NELSON — On June 8, the Fayetteville-Owahgena Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) honored Plymouth Freeman, a former enslaved person and Revolutionary War veteran who lived in the town of Nelson.
To memorialize his life and patriotism, the organization dedicated a New York State Historic Marker at 4035 Putnam Road, Nelson.
Obtained through a grant from the Syracuse-based William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the roadside marker reads as follows:
PLYMOUTH FREEMAN
BLACK PATRIOT AWARDED BADGE
OF MERIT FOR 6 YEARS SERVICE
WITH THIRD CT REGIMENT IN
REVOLUTIONARY WAR. LIVED
NEAR HERE CA. 1800 TO 1829.
The dedication ceremony included the Cazenovia American Legion Post 88 Color Guard, welcoming remarks by Chapter Regent Donna Wassall, an invocation by Chaplain Elizabeth Thoreck, the Pledge of Allegiance by Karen Christensen, the National Anthem by Susan Taylor, comments by Denise Doring VanBuren, the 45th President General of the National Society DAR, an overview of Freeman’s life by Past Chapter Regent Bonnie Ranieri, and a statement from the Pomeroy Foundation read by Madison County Historian Matthew Urtz.
Also in attendance were NYS Vice Regent and Regent Elect Pamela Barrack and the property owners, Josh and Colleen Fox.
Research into Freeman’s life was inspired by Christensen, led by Wassall, and assisted by Urtz and Town of Nelson co-historian Laine Gilmore.
Legend has it that Freeman was born the son of a king in Guinea, Africa, and was abducted by slave traders as a child and brought to America. It has also been said that he was a cook/waiter for General George Washington, who gave him his freedom and his name.
While much of Freeman’s story is difficult to prove, the DAR’s research has led to the following conclusions about his life:
Freeman enlisted in the Continental Army as “Plymouth Negro” on May 26, 1777, at Windsor, Connecticut, and was assigned to a Connecticut Regiment.
Much of his time in service was spent as a waiter to the general.
“Plymouth would have been required to go everywhere with the general and be at his service at all times,” said Ranieri. “According to George Washington’s orders, all waiters or servants were required to be exercised in military drill and ready to take up arms at any time.”
Muster rolls dated from 1777 until 1782 show Plymouth Negro on duty with General Jedediah Huntington during many notable events and battles.
For example, his assignment as waiter to Huntington would have brought him to Valley Forge during the winter encampment of 1777-1778 and to the Battle of Monmouth Court House in June 1778. He also would have likely accompanied the general on assignment to the court martial of General Charles Lee, as well as to the trial and execution of British Major John André.
In January 1783, Plymouth Negro is no longer documented in the muster rolls or military records. Instead, a private named Plymouth Freeman begins to appear — no longer a servant, now a soldier.
Freeman was discharged on June 8, 1783. Signed by Washington, his discharge papers credit him with six years of faithful service for which he was awarded the Badge of Military Merit. Eventually, he also received a 100-acre land bounty and a government Revolutionary War pension for his contribution to the fight for independence.
In the 1800s, Freeman found his way to Cazenovia. He lived in Cazenovia and in Nelson in what was then the area of Jackson’s Corners. He worked as a farmer, traded goods, raised his son, Jeremiah, and made his life in Madison County until his death in 1829.
According to the DAR, the exact site of Freeman’s Nelson residence is unknown, but it was likely right around the location of the roadside marker.
“The truth of Plymouth’s time in the Continental Army is even more interesting [than the legend],” said Ranieri. “His role, like the role of thousands of others, was critical in obtaining our freedom. We can be certain that Plymouth knew the deep, innate desire for freedom, more so than any of us can imagine. He sought freedom and sacrificed for freedom. He served faithfully and honorably, earning the respect and admiration and appreciation of his commanding officers. This is a fact, and for this we will be forever grateful to Plymouth Freeman.”
During her remarks, VanBuren highlighted DAR’s national “E Pluribus Unum Educational Initiative,” a five-year effort launched in 2020 to increase awareness of often underrepresented Revolutionary War patriots, including those who were African American, Native American, and female.
“Just as today we are melting pot as a nation, so was the Continental Army and, in fact, the entire movement to win America’s independence,” she said. “All too often, the stories of patriots of color, female patriots, foreign born patriots, Native American patriots have been left out of the traditional history books. [The initiative] includes funding a PhD fellow at our headquarters who is helping us to identify more patriots of color [and] helping us to find better ways to tell the stories of these men and women in an effort to hopefully, as we approach America’s 250th anniversary, find a way to illustrate that there is more that unites us than separates us and divides us.”
Jason Emerson, an independent historian from Cazenovia, has also researched Freeman’s life and military service.
In a Feb. 24, 2019, article for the New York Almanack website, titled “Plymouth Freeman: American Revolution Veteran, Former Slave,” Emerson provides insights into Freeman’s life and military service.
The full article can be accessed online at newyorkalmanack.com.
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history and working to improve the probability of finding appropriate donor matches or other life-saving treatments for blood cancer patients.
The foundation’s New York State Historic Roadside Marker Grant Program commemorates historic people, places, things, or events within the time frame of 1740-1922.
Since 2006, when Bill Pomeroy established the foundation’s first marker program, the organization has awarded close to 1,800 grants for roadside markers and plaques nationwide.
For more information on the Pomeroy Foundation, visit wgpfoundation.org.
Founded in 1890, the DAR is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.
The Fayetteville Chapter of the National Society DAR was organized by Clara Folsom on February 4, 1921. Cazenovia’s Owahgena Chapter was organized by Amanda Dows on March 5, 1896. The merger of the two chapters was approved by the New York State Board on October 15, 1994.
To learn more about the DAR, visit dar.org.
