Rose and her mother, Nell, were enslaved by Rev. Samuel Seabury, the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States and also the rector of New London’s St. James Episcopal Church. It is unclear when they began living in the Seabury household, but a New London record suggests it was prior to the birth of Rose. Listed in New London Vital Records is the following: “Seabury, Bishop, had negro child Rose, d. [daughter] of Nelly, born in his family June 20, 1787.” Rose’s birth was officially recorded on Dec. 1, 1792, when she would have been five and a half years old. Rev. Seabury likely recorded her birth date, because Rose would have been eligible to be freed in her 20s under Connecticut’s Gradual Emancipation law. (Anyone who was born after March 1, 1784 could be freed at the age of 25. The age for emancipation eventually changed to 21.) Rose’s and Nell’s names also appear in Rev. Seabury’s 1796 inventory, where Nell is listed as an “old Negro Woman by the Name of Nell 38 years old” valued at 12 pounds. The listing for Rose says “1 Negro Girl (Rose) about 9 years old Free by Law at 25 Years old.” She was valued at 9 pounds. It is unclear what became of Rose and Nell after Seabury’s death. Early federal censuses show enslaved persons living with Seabury’s descendants, but they are not named, so there is no way of knowing whether any represent Nell or Rose.