurring in Medford this month of November – the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation on the 13th and the Haitian Cultural day at the Hyatt on the 15th, I would like to share some of my research of the Black presence in Medford. In the past 15 years, I have been learning about Haitians’ presence in the US and below are some of my findings.

Many attending both events this month may know about Haiti’s role fighting the British in the battle of Savannah, Georgia in 1779. However, right here in Medford, Haitians had some early beginnings. The Medford historical commission referred to Brooks and Usher, History of Medford (1855) in those words, “The first slaves arrived on February 26, 1638 from Tortugas, West Indies on a ship commanded by Captain William Pierce. On his return from Tortugas, he brought home a cargo of cotton, tobacco, salt and Negroes.” Tortugas island which was a major ground in the 17th century for pirate activities, could be the island located in the Northwest section of Haiti known in French as “Ile de La Tortue”. If so, one can admit that Haitians have been in Medford, Massachusetts since 1638.

Some may doubt that Tortuga Island translated l’Ile de La Tortue in French is in Haiti. I read in French Thomas Madiou’s first volume History of Haiti that contains historical facts about the 17th century pirates, flibustiers, and the buccaneers in Hispaniola, the name of the island that Haiti shares with Dominican Republic. Enrolling in a theological degree program at Xavier University in New Orleans since Summer 2007 gives me access to libraries in the Crescent city. Xavier library gets books for me from other New Orleans libraries. In addition to New Orleans, access for close to 30 years to institutions in Harvard square and its libraries allowed me to do a lot of research about Haiti, Africa and ethnic minority populations. Such studies had provided me a wealth of understanding of Haitians and people of African descent’s historical and cultural presence in the United States . Having done substantial research in libraries and reading historical books in French, I can refer to Wikipedia that supports Tortuga Island being in Haiti:

“It should be noted that the first governors and colonists of l’Ile de la Tortue and Saint-Domingue were actually pirates generally from France, Holland and England. Many had gone into exile to the Antilles at the beginning of the XVII century to flee civil wars, religious persecution and royal economic pressure. Most are installed on Tortuga Island (L’Ile de la Tortue), near Hispaniola. The island’s ownership was a constant dispute between the then superpowers (England, Spain, Holland and France). In the 17th century, it was a major center of Caribbean piracy. Its tourist industry [ not any more] and reference in many works has made it one of the most recognized regions of Haiti.”

Having alluded to the above, the presence of Blacks from Tortuga Island of Haiti’s coast in Medford precedes the official establishment of slavery in New England in 1641 under Bodies of Liberty, section 91. Isaac Royall, one of the wealthiest merchants in New England brought 27 slaves from Antigua after he rebuilt his house that still stands on George street as the Royall House, the only standing slave quarter north of the Mason Dixon line. Medford also had 15 free Blacks in 1741. Before the great migration from the South that started between 1910 and 1914, there was a Black neighborhood in West Medford prior to the civil war of 1863. West Medford is among the first Black neighborhoods in New England, and perhaps the first Black middle class neighborhood in the Northeast.

As an independent researcher and community educator in the region, given the long history of people of African descent in Medford, be it from Africa, the Caribbean , ( Haiti and Antigua) the two events this November fit right in and hopefully this text would serve as a historical preface for the participants. It also serves as a reminder that the Black presence in Medford, in the North of Boston area is as old as that of the Puritans’. The time is overdue that the Black community builds a voice, a leadership, and active presence, not only in Medford, but in the Metro region.

Nekita Lamour is an educator in the field of ELL/Cross Cultural Education. She had lived in 3 North of Boston cities for 4 decades.