Jeffrey Brace
Jeffrey Brace (born Boyrereau Brinch; c. 1742 – April 20, 1827) was a former slave who was taken from West Africa around 1750 and a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. He became the first African-American citizen of Poultney, Vermont.[1] Brace became blind in his later years and published his memoirs under the title The Blind African Slave or the Memoirs of Boyrereau Brinch Nicknamed Jeffrey Brace. The faculty union at the University of Vermont now offers a $500 book award in his name "to students who exemplify academic excellence and an active commitment to achieving social and economic justice."[2]
Jeffrey Brace | |
|---|---|
| Born | Boyrereau Brinch c. 1742 |
| Died | April 20, 1827 (aged 84–85) Georgia, Vermont, US |
| Occupation(s) | Slave, sailor, soldier, farmer, author |
| Spouse | Susannah Dublin (Susanna) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Thirteen Colonies  United States |
| Service/ | Royal Navy (1756-1763), Continental Army (1775–1781) |
| Battles/wars | French and Indian War American Revolutionary War |
| Part of a series on |
| Slavery |
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Early life
Jeffrey Brace was born in West Africa circa 1742 as Boyrereau Brinch. A free African, he was later captured and sold into slavery.
Military service
As an enslaved sailor, he served in the privateer ship of Captain Isaac Mills, his enslaver, during the French and Indian War. Brace later fought as an enslaved soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
Post-war years
Following the war, Jeffrey Brace received his freedom from his former owner in Connecticut.
Death
Jeffrey Brace died on January 31, 1827, in Georgia, Vermont.
References
- "Jeffrey Brace: First African American Citizen of Poultney - Poultney Vermont Historical Society". Poultney Vermont Historical Society.
- "United Academics: The Brace Award". unitedacademics.org. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- Brace, Jeffrey. The Blind African Slave or the Memoirs of Boyrereau Brinch Nicknamed Jeffrey Brace.
- Nell, William Cooper. The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, With Sketches of Several Distinguished Colored Persons: To Which Is Added a Brief Survey of the Condition And Prospects of Colored Americans.