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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC01450.702 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1806 |
| Title | Plea from Peter Kiteredge to the selectmen of Medfield |
| Date | 26 April 1806 |
| Author | Kiteredge, Peter (b. ca. 1750) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Signed by Ebenezer Clark and Paul Hither as witnesses. Serves as the statement of Peter Kiteredge, a former slave. States that Kiteredge (sometimes Kittredge or Kittridge) moved between Rowley and Andover, Massachusetts with the Kittredge family, "with whom, as was then the lot of my unfortunate race, I passed the best part of my life as a slave." Reports that he entered the military when he was twenty five (in 1775 or 6), serving for five years as a private. Following this service, he spent time as a sailor, and later as a laborer. States that he is inflicted with an illness "whereby the labour of my hands is wholly cut off, and with it the only means of my support." Requests assistance from Medfield's Selectmen in supporting his wife and four children, claiming that none of the children are old enough to aid him in supporting the family. States that though he is not a Medfield resident, he seeks the Selectmen's care as a stranger within their borders. Kiteredge signs with an "x." |
| Subjects | Slavery African American History Military History Revolutionary War Navy Health and Medical Disease Government and Civics Children and Family Charity and Philanthropy |
| People | Kiteredge, Peter (cb. 1750) Clark, Ebenezer (fl. 1806) Hither, Paul (fl. 1806) |
| Place written | Medfield, Massachusetts |
| Theme | The American Revolution; African Americans; Slavery & Abolition; Children & Family; Health & Medicine |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Peter Kiteredge was a slave in the household of the Kittredge family, from Andover, Massachusetts. Many of the Kittredges were physicians, and Dr. Thomas Kittredge served as surgeon for Colonel Frye's Regiment. During the War, Peter Kittredge served in Captain William H. Ballard's company, Colonel James Frye's regiment. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |