Peter was enslaved by the Longmeadow, Massachusetts minster, Reverend Stephen Williams. Peter first appeared in Reverend Williams’ diary in 1750. He was the last person known to have been enslaved by the minister. “Peter” was a common name for enslaved men in Longmeadow, and this Peter is different from the “Peter” represented on the 2024 Witness Stone as Phillis’ husband. It is possible that the Peter enslaved in the Wiliams household was the child of Phillis and her husband, but there is no direct proof of that. Peter’s known time in Longmeadow spans the years 1750-1773. During that time, he moves between the minister’s home and fields in Longmeadow and another family farm a few miles away in Somers, Connecticut run by Reverend Stephen Williams’ oldest son, John. 

Peter was trusted to bring both messages and livestock between the two homes, despite the fact that he was known to have tried to run away at least once before. In his 1771 will, the elderly Reverend Williams left Peter to his sons, John and Samuel. However, Peter ran away in 1773 – this time successfully. From an advertisement John Williams placed in The Connecticut Courant seeking the return of his property, we learn that Peter was between 30 and 40 years old, could read and write well, and played the fiddle.