Tatnai Prince

Bio

Tatnai was the fifth of six children born to Abijah and Lucy Terry Prince of Deerfield, Massachusetts, both of whom had once been enslaved. Sometime after Tatnai's birth, the family moved to land they owned in Guilford, Vermont.

In 1779, when Tatnai was 14 years old, he and his 10-year-old brother Abijah, Jr. were attacked by John Stanton, a relative of John Noyes, who lived nearby. It was reported that the boys were beaten with "Staves Sticks &c." (Mr. and Mrs. Prince, Gretchen H. Gerzina, pg. 146). In April of 1782, after Abijah, Sr. had filed charges against Stanton, John Noyes and another relative cut down some of Prince's trees and broke down their fences, allowing cows and pigs access to the corn, flax, potatoes, and hayfield. In 1785, Lucy Prince argued her family's case in court before Governor Thomas Chittenden, and won. The council's resolve is below.

On the Representation of Lucy Prince, wife of Abijah Prince, and others shewing that, the said Abijah, Lucy and Family, are greatly oppresses & injured by John and Ormas Noyce, in the possession and enjoyment of a certain farm or Piece of Land, on which the said Abijah and Lucy now Lives, the Council having Taken the same into consideration and made due enquiry, are of Opinion that the said Abijah and Lucy are much injured, and that unless the Town take some Methods to protect said Abijah, Lucy & family in the enjoyment of their possession, they must soon unavoidably fall upon the Charity of the Town.

      Therefore Resolved that His Excellency be Requested to write to the Selectmen of the Town of Guilford Recommending to them to Take some effectual Measures to protect the said Abijah, Lucy & family in the Possession of said Lands until the said dispute can be equally & equitably settled. 

In 1800 Tatnai was working for a man in Manchester, Vermont, but the man died, owing Tatnai money. He then moved to nearby Vergennes to work with his older brother Caesar. The 1810 federal census lists Tatnai living alone in Manchester, Vermont and by 1820, he was in Sunderland where his mother, Caesar, and two sisters were living. Smallpox had broken out in the area and since he thought he'd had the disease earlier, Tatnai was hired to attend to people with the illness. However, he contracted smallpox soon after cleaning a "pox house" (also known as a "pest house" or "Plague house") and died at the age of 55.