It’s been 6 months in the making! The Mary & Thaddeus Newton Graveside Memorial Celebration went off without a hitch! It occurred at 11am on Friday, June 21st. Military honors for Stephen Newton, their son who died in the assault on Fort Wagner, were provided by the Connecticut National Guard, as well as by the Massachusetts 54th Regiment who traveled down from Boston to join us!

1833, in New Bern, NC, a free black woman named Mary Herritage married her love, an enslaved man named Thaddeus Newton. Thaddeus was enslaved by Peter and Catherine Custis, relatives of Robert E. Lee. They had kids, but because Thaddeus was enslaved, Mary had to make her own way.

I was informed by Ms. Francis Martin of the Mattatuck Museum that I had been selected by individuals at the Museum and Riverside Cemetery to deliver Fortune’s story at the 10 year anniversary memorial of Fortune’s burial, occurring on September 13th, 2023.