"Anne Farrow Connects Slave Trade
to State’s Aristocracy at Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum"
Connecticut author Anne Farrow "will tell a tale of two
journeys" at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Webb Barn at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, 211 Main St., Wethersfield, according to a release.
"The first began in 1757, as a ship owned by an affluent Connecticut
merchant sailed to Sierra Leone, West Africa, to take on fresh water and" people that were enslaved.
"On board was the owner’s son, learning the trade. In 2004, when Farrow began
investigating the logbooks of that voyage, she thought she was scrutinizing the
son of an obscure farmer," the release said/ "What she uncovered was a direct connection between
slavery and a member of one of America’s, and Connecticut’s, most famous early
families. Farrow’s thought-provoking presentation will be held ."
"Farrow discovered that the slave-ship
logs she was studying were written by the descendent of aristocrats, Dudley
Saltonstall, the brother-in-law of Silas Deane. At about the same time,
Farrow’s mother was diagnosed with dementia. As she bore witness to the impact
of memory loss on her mother’s sense of self, Farrow also began a deeper journey
into the world of the logbooks and the Atlantic slave trade, eventually
retracing part of the long-ago voyage to Sierra Leone. As her narrative
unfolds, Farrow explores the idea that if our history is incomplete, then
collectively we have forgotten who we are—a loss that is in some ways similar
to what her mother experienced."
"In her presentation at
the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, Farrow will detail the odd and compelling life
of Dudley Saltonstall. In his nearly four decades at sea, Saltonstall
encountered disaster, disease, and defeat, as well as success, honor and
fortune. He was given one of
the Continental Navy’s first captain's commissions based on the recommendation
of Silas Deane, who served on the Naval Committee of the Continental Congress. He was also a privateer, and a trader in
both Caribbean trade goods and human beings. Farrow will also note
Saltonstall’s contradictory record: John Paul Jones, who served as one of his
officers during the American Revolution, thought Saltonstall was a snob and
slow to action; others regarded him as a competent commander who should not
have been blamed for the 1779 Penobscot Bay expedition, considered the worst naval disaster in American history prior to World
War II."
The free lecture will be preceded by a wine reception (by donation) at 6 p.m., and followed by a signing of Farrow’s newest book, “The Logbooks: Connecticut’s Slave Ships and Human Memory,” to be published by Wesleyan Press in October, the release said..
"About
the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum" according to the release:
"Located in the
heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district, the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
provides the quintessential New England experience - from the American
Revolution to the early 20th century. Tours include the 1752 Joseph Webb House,
where General George Washington met with French General Rochambeau and planned the military campaign leading to the
end of the Revolutionary War, the 1770 Silas Deane House, built for America’s
first diplomat to France, and the 1788 Isaac Stevens House, which depicts
Connecticut life in the 18th and 19th centuries. For more information visit: www.webb-deane-stevens.org or call (860)
529-0612. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
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