Nero Hawley (1742 – January 30, 1817) was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

soldier who was born into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in North Stratford,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and later earned his freedom after enlisting in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in place of his owner, Daniel Hawley, on April 20, 1777, during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. His life is featured in the 1976 book ''From Valley Forge to Freedom'', which also notes other areas of present-day Trumbull, Connecticut associated with Hawley.

Revolutionary War

2nd Connecticut

The

2nd Connecticut Regiment The 2nd Connecticut Regiment was a regiment in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It is not to be confused with the 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment which served during the American Civil War. History The 2nd Conn ...

was raised in the spring of 1777 for the new army or ''Continental Line'' and was made up of men and slaves, among them Hawley, from throughout the state of Connecticut. Ordered to assemble in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, to prepare to take the field, they went into camp in

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

, soon after. They served during the summer and fall of 1777 along the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

under the command of General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

. On November 14, 1777, they were ordered to join General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's main army in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, where they engaged in the sharp action of the

Battle of White Marsh The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania. The battle, which took the form ...

on December 8. The unit lost a number of officers and men killed or wounded in the battle.

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Nero Hawley spent the winter of 1777–1778 at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

, Pennsylvania, under the command of General Washington. He was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Captain James Beebe's Company, within General

Jedediah Huntington Jedediah (or Jedidiah) Huntington (4 August 1743 – 25 September 1818), was an American general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he served in numerous civilian posts. Early life Huntington was born ...

's Brigade of the

, 1st Connecticut Division. On March 12, 1778, the parish of North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, made donations of provisions for those residents serving in the southern army stationed at Valley Forge. Of the fifteen men serving there from North Stratford, three were Hawley's: Abraham, Nathan and Nero. Nero Hawley answered seven roll calls between December 1777 and June 1778 during the harsh winter encampment.

Battle of Monmouth

On July 28, 1778, Hawley fought in the

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...

, in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Hawley was assigned to the 2nd Connecticut Brigade commanded by Huntington and camped at White Plains before spending the winter of 1778–1779 with the division at

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 census. History Early settlement and establishment At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present-d ...

. He served on the east side of the Hudson River in General

William Heath William Heath (March 2, 1737 – January 24, 1814) was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Life and career Heath m ...

's wing during the operations of 1779 and with the Light Company under Captain Ten Eyck. He was then detached to Colonel Return J. Meigs' Light Regiment and engaged the enemy at the

Battle of Stony Point The Battle of Stony Point took place on July 16, 1779, during the American Revolutionary War. In a well-planned and -executed nighttime attack, a highly trained select group of George Washington's Continental Army troops under the command of Bri ...

on July 15, 1779. He wintered during 1779–1780 at

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, serving on the outposts. In 1780, he served with the main army along the Hudson River and wintered at Camp Connecticut Village above the Robinson House during 1780–1781.

Private life

Nero married Peg, the slave servant of the Unity Parish pastor, Reverend

James Beebe James Beebe (1717–1785), Reverend, presided over the Unity Parish at ''North Stratford'', now Trumbull, Connecticut, between 1747 and 1785. He was an Army Preacher in the French and Indian War and a patriot. Biography Beebe was born in Danbury ...

, in 1761. They raised seven children, five of whom were born before Nero enlisted in the army. Hawley was emancipated in 1782, but the children born to Nero and Peg remained the property of Reverend Beebe. Two children were listed in Beebe's inventory of his estate after his death in 1785. Nero formally emancipated all four children in 1801 when they were twenty-six and thirty-four years of age. After the war, Hawley became a brick maker. On March 14, 1791, Hawley, described in the old North Stratford Ecclesiastical Society book as a "free Negro man", withdrew with others from the Congregational Society of North Stratford and became a member of the Episcopal Church at Ripton, now Huntington. On May 26, 1808, Hawley's pension was increased to $3.33 per month, and he received a final pension increase to $40 per year in 1813. Nero Hawley died in 1817 at the age of 75, and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Trumbull Center.

Descendants

Nero's grandsons Grant and Peter Hawley were named trustees of the Zion Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in June 1835 when the church purchased land on Broad Street in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

, to construct a church building. The church, now known as the Walter's Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, is the oldest black church in Bridgeport and celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2010.CT Post June 2010, Meg Barone
/ref>

References

External links

Connecticut History.OrgTrumbull PatchEmpire Patriot History of Valley Forge May 2003Historic Valley Forge official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawley, Nero 1742 births 1817 deaths People from Trumbull, Connecticut 18th-century American slaves African Americans in the American Revolution People of Connecticut in the American Revolution Continental Army soldiers