Prince Walker, native of Barre, was likely a brother to Quock. Prince shares a last name and inherited money from the sale of Quock’s estate along with several others, these are the only two remaining links that point to a blood relation between the two. Unlike Quock, records of Prince’s adult life abound, there is a known burial site, records of marriages and children’s births, there are land records and census data. All of which combine to create an excellent view of Prince and his role in Barre’s community.

            Prince was born in 1774, considering Quock’s own father ran away from his family before that time, Prince was likely Quock’s half sibling. Local historian Lucy Allen speculates that Prince was sold into Connecticut by Nathaniel Jennison following Quock’s trial. To collect on the slave’s value, Jennison was motivated to quickly travel south, to where slavery was still legal, and cash in. Prince would have been only nine years old at the time. If Allen is correct, Prince made his way back to Barre by 1800 where he appears as a head of household. [1]

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            In 1803, Prince purchased an acre and a half of land from Submit Caldwell for $18. Submit was the daughter of James Caldwell who was the owner to Quock and his family. In only fifty years Prince’s family had gone from being enslaved by the Caldwell’s to legally purchasing their own corner of the Caldwell estate. His race was mentioned nowhere within the land deed. Later, Prince again purchased land from Submit who was now married to Samuel Dana of New Hampshire. It is clear then that Submit held no qualms about selling portions of her late father’s estate to members of their former enslaved family.

            In 1805 Prince married Betsey Daws of the neighboring Rutland, they were listed as “Negroes.” on the marriage document. A decade later, in 1816, Prince remarried to an Anna (Ann) Morse. Between the two marriages Prince fathered at least nine children; Prince Jr, Sally, Lucy, Nancy, Hannah, John, Sarah, William, and Enoch. His tenth child listed as Betsey died in 1809 at twenty-three years of age. Historical deduction suggests heavily that this was his first wife, not his child. Since Prince himself was only thirty-five years of age in 1809 it would be impossible for him to be the father of a twenty-three-year-old woman.

            Prince is listed in both the 1850 Federal and 1855 Massachusetts census. Both describe him as a black male. He is listed as a gardener and farmer, respectively. The term gardener was used to describe someone whose focus was on the cultivation fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Perhaps Prince sold these to Barre’s residents himself or perhaps he wholesaled the products to be taken into taverns, inns, and cities. His property, close to the main road leading to Rutland was a heavily traveled one and the main artery to the hub city of Worcester. Today, his property is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and original stone walls indicating his properties boundaries and usage can still be seen today.

            When Prince died in 1858, he owned seven acres of land valued at $100 and $31 worth of personal property [2]. Prince left his estate to six of his children, Nancy, Prince, John, George, Enoch, and Sally. Nothing was mentioned of his wife, Ann, or any of his other children. It is no wonder why Ann was excluded, in May of 1842 Prince ran an advertisement in the Barre Gazette which “forbid(s)” anyone from harboring his wife, Ann or his children and that he would not pay their debts. [3] Prince later posed an advertisement looking for a new wife, particularly a “Negro woman” who could, “take charge of his household affairs” and “smooth the pillow of his declining years” in the advertisement he claimed that Ann had left him for no reason but “her own dark thoughts”.  

            In 1859, Ann petitioned for and won a widow’s allowance of $22.23 out of Prince’s estate. Surely a decision that Prince would not have been pleased with. Prince’s burial site in Barre still survives and is now owned by the town. The gravestones of all persons buried there are fallen into disrepair as to make it impossible to know which members of Prince’s family lie with him. However, local historians have claimed that both Betsey Daws and Ann Morse share the burial site. Prince omitting her from his will and slandering her in local newspapers, however, does seem to support the idea that Ann was buried elsewhere.

            Before Prince’s death Prince Jr. was involved in a Barre robbery. In 1847 he stole about $100 from a local woman while working with another thief [4].  In report of the robbery the Barre Gazette called Prince Jr. a, “simple half-witted darkie” [5]. The use of the derogatory slur over sixty years following Quock’s trials and set amongst a vastly growing abolitionist movement in the north is an example of how some residents of Barre still held onto racist language. An examination into Barre Gazette articles from the 1830’s and 1840’s show that the term “negro” was commonly used to describe those of African descent. It is not until the late 1850’s that the Barre Gazette starts to publish articles that use words such as, horrific and unjust to describe the institution of slavery. To further exhibit Northern sentiment, in 1861 an article was published describing a “negro’s” escape to Canada after committing murder. The murderer was able to travel unnoticed through rural Barre and surrounding towns by posing as a fleeing slave [6]. Using the excuse as a runaway to save himself certainly shows where most resident’s sentiments lied.

 

[1] U.S. Federal Census 1800, Barre, Ma., Page 10.

[2] Massachusetts: Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881, 61426: 33

4 Barre Gazette, (Barre, MA Vol 9 Issue 1 Page 3)

 

[4] Barre Gazette (Barre, Ma: Vol XIV, Issue 5, Page 2), Genealogy Bank.

[5] Barre Gazette (Barre, MA: Vol XII, Issue 34, Page 2), Genealogy Bank.

[6] Barre Gazette (Barre, MA: Vol 27, issue 35, page 3), Genealogy Bank.