Abijah and Lucy Terry Prince

Early Landowners and First Known African American Poet Abijah Prince (c. 1706-94) served in the French & Indian Wars, as a slave and freedman. In 1751, he achieved his freedom and registered as a taxpayer and proprietor for land ownership. Lucy Terry (c. 1730-1821) was stolen from Africa as a child and enslaved in Deerfield, MA. Her only surviving poem “Bars Fight” records the 1746 attack on Deerfield settlers. The singsong ballad, the earliest existing poem by an African American, endured in oral tradition for over 100 years before appearing on the front page of the Springfield Daily Republican in 1854. Lucy became free sometime after they married in 1756. In 1769 they began settling 100 acres in Guilford. Seekers of Justice to Protect Land Rights The Princes valued the importance of land ownership and used the law to protect their rights. Upon settling in Guilford, they faced ongoing harassment that resulted in damaged property and crops. In 1785, Lucy brought the case before the Governor and Council, winning her protection request. In 1803, Lucy’s sons brought a land rights case against Eli Brownson, which went as far as the Vermont Supreme Court. She was awarded $200 but not the land in Sunderland. As the widow of an original proprietor, she continued to claim her rights to the land. By 1806, the Princes were able to settle on lots the Sunderland Selectmen purchased from Brownson to truly settle this debt.