West Hartford in Capitol Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)

Boston Nichols

— Witness Stone —

Photographed by Conrad Ward, March 12, 2025

1. Boston Nichols Witness Stone

Inscription. 1735 - 1808
Born in Africa
Father
Enslaved
Freed 1774
Landowner
Black governor 1800

Erected 2023 by Witness Stones Project. (Marker Number CT129.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.

Location. 41° 45.862′ N, 72° 44.514′ W. Marker is in West Hartford in Capitol Region, Connecticut. It is on North Main Street north of Loomis Drive, on the right when traveling north. Located in Old Center Burying Yard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Hartford CT 06107, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley,

in Greater Hartford,

and in the Knowledge Corridor.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Hartford County

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking

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distance of this marker: Rose Nichols (here, next to this marker); Rubin (here, next to this marker); Coffy (here, next to this marker); Greenville (here, next to this marker); Boston Nichols, Jr. (here, next to this marker); Lydia Boston (here, next to this marker); Thomas Boston (here, next to this marker); Ned (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Hartford.

Also see . . .
1. Boston Nichols (Witness Stones Project).

Boston, an enslaved man who was trafficked from West Africa, was brought to Antigua, and then finally to America where he married Rose, an enslaved woman born in the American colonies.

(Submitted on January 25, 2026.)

2. West Hartford Pays Homage to Those Enslaved in Witness Stones Installation Ceremony.

Through a deeply local perspective, West Hartford local leaders and students had the chance to come together in the days before Juneteenth to hold a Witness Stones Installation Ceremony – commemorating and paying tribute to local slave history.

The Witness Stones Project aims to “restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who
Photographed by Conrad Ward, March 12, 2025

2. Boston Nichols Witness Stone
(top row, sixth section, upper left)
helped build our communities.” Through immense research, exploration, and analysis of local history, West Hartford, which began a Witness Stones Project in 2018, was able on Saturday to honor another 10 of the 100-plus formerly-enslaved individuals who walked the same grounds we do today.

(Submitted on January 25, 2026.)

3. Connecticut’s Black Governors - Museum of Connecticut History.

Evidence of the tradition among African Americans of electing black governors or kings can be found in several New England colonies throughout the eighteenth century. In Connecticut, the practice appears to have started in the mid 1750s. It is thought that slaves, who accompanied their owners to Hartford for the yearly election of the colony’s governor, chose a person to become a leader of their community as well.

(Submitted on January 25, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2026, by Conrad Ward of Guilford, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 39 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 25, 2026, by Conrad Ward of Guilford, Connecticut. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.