The Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT) has announced four ministries as awardees of Region Entrepreneurial Fund (REF) grants and St. John’s being one of those ministries is excited to begin working on this important project.
With St. John’s being awarded a grant from the ECCT Region Entrepreneurial Fund, we are at a point where we can begin researching our own historical connections to the Colonial-era slave trade.
We’re looking for volunteers interested in historical and archival research to assist Don Perrault, and his team of high school students combing the baptismal, marriage, and death registries of St. John’s. In search of those who may have been enslaved or congregation members who were slaveholders. These records may be within our parish, or in the archives of Grace Episcopal Church, Old Saybrook (Essex in the Colonial era was a part of the larger community of Saybrook), or in the ECCT archives in Meriden.
If this kind of detective work appeals to you, please contact the office 860.767.8095 or chelsea@stjohnsessex.org.
Through research, education, and civic engagement, Witness Stones Project works to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who lived, worked, and helped establish our towns.