The Harvard Crimson: Archaeologists Present Findings on Enslaved People Buried in Old Burying Ground
The Department of Anthropology at Harvard University is pleased to share news from The Harvard Crimson featuring Professor Jason Ur and Johns Hopkins University professor (formerly a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University) Aja M. Lans, who are mapping racial segregation in the Old Burying Ground cemetery to uncover colonial burial trends in New England.
Ur and Lans presented their research findings on the enslaved individuals buried there at an event hosted by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture last week.
The Old Burying Ground, which is located across the street from Harvard Yard, served as the burial site for many prominent Cambridge families and past Harvard affiliates, including Henry Dunster and John Leverett, for approximately 200 years since its establishment around 1635.
But people enslaved by Harvard affiliates, including two enslaved women named Cicely and Jane, are also buried in the cemetery — along with Charles Lenox, a free 18th century Black entrepreneur who worked for the University, and his daughter, Susan.
Ur and Lans are investigating the Old Burying Ground and other cemeteries around Massachusetts to research the history of slavery and burial practices in colonial New England.
Their research has found that the burials of Black individuals were all located on the outskirts of the site, with many lacking headstones or proper identification.