Primus Mural
Kidnapped as a ten-year-old boy from his home by the Senegal River, Primus Armes was sold into slavery along with his father. His father died on the journey, but Primus survived and was brought to Norwich, where he was enslaved, first to Ebenezer Lathrop, and later to Ebenezer’s 1st cousin and brother-in-law, Col. Simon Lathrop.
Primus married a woman named Venus and had two children, Job and Flora. Job served in the Revolutionary War, enlisting under the name Job Primus. He crossed the Delaware River with George Washington, fighting in the battle of Trenton. He remained enslaved upon his return from war, when he was sold to Caleb Huntington in 1778, from whom he was emancipated.
Like their ancestor, two of the Job’s great-grandsons, Thomas & Daniel Lathrop, enlisted in the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment during the Civil War. Daniel’s image is etched into the Regiment’s Monument at Criscuolo Park in New Haven, Connecticut. There is no record of where Primus, Venus, Flora, or Job are buried.
The mural is a result of a collaboration between the Alex Breanne Corporation and the United Community & Family Services Healthcare, and depicts the story of the Primus family. Facing the African American section of the historic Old Norwichtown Cemetery, where most graves are unmarked, the mural serves as a memorial to Primus, his family, and those buried in the cemetery whose names are lost to time.
https://alexbreanne.org/events/primus-mural-dedication-ceremony
The Norwich Historical Society is a partner and the site representative for this site.