Free, Enslaved, and People of Color in Andover

Explore the history of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who lived in Andover and North Andover from settlement through 1850.

This database and website are works in progress. Please let us know if you would like to contribute to the project. Contact information is in the footer.

Introduction

ANDOVER PERSONS OF COLOR PROJECT

This project was inspired by the men, women and children of color who populated Andover from 1600 through 1850, for two and a half centuries. Throughout the story of Andover, people of color have been referenced as “Slaves,” “Servants,” “Blacks,” “Negroes,” “Coloreds,” “Half-breeds,” “Mulattos” and “Indians.” In their honor, the project was named Andover Persons of Color, or POC, a name that was referenced as early as 1796, according to The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style.

My goal was to list all the names that appeared in the Andover vital records, as well as in local histories, census records, military listings, etc. In the process I was able to determine family groups and individuals who may have had a prolonged visit or a brief stay in Andover.

Printed vital records, although sorted into groups and listings as “Indian” or “Negroes,” tell only a part of the stories. Names of POC’s are also listed in the main section which may lead to confusion and unexpected surprises. Many questions remain. For example, are Mars and Cloe Elfily, who married in Andover in 1780, the same couple as Mars and Cloe Philo? Was it an Andover woman who gave birth in 1843 to the “pappoose of a Basket Maker from Old Town Maine?” Why were Negro deaths or burials not entered into the records of the Andover Town Clerk from the 1770s through the 1810s?

These are among the many questions that researchers will unravel and tell. If you are that person, I hope this information will inspire you to follow the clues and solve the mysteries that linger. If you are willing to contribute your input to the POC cause, with credit, please add your findings to these files.

I encourage all researchers to participate in this project.

In acknowledgement I sincerely thank Edward L. Bell, author of Persistence of Memories of Slavery and Emancipation in Historical Andover for his many insightful comments and references to a number of Andover POC residents. Follow-up stories of many of the characters listed here are told in his book.

Joan C. Patrakis, 2022