Perspectives from the Written Record: Researching Enslavement in Colonial Sudbury with Jane Sciacca

Sept 26, 2023 - Colonial Sudbury, which included the modern towns of Wayland and Sudbury, was composed of diverse individuals and families, some residing there against their will. Researching those who had been enslaved is a challenging task for all communities, and requires a knowledge of an array of archival records, relevant terms, as well as the biases evident with them. Jane Sciacca will share the methods she has found useful in illuminating the names, identities, and stories of enslaved people living in Wayland and Sudbury who did not receive "All Liberties as Other Towns Have" (Mass Colonial Records I, 238 in Powell 1963:92)
Jane Sciacca is a retired interpretive National Park Ranger who worked at Minute Man and Boston National Historical Parks and Longfellow National Historic Site. She specialized in 18th and 19th century social history through research on the causes of the American Revolution and the Literary Renaissance. Jane has researched and written two guidebooks for The Wayside, part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, and has presented a number of programs focusing on slavery and abolition. Sciacca has been a member of the Wayland Historical Society for 46 years, nine as President, and researched and presented programs on slavery, woman suffrage, and Lydia Maria Child.
Co-sponsored by the Wayland Historical Society, the Wayland Free Public Library, and the Wayland Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.