Nell was an enslaved Indigenous woman who lived at Cogswell’s Grant in the early eighteenth century. She appears in the historical record through the wills of Jonathan Cogswell and Elizabeth Cogswell. In 1717, Jonathan left Nell to his wife, describing her as his “Indian maid slave.” Six years later, Elizabeth bequeathed Nell to her daughter Mary Cogswell.

Little is known about Nell’s life before her enslavement. Historians believe it is possible she was connected to the extensive trade in Indigenous captives that followed conflicts such as King William’s War or Queen Anne’s War. She may have been taken from her community during childhood or inherited her enslaved status through family connections.

Nell likely performed a combination of domestic and agricultural labor. She worked during a period when Indigenous people made up a significant portion of New England’s enslaved workforce. Her life reflects the often-overlooked history of Indigenous enslavement in colonial Massachusetts.