Gravesite of Boston Trowtrow, Norwich's "Black Governor"

Gravesite of Boston Trowtrow, Norwich's "Black Governor". . , The gravesite of Boston Trowtrow recalls a long- forgotten practice in colonial New England of electing "Black Governors," or "Kings," to represent local slave populations. Trowtrow served as Norwich's Black Governor from 1770 to 1772 and was one of three known leaders from Norwich., In Connecticut, elections for Black Governors began in the 1750s, when slaves accompanying their owners to Hartford for the colony's annual gubernatorial election chose their own leader as well. Later, Connecticut's slaves voted for these "governors" locally and sent the results to Hartford on the Saturday after the general election, when the winner was formally declared. The occasion was celebrated with a dinner, followed by an "inaugural" parade with the newly named Black Governor marching at its head., Despite the local status of these black leaders, their authority was primarily limited to upholding order within the African-American community. It is thought that their white owners, usually among the town's most prominent citizens, promoted the practice as a means to prevent uprisings. Trowtrow is believed to have been the slave of Jabez Huntington (1719-1786), one of Norwich's most successful colonial-era merchants., The custom of electing Black Governors, which lasted for about a century, occurred in many other Connecticut towns, including Derby, Durham, Farmington, Hartford, New Haven, New London and Seymour. In 1869, Connecticut became the fifteenth state to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which stated that no citizen could be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude., Produced by the Norwich Historical Society with funds from the Sachem Fund; the State Historic Preservation Office, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, the Norwich Noontime Rotary Club; and the Last Green Valley. Text researched and written by Regan Miner. This site is on the Connecticut and Norwich Freedom Trails, which document and highlight places related to African-American history.