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Titus Gay (1787-1837), also known as Old Ti, was born into slavery in the town of Suffield, Connecticut, USA. Because of the Gradual Emancipation Act passed in 1784, [1] Gay was freed in 1812 after reaching 25 years of age. He was buried in the northeastern corner of the cemetery behind the Congregational church in Suffield, CT.
Gay was born in 1787 and lived nearly his entire life in Suffield, CT. He was enslaved by the town minister, Reverend Ebenezer Gay Jr., at the time of his manumission. Because Ebenezer enslaved his mother, Titus was born enslaved. His father, Titus Kent, was enslaved by Samuel Kent, who then bequeathed him to his son, Elihu Kent, a leader during the American Revolutionary War and a member of the Kent family, an original land-granted family from the town's settlement. Titus Kent also fought in the war.
According to Judge Smith's "Old Slave Days in Connecticut", [2] Titus loved an enslaved woman, Phill, who died shortly after attempting to escape her enslaver. According to Smith, Phill died while fleeing, a victim of a brutally cold Connecticut winter. Although Gay and Phill were never married (she died before they had the chance), this is the closest known instance in which Titus had a partner. Gay was allegedly buried next to Phill. Gay never had any children. He was dedicated to his community and church; once he became a free man, Titus would work in the church to make ends meet. Both of Titus's parents were enslaved. Rose Gay, his mother, served Reverend Ebenezer Gay of Suffield, CT. Titus Kent, his father, was owned by Elihu Kent, also of Suffield. Elihu Kent and Titus Kent served in the Connecticut Militia. [3] After Titus Gay was manumitted in 1812 by Reverend Ebenezer Gay Jr. he lived in Suffield as a free man.
Titus was emancipated at age twenty-five by the Gradual Emancipation Act passed in 1784. Even though Reverend Gay no longer enslaved Titus, he was still very much involved in the town. One of Titus's most coveted jobs was working as a tythingman. This job consisted of assisting the pastor with funerals. Gay ensured church operations ran smoothly. Titus also worked as a sexton, gravedigger, church custodian, and bell ringer. He was very much involved in the community. In the 1820s, there was a day once a year called training day. The training day was when the town celebrated their local militia with a parade. Titus was in charge of keeping the little boys of the town out of trouble. The parents trusted him with their children.
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, and located in the Connecticut River Valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,752. The town center is a census-designated place listed as Suffield Depot.
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Titus Kent was an enslaved man in colonial Suffield, Connecticut, the father of Titus Gay and a Connecticut militiaman in the American Revolutionary War. Kent served with his enslaver, Elihu Kent (1733–1814), and with others from Suffield, Connecticut.
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The Ebenezer Gay House, also known locally as the Gay-Hoyt House, is a historic house museum at 18 Main Street in Sharon, Connecticut. Built in 1775, it is a well-preserved example of Georgian colonial architecture in brick. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is part of the Sharon Historic District, listed in 1993. It is now home to the Sharon Historical Society.
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Noah Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer and politician. Born near Fort Henry, he represented several western Virginia counties in the Virginia Senate during the War of 1812.
