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Title
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RBH Report Keene for Richard Sugland
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Rights
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RBH Keene
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Type
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Text
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Creator
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Carroll, Jennifer
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Date
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2023
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Description
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Recovering Black History report compiled by volunteers from Keene for Richard Sugland
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Format
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PDF
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Language
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English
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extracted text
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Richard Sugland
Resided in Keene, NH
BACKGROUND SUMMARY
Family Timeline
1794: Violet (Green) Sugland was born in MA
1804: Richard Sugland was born in CT
1831: A Richard Sugland marries Vitah Green in Colrain, MA on 25 Apr 1831. The following
year a Samuel Sugland married Lucy Freeman, both of Colrain, MA. Could these be the right
people?1
1830/1831- a daughter is born to Richard and Violet Sugland
1835: A child is born to Richard and Violet Sugland
1837: The 2-year old child of Richard Sugland died on April 24, 1837 in Keene. Signed off by
Frank Whitcomb. Does not mention mother, cause of death or sex of child.2
1839: A child is born to RIchard and Violet Sugland
1840: Richard Sugland appears in the 1840 Keene census as a free colored man, aged 36-55,
residing in town with his wife, aged 36-55, and daughter, aged 10-243.
1840: Also in 1840, according to a death record, Richard Sugland’s child, aged 1 year and 1
month, died on March 12th. The record does not record the child’s sex, the mother’s name, or
cause of death.4
1842: Son John G. Sugland was born in Keene.
1
Massachusetts compiled records of marriages, Colrain, p. 130
NH Death Records, 1837
3
US Federal Census, 1840 Keene
4
NH Death Records, 1840
2
Jennifer Carroll
1850: The family had moved to and was residing in Greenfield, MA. Richard Sugland was a 46
year old black laborer, born in CT. His wife Violet was 56 years old, black, and born in MA.
Their son John H. was 8 years old, black, born in NH and he was in school. There are two other
people of color living in the household: Cloriann Loomis (?), black and 25 years old, born in MA.
And her daughter 6 year old Cloriann Pecarr (?), in school and born in MA5.
1862: John G. Sugland of Greenfield, MA (b.Keene, NH) married Sophronia Colgrove of
Northfield, MA on Dec 18, 1862 in Northfield, MA. She was born in MD. No parents were
mentioned6.
1863-1865: John G. Sugland served as a private in Company K of the 54th MA regiment, the
first African-American regiment in the US. He enlisted on 14 Dec 1863 and was discharged 20
Aug 1865.7
1868: John G. and Sophronia Sugland had a son John B. Sugland in VT.8
1880: John G. and Sophoria Sugland resided in Vernon, VT with their son John B. John G. is
black 33-year old laborer who was born in NH. Both of his parents were born in CT. Sophronia
M. is listed as a 36-year old white woman, keeping house. She was born in MA and her parents
were born in VT. Son John B. was 12 years old and born in VT.9
1887: On June 23, 1887 son John H. Sugland of Brattleboro, VT, committed suicide by
hanging. His parents are listed as Richard Sugland and Violet Green and he was born in
Keene, NH. He was married at the time and a laborer.10 John Sugland had been serving time
in jail, arrested for the murder of Adelaide Burt. He committed suicide while waiting for his
hearing.
1895: Lucinda Sugland, daughter of Richard, Lived a few rods north of Old Anna's hut, (Old
Gilsum Road) in Keene. According to the town history, she was a good singer and dancer and
also liked to fight men. Her father, Richard, was an athlete who enjoyed a fight for recreation as
well. "He always attended musters and trainings of the militia of those days and was sure to be
in a fight with someone very soon after arriving on the field." Richard was good at animal
husbandry and cooking.11
5
1850 US Federal Census
MA Marriage Records, 1862
7
Find-a-grave for John G. Sugland
8
from the 1880 census
9
1880 US Federal Census
10
VT death records, 1887
11
A sketch of Keene, the gem of the Ashuelot Valley : originally published in the Granite Monthly for
February, 1895 by Thomas C. Rand
6
2
Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Roxbury
1907: Sophronia M. (Colgrove) Sugland died after walking to her sister’s house in Athol, NY, on
Christmas, to care for her. Once she arrived, Sugland dropped to the floor and died according
to the Brattleboro Reformer, dated 4 Jan 1907.12
ITEMIZED RESEARCH FINDINGS
Census Records
REPOSITORIES VISITED
ONLINE RESOURCES USED
Town Histories- archives.org
Census Records- ancestry
Vital Records- ancestry
FURTHER RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS
12
Brattleboro Reformer newspaper, 4 Jan 1907
3
Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Roxbury
