Reading Public Library (1A)

We are here on the grounds of the Reading Public Library to focus on researching the town’s Black and enslaved people of the colonial era.

During this tour, we will read from primary source documents that are found through the brochure QR code, on the documents page. Could we get two volunteers to read two of the documents out loud for us? We will let you know when.

What types of sources and records do you think could be and were used to uncover information about the lives of Black and enslaved residents of colonial Reading?

There are very few documents created by Reading’s enslaved, or formerly enslaved people themselves, but we did find many records that documented Reading’s early Black residents.

These included:

-   Slave census records

-   Records of marriages & births, known as vital records

-   Enslavers’ wills & probates

-   A runaway ad posted in a Boston newspaper

-   Military records

-   Church records

-   19th century town histories

-   Gravestones

Let’s look closely at three of these.

(Read by Kara Gleason, Library and Media Specialist, Minuteman High School)