Nancy Michael
The first mention of Nancy was after Colonel Cornelius Bassett’s death in 1779. The description of his estate described "one Negro boy, Pero, 33 pounds. One Negro woman, Chloe 27 years ... 150 pounds. One garl, Nancy 7 years ... 80 pounds." These possessions were sold to a man from Tisbury named Joseph Allen.
Shortly thereafter she became known as Nancy Michael. No one really knows where Michael comes from. The only connection found was that of a boy named Caesar Michael. He was connected to the Bassett estate in Chilmark. Nathaniel Bassett was chosen to be a guardian of Caesar until he reached the age of fourteen. He was given this job because Caesar had inherited property rights from his mother.
After being sold to Joseph Allen he reportedly “held and used her as a slave for a series of years.” In 1812 she “fell into distress in Edgartown.” Eventually in 1851 the town of Edgartown sued the town of Tisbury to get money for supporting Nancy. They......
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