Phillis

Stone Number: CT 234

In 1774, at “about the age of two or three years old,” Phillis , the oldest child of Tamar and Cato, was attached alongside her mother during a legal dispute between John Kirtland and Samuel Whittlesey, Saybrook residents and brothers-in-law, both of whom claimed rights to Tamar’s time and labor. A number of years later, at “about the age of 10” Phillis was “taken to the signpost and sold to the highest bidder” in downtown Saybrook, according to a newspaper obituary after she died. The highest bidder was Samuel Hart, whose brother William Hart would later enslave her mother and siblings. Although they never lived in the same house again, Phillis and her younger sister, Rose, are buried alongside each other in Saybrook’s Cypress Cemetery. Both daughters are also united with their mother in a small garden at the Gen. William Hart House, where Witness Stones markers commemorate their lives and contributions.

Primary Sources

New London County Court Records
Hartford Times, Old Saybrook Historical Society
Dedicated On: June 1, 2026
Location: 350 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475, USA
Geolocation:
Partner
Old Saybrook
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