Sam R.
Taken
by Sam. R.
Theophilus Niger,
1728,
Born of African heritage,
Born a slave?
No education,
Constant labor,
No choice in participation,
The only man he could trust was his neighbor.
East Guilford, Connecticut,
The place he called home,
But was it really his home?
I guess he'd never know,
If it wasn’t for enslavement,
Who would he be?
Where would he be?
What would he do if he had always been free?
Thomas and Abigail Hodgkin,
His owners,
The ones he labored endlessly for,
Like a machine.
The ones who provided him with
Property,
Goods,
And later,
Would grant him his freedom.
But never will they grant him
The past few years of his life back.
The years he worked for them,
As their servant,
A farmer.
Forcing tools into his hands,
And putting him to work,
Tending the crops,
And the animals,
Not by choice,
Not by desire,
But by order.
A path chosen for him,
A path not chosen by him,
A path he could not change,
His Past.
1748,
274 years ago,
Married
To Penelope Tantipen,
A woman born of Mohegan heritage,
A provider, with Theophilus, for their 6 children.
Penelope,
Who died in 1760,
The approximate year Theophilus was emancipated,
10 years before his passing.
Theophilus,
Who died in 1770,
Leaving his legacy behind,
For us to honor.
Did he ever get to live happily?
Was he ever treated equally?
Sam R.’s Writer/Artist Statement:
I wrote this poem in hope that people would see the hardship Theophilus Niger was faced with throughout his life. I want people to be as surprised as I was when I found out that around 250 years ago, enslavement was occurring on the very road I pass on my way to school daily. I used my poem to show the dehumanization that Theophilus went through, and that all enslaved people went through, and how they were treated as property. To strengthen this point, I wrote “The ones he labored endlessly for/ Like a machine” (lines 18-19). I used the word “endlessly” in a hyperbolic phrase, because I wanted to show the day-by-day labor and struggle he was faced with against his will. Although I was unfortunately not able to participate in most of the Witness Stones project, I am still able to write a poem by just looking at the records and seeing how he was passed around and bought like property. I chose to title my poem “Taken”, for obvious reasons, being that he was taken from his original home. I thought the title would grab the attention of the reader and engage them.
To add on, I tried to include some major life events like birth, marriage, death, and emancipation. I also included his owners, Abigail and Thomas Hodgkin, and the work he did for them, which was mostly farming and animal management. I think Theophilus’s legacy should be remembered and keep being honored in the future.