A look at the African Burying Place in Cheshire, Connecticut. An overview of the history of the larger Hillside Cemetery, the resale and reuse of the African Burying Place over the last twenty-five years and some of the Black Patriots buried there.

1. Cheshire’s African Burying Place
Christine Pittsley
Connecticut Freedom Trail Planning Committee
9 March 2011

2. Hillside
Cemetery
once known
as
Cheshire
Burying
Place

3. Cheshire Burying Place
Established in 1726 by the
First Ecclesiastical Society

5. Hillside Timeline
• 1726 – 1875 Congregational Church
– 1864 Town purchased small section to east
– 1875 Anna March donates $500 for
beautification; turned over to town
• 1875 – 1962 Town of Cheshire
– 1889-90 Road and gate built
– 1958 East & Brookside sections purchased
• 1962 – Present Hillside Cemetery Association
– 1970 Two additional parcels purchased

6. Record Keeping
1726-1759 Rev. Samuel Hall
20 baptisms
3 admissions
13 burials

7. Record Keeping
1980’s – Hillside
Cemetery Association
begins to sell plots in
Section “I”

9. Freeman
Family

10. Black Patriots
•Ruel Africa
• Enlisted January 10, 1777
• 3 years
• Connecticut Line, Seventh
Regiment
• Capt. Stephen Hall’s
Company

11. July 1778
•Rual Affrica was
discharged June 3,
1778
•Unfit for service

12. Ruel
• March 18, 1783 – Hosa child of Rue and Osse
• June 19, 1790 – Palla child of Rue and Osse
• 1790 census – Rue Affrica
– 3 people in household, Rue, Hosa & either Palla or Osse
• 1800 census – Rueul Affrica
– Ruel is only person in household

13. Ruel Africa
Jan. 7 1801 Ruel Africa dies in Cheshire at the age of 55
His is buried by Rev. Foote at Hillside

14. Sharp Liberty
Possibly the Sharp[zi] negro
who was baptised in
May 1748 by Rev. Hall
Enlisted March 3, 1778 for duration of war
Sixth Regiment Connecticut Line
Col. Gray’s Command
Capt. Leavenworth’s Company

15. Sixth Regiment
Brigade Wagoner
June 1779 - discharge
Served in Sixth Regiment
March 1778 – June 1780

16. Fourth Regiment
Paid from January 1781 to December
1781
Roll also claims he deserted July 27,
1781

17. Sharp & Lucy
• Married Lucy fall 1780
• First child born about
1782
• Sharp had been a well
known figure in Cheshire
• Raised a family in town

18. Sharp & Lucy
• Sharp Liberty died at • Lucy Mix, the widow
the age of 69 on January of Sharp Liberty died in
29, 1809 1842, there is no record
•He is buried in Hillside of her death or burial
in an unmarked grave

20. Dick Freedom
• Dick Freedom
- Enlisted March 14, 1778 for duration of war
- Sixth Regiment Connecticut Line
- Upon his discharge moved to Massachusetts
- Filed for a Bounty Warrant Land Grant in 1812
- Received 100 acres of land in New York
- Died in New York

21. Ceasar & Job
• Ceasar
– died in camp 1777 (belonged to Major Thaddeus Cook)
– May have been Cezar baptized by Rev. Hall 1744
• Job Negro
- Possibly Job Hull
- Nothing more is known about Job

22. Dick Bristol
• Dick Bristol
– Enlisted Jan. 15, 1778 for three years
– Service in exchange for freedom
– Fifth Regiment Connecticut Line
– Mustered Mar. 1781 to Oct. 1782
– 1790 Census – Cheshire - head of household of 3 free persons
– 1800 Census – Cheshire – head of household of 1 free person
– 1810 Census – Cheshire – head of household of 2 free persons
– No record of Dick Bristol after 1810

23. Recognition
In 1976 the Daughters of
the American Revolution
erected this Plaque to
Commemorate the lives of
the Revolutionary War
soldiers buried within
Hillside Cemetery
- six names are missing...

24. Lest we not forget
In the 1980’s
Hillside
Cemetery
Association
began to resell
the plots in
the African
Burying
Place…

25. Lest we not forget
…burials continue to this day, paying little heed to any sign
that the ground is already occupied.