Vermont has long been celebrated as the first in the new republic to abolish slavery in its constitution in 1777. The reality, however, is more complicated, as there is significant evidence that adult slavery was illegally practiced — and tolerated — in parts of Vermont until at least the 1840s. Further, the Vermont Constitution did not outlaw the enslavement of children until 2022. Inconsistent enforcement of the law, and prolific systemic and personally-held racist beliefs, further complicate Vermont’s celebration of its liberating heritage.

Were people enslaved in the Allen House?

We know that the Allen household in the 1780s utilized labor from beyond the immediate family, as did most large farms during that time. This including both Black and White laborers, but we do not know how many people labored on the Allen farm, for how long, nor their racial nor legal identities.

The few clues we have include testimony from some white single men saying they were employed as farmhands for the Allens in the 1780s, and one letter written by Ethan Allen saying that he needed to buy cloth “for my Negroes”. Because of the economic and phrasing customs of the time, this quote is unclear whether the cloth was official payment for employed Black laborers (18th-century rural Vermont was not a cash-based society so payments were almost always made in goods or services) or cloth to clothe enslaved Black laborers.

There is a Black man named Newport mentioned in two different historical accounts as working for Ethan Allen. The first mentions Newport driving the carriage for Ethan & Fanny’s wedding in 1784, but this account was written decades later by a man who was a toddler on the date in question. The second account has Newport driving a sleigh with Ethan Allen in February 1789 on the night that Ethan died. Newport likely carried Ethan’s comatose body into the Allen House in Burlington after Ethan’s stroke. We know nothing more about Newport. Was Newport enslaved by Ethan Allen? Was Newport a free Black employed by Ethan Allen? We may never know.

There is also a Black woman named Eliza who may have worked for the Allen family. She is mentioned in a memoir written by Fanny Allen’s grand-daughter, but it is enclear whether Eliza worked for Fanny or Fanny’s daughter Adelia, nor when Eliza may have started her time with Fanny. It is also unclear whether Eliza was paid or enslaved.

Enslavement by the Allen Family

Prince Robinson was enslaved by Levi Allen, brother to Ethan Allen, and brough to Vermont by Levi in the 1780s.

Lavinia & Frances Parker were enslaved by Lucy Caroline Hitchcock, Ethan Allen’s eldest surviving daughter, and brought to Burlington, Vermont from Alabama by Lucy. They lived in the Hitchcock’s home on the corner of Main and Pine Streets in Burlington, where there are Stopping Stone memorials to Lavinia & Frances today (outside the Ski Rack store). Two small markers commemorate their lives.

Dinah Mattis was emancipated by Ebenezer Allen, a first-cousin of Ethan Allen’s, in Bennington, VT in 1777. Dinah had been enslaved by members in the British Army prior to Ebenezer Allen capturing her British wagon train.

More research needed

More research is needed to know more about Newport, Eliza, and other early Black Vermonters who may have lived at the Allen Homestead. If you are interested in volunteering your time to conduct research on behalf of the EAHM, please reach out to ethanallenhomestead@gmail.com.

An Article Originally Published in the Burlington Free Press

The 1777 Vermont Constitution: The Section on Slavery is Chapter 1, Subsection 1