Branford in South Central Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Job Lanthrop
America 250 | Connecticut
Job Lanthrop was enslaved when he served in the Continental Army. On June 2, 1778, Caleb Huntington secured his freedom.
Lathrop was born into slavery in Norwich, CT, probably in 1753. He was the son of Venus and Primus Armes, who had been kidnapped from The Gambia. In March 1776, Lathrop enlisted in the 20th Continental Regiment. He served at the Battle of Trenton that December and was discharged six days later. In 1778, Huntington purchased Lathrop for £60 and emancipated him. The legal notice of manumission, preserved here in the Norwich land records, records Huntington's act "Giving [Lathrop] full Liberty to go free," based on what he called "a principle that no Man can justly be reduced to a state of slavery."
Huntington soon became a deacon at the First Congregational Church of Norwich, while Lathrop used £30 of his war wages to purchase freedom for his wife, Sylvia. Lathrop was unable, however, to secure freedom for the couple's one-year-old son.
The contract for Lathrop's emancipation is in the Norwich City Hall, and is described in John Mills's book The Narrative of Primus.
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the America 250 series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1776.
Location. 41° 17.119′ N, 72° 50.058′ W. Marker is in Branford in South Central Region, Connecticut. It is on Connecticut Turnpike (Interstate 95) east of U.S. 1, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Branford CT 06405, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley, on the Connecticut Shoreline, and in Greater New Haven. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 New Haven County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At
Additional keywords. human trafficking
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
