James Mars Witness Stone

Although we typically think of slavery in the United States as being in the south, there was slavery in the north as well, including in our corner of Connecticut. James Mars was born in Connecticut, and was the last slave bought and sold in Norfolk. The year was 1798 and he was only 8 years old. He became free in 1811 and died in 1880. He is buried next to his father, Jupiter Mars, in Norfolk Center Cemetery, a stop on the African-American Freedom Trail. His autobiography, The Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut is in the Library of Congress.

James Mars was a Deacon in our church. He later moved to Hartford and was a Deacon there as well. On May 1, 2021 we honored him with a Witness Stone, seen at right. The stone is now permanently placed near the south stairs of the church. The idea was conceived by a student at the Salisbury School after he learned about slavery in Northwestern Connecticut in a special class taught by Rhonan Mokriski. You can read more about that in an article published in Norfolk Now at the time. Here is an account of a student’s experience with that project, including a video of the ceremony at the church on May 1, 2021.