Second Witness Stones ceremony set

GUILFORD — The second annual Witness Stones Installation Ceremony will be held Nov. 15 at 9:30 am on the Guilford Green. Adams Middle School students will share the stories they created using historical documents to restore the history of persons who were enslaved locally. Along with the contributions of students, singers and community leaders, there will be a keynote speaker with a special relationship to Guilford history and the Witness Stones Project: Patricia Wilson Pheanious.

Wilson Pheanious can trace her family back almost three centuries to her sixth great-grandparents, Montros and Phillis, who were purchased as slaves in Boston in 1728, after being imported from Barbados, and were brought to Guilford by David Naughty, a native of Scotland and local merchant. Ms. Wilson Pheanious, a native of Ashford and formerly the Connecticut Commissioner of Social Services, was surprised to learn her family’s connection to slavery in Connecticut and to Guilford’s history.

This year, students will honor Wilson Pheanious’s direct ancestor, Montros. They will also tell the story of Pompey, Montros’s oldest son, who is considered to have been the last slave in Guilford. Finally, the event will honor Jouachim, held as a slave by Nicolas Loysel, a French refugee from Guadeloupe. After the ceremony on the Green, Witness Stones for Montros and Jouachim will be installed in downtown Guilford, joining the stones installed for Moses, Phillis, and Candace, who were honored last year.

This project is funded by the Guilford Foundation, Connecticut Humanities, and the Witness Stones membership, and is supported by Guilford Public Schools.

For more information about The Witness Stones Project, visit www.witnessstones.org or contact Dennis Culliton, chairman and co-founder, at Dennis@WitnessStones.org or 203-233-1026.

In the event of rain, the opening ceremony will be held in Adams Middle School’s Gymnasium.