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A Brief History of Andover
A Brief History of Andover
Slavery & Post Emancipation in Andover
Enslaved people lived in Andover more than likely since the first settlement. One early reference to enslaved people in Andover dates back to 1696, however, the Black population of Massachusetts wasn’t counted until the first census in 1790, so little is known. Even after slavery was abolished in Massachusetts in 1783, formerly enslaved people were never considered fully equal.
Pompey & Rose Lovejoy
Pompey Lovejoy was born into slavery to Captain William Lovejoy in Boston in 1724.. He was given the family name, Lovejoy, and moved to Andover at age 9.
In 1751, Pompey married Rose Foster, a formerly enslaved by John Foster.
In 1765, shortly before he died and 18 years before Massachusetts abolished slavery, Captain Lovejoy granted Pompey his freedom "from all slavery and servitude."
Pompey Lovejoy and Rose Lovejoy's grave markers in South Church Burial Ground. Andover’s Pomp’s Pond was named for Pompey Lovejoy.
Pompey Lovejoy and Rose Lovejoy's grave markers in South Church Burial Ground. Andover’s Pomp’s Pond was named for Pompey Lovejoy.
Lovejoy's will stipulated that Pompey "be given some choice acreage so that he might btter enjoy his later years." Pompey and his wife Rose were granted land and built a cabin in the woods near the pond that would later be named for him.
In 1776, at age 52, Pompey served for 1½ days in the Revolutionary War under Capt Henry Abbot and later received a pension for his service.
Pompey and Rose were popular residents of Andover and, although not allowed to vote, the two were known for baking Election Day cake and brewing ginger and root beers for town meetings and elections.
When Pompey died in 1826 he was said to be the oldest man in Essex County. Rose was 99 years old when she died a year later. Pompey’s epitaph in the slave and former slave section of the South Church cemetery, “Born in Boston a slave, Died in Andover a free man, February 23, 1826, Much respected as a sensible, Amiable and upright man.
Lucy Foster
Lucy Foster was born into slavery in Boston in 1767. In 1771 at age 4, she was given to Hannah Foster, the wife of Job Foster, a well-to-do Andover farmer. Lucy likely worked alongside Hannah Foster on food preparation, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and clothing production.
Lucy was 16 years old when Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783 and she remained with Hannah Foster until she was 22 years old. She left Hannah’s household when Hannah married her second husband, Philemon Chandler. Lucy lived in the Andover community, but we don’t know where she lived or how she supported herself. She might have hired herself out as a domestic to other families. We know she was warned out of town in 1791 for failing to obtain proper consent to live in Andover, and in 1793 Lucy’s son Peter was baptized into the church
In 1800, at age 33, Lucy and son Peter moved back into Hannah Foster Chandler’s home following the death of Philemon Chandler. Lucy stayed with Hannah for 12 more years until Hannah’s death in 1812. In her will, Hannah bequeathed “to Lucy Foster, the Black Girl who lives with me, 1 cow, 1 acre of land…to have an to hold the same to the said Lucy for and during her natural life.” Hannah also bequeathed to Lucy $126.15, the equivalent of roughly $2,100 today.
Lucy lived in her home from 1815 until 1845 when at age 78 she was admitted to Andover’s Alms House where she died a short time later.
Reference: Juliet Haines Mofford, Andover Massachusetts: Historical Selections from Four Centuries
A 20th century drawing of what Lucy Foster's homestead in Andover might have looked like.
A 20th century drawing of what Lucy Foster's homestead in Andover might have looked like.
So much is known about Lucy Foster’s life due to a 1940s archaeological dig of her homestead in Andover. That dig was a first.
Prior to that dig, archaeology of sites related to African Americans had only been undertaken as part of a larger dig of white related sites. Materials from the dig are in the collection of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Academy.
Artifacts from Lucy Foster’s homestead are on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
In 2019, a history class from Penguin Hall Academy worked with historical archaelogist Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste to erect a memorial to Lucy Foster in the South Church Burial Ground in Andover.
Preserving the pastEducating for the future
Connecting with our community
Preserving the past
Educating for the future
Connecting with our community
Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236
Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236
The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
