Boston Trowtrow Gravesite

The inscription reads: “In Memory of Boston Trowtrow Govener of ye African Tribe he Died May 28 1772 At 66.” The election of governors by Connecticut’s black population emerged out of African political traditions and can be viewed as a form of political revolt and self-determination. Enslaved and free Africans used the election of governors to assert their humanity and to organize for the abolition of slavery. Boston Trowtrow served as governor in Norwich from 1770 to 1772. His gravesite, located at the rear of the cemetery in an area reserved for black residents, is one of very few remaining tangible resources that provides evidence of the existence of Black Governors in Connecticut.