Life of James Mars, A Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut written by Himself

James Mars

Case, Lockwood, 1869

Eight ed. Hartford Imprint: Case, Lockwood, 1869. 38 pages. Stab binding. Hardcover. Rebound in modern cloth.  Chip missing from front wrap. Corners of front wrap stained, as well as tips of title.  James Mars (1790-1880) was born into slavery in Connecticut. His master, a Minister named Thompson married a Southern lady and moved to Virginia.  In 1784 Connecticut had passed a law granted gradual emancipation of slaves once they turned 25.  Mars' master attempted to force him south, where he would face permanent slavery.  He was able to escape slavery through working off his slave debt to a local farmer.   Mars was a principal in the 1837 CT Supreme court case Jackson v. Bulloch, in which the court granted a slave named Nancy Jackson her freedom after two years of residency in the state with her Georgia master, James Bulloch.  During the Civil War Mars was encouraged to write his story to remind people that slavery had existed in Connecticut.   Mars was a prominent figure in New England's African American community, owning a dry goods business in Hartford and becoming a deacon in his church.