Remembering Lucy and Lois Tritton: A Service of Lamentation and Healing
At Trinity on the Green
Sunday, March 9, 2025, 5:00 PM
The Rev. Dr. Leon Bailey, Guest Speaker
Musical Guests: Salt & Pepper Gospel Singers
Two New Haven Episcopal churches, Trinity on the Green and St. Luke’s, are jointly offering a special service to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the last slave auction on the New Haven Green. On March 8, 1825, the sheriff forced Lucy Tritton and her daughter Lois to march through the downtown streets before they were sold.
Near the end of her life, in the late 1880s and 1890s, Lois Tritton was interviewed and stories about her were published in several newspapers including the New Haven Courier, the New York Sun, and the Boston Globe. Lois shared her life story and her family’s story as told by Lucy.
Geri Mauhs, chair of Friends of the New Haven Green comments, “Lucy and Lois’s story gives us an ‘inside’ view of the many ways the institution of slavery impacted society and the economy. The story also shows how men during the slave era had significant power and could influence and circumvent the law. Lucy and Lois’s story is not just a New Haven story, it is a story with state, regional and national significance.”
We invite the public to join us at Trinity Church for the Service of Lamentation and Healing. The service will also be streamed live on Trinity’s YouTube Channel and can be watched during or after the live service. We invite church groups, community organizations, individuals, and families to view the service and participate in discussions about the difficult topic of the continuing legacies of slavery and racism.
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Lucy’s Story
In 1844, Lucy Tritton was a founding member of St. Luke’s Church. Her story begins when she and her parents were stolen from Africa in the mid-1700s. They were brought to the island of St Thomas in the Caribbean. This suggests they may have come from modern-day Ghana, where the Danish king had a slave fort for holding captured Africans before sending them across the Atlantic to St. Thomas, then a Danish colony.
St. Thomas served as a slave depot where African men, women, and children were sold to buyers throughout the Americas. Lucy and Lucy’s father were sold to an Englishman whom she called General Tritton. He took them to London. We do not know the fate of Lucy’s mother.
After living in London for a period, the Tritton family moved to Nova Scotia. The Tritton family also had a second home in New Haven and attended Trinity Church when in town. During one of the family’s stays in New Haven, it was revealed that ‘General’ Tritton was not a general. He was a merchant ship captain. Sadly, in 1790, sadly he drowned at sea when his ship sank during a storm.
One of the highest valued possessions listed in his estate inventory was ‘Negro girl Lucy.”
Lois’s Story
Lucy’s daughter Lois was born in 1799. In 1806, her baptism was recorded in the Cornwallis, Nova Scotia Township Book. She was listed as “the enslaved ‘mulatto’ child” of Mrs. Tritton.
At some point after Captain Tritton’s death, his widow Sara Tritton needed money. Mrs. Tritton had used Lucy and Lois as collateral for a loan from a man named Jacocks who sold the loan to a man named John Nicoll. When Mrs. Tritton couldn’t repay the loan, New Haven’s sheriff arranged an auction to sell Lucy and Lois to generate funds for repayment.
It’s noted in a book title, Slave in Canada, that Lois was taken to Connecticut…”to be sold in 1824.”
Before being auctioned on the Green, Lucy and Lois were marched through New Haven’s downtown streets, led by a drummer, shouting, “slaves for sale.”
Documents at the New Haven Museum indicate they were purchased for $10 each by Mr. Anthony Sanford who issued freedom certificates that are in the New Haven Museum. However, the auction on the Green was carried out despite a 1774 Connecticut law outlawing the importation of slaves into the state. In addition, the Connecticut Gradual Abolition Act of 1784, set forth female slaves would become free on attaining the age of 21. Lois was born in 1799, thus, Lois should have been freed under both laws.
Lois, in her many interviews, never mentioned receiving a freedom certificate. In her most extensive interview, she states that she was owned by Mr. Sanford and had to work extra hours for several years to earn $600 to buy her freedom. It’s possible that Mr. Sanford considered Lois indentured rather than enslaved. Regardless of the method, Lois was still bound to Sanford for several years. It’s likely that Mr. Sanford paid off the loan that Mrs. Tritton owed, and, unknowingly, Lois repaid Mr. Sanford.
After being released from bondage, Lois continued to work with her mother Lucy as a laundress, a common occupation for African American women. It was profitable but strenuous and potentially dangerous work, requiring lifting heavy laundry loads, using caustic chemicals, and toting buckets of water. In 1880, Lois was recorded in a genealogical site as being married to Asa Jeffrey. His 1885 death was recorded in Wisconsin, so he and Lois were no longer together at that time.
Lois had a son, Henry, who was a barber. Through him, we believe Lois has living descendants.
The Rev. Heidi Thorsen, Trinity Associate Rector, comments, “The story of Lucy and Lois is not a story of uncomplicated freedom. Instead, it is a story that compels us to consider the reasons that Lois wasn’t simply freed at so many points along her journey, including after the auction and so-called emancipation. It is a story of state, regional, and national significance, inviting us to think about our ongoing commitment to the liberation of all people.”
*Rev. Dr. Leon Bailey, Jr. is a dedicated leader and advocate for social justice. He currently serves on staff at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, where he works tirelessly to support and uplift the local community. In addition to his role at the foundation, Leon is an active Board Member for the Connecticut Council on Philanthropy, contributing his expertise to enhance the impact of philanthropic efforts across the state. He also serves on the board of The Community Healing Network, where he is committed to promoting healing and resilience within communities affected by systemic injustices. Leon’s extensive experience and unwavering dedication make him an inspiring and impactful guest speaker for this Service of Lamentation and Healing.