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City of Boston Announces Rare Gravestone of Free Black Bostonian Rediscovered In Granary Burying Ground

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As the City of Boston continues to commemorate the city's foundational role in the American Revolution and its ongoing legacy of activism, innovation, and community leadership through Boston 250, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department announced the discovery and restoration of a rare gravestone belonging to Boston, a free Black man who died in 1728/29, following a conservation project at the Granary Burying Ground. The gravestone, which had been obscured for decades and was absent from modern surveys of the site, offers a glimpse into the lives of Black Bostonians in the colonial era and adds an important chapter to the city's early history.

"The rediscovery of Boston's gravestone, likely one of the oldest markers of a free Black person in America, is a significant moment in our city's history. Through the preservation of names and stories, we are restoring agency, dignity, and humanity to people and communities who have shaped our city and have too often been erased. Sharing the story of Boston, a man remembered as both loved by his neighbors and respected in his community, deepens our understanding of American history," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "I'm grateful to our Granary Burying Ground conservation team and partners for their critical work in helping our residents, families and visitors engage with a fuller account of our past."

"Boston's historic burying grounds connect us to our history and to the people who shaped our city," said Diana Fernandez Bibeau, Commissioner of Boston Parks and Recreation and Deputy Chief of Open Space. "As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, discoveries like this remind us that preserving these historic places is essential. We are proud of the dedicated work of our Historic Burying Ground Initiative and thankful to our partners at Dadedulus Inc., whose expertise not only preserves these remarkable sites but helps restore forgotten voices, like Boston's, to the City's historical record."

The gravestone was identified during an ongoing conservation project led by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's Historic Burying Ground Initiative. While documenting the ongoing conservation, Director of Boston's Historic Burying Grounds Kelly Thomas noticed an epitaph bearing only the name "Boston" dated 1728/29. The marker had not appeared in a late twentieth-century survey of the site.

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Further research led Thomas to connect the gravestone to the life of Sebastian, a formerly enslaved man whose story is detailed in the 2024 book Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England" by Gloria McCahon Whiting. Through historical records and scholarship, Thomas determined that the man memorialized as "Boston" and Sebastian were the same man. It is likely his name transitioned from Sebastian to Bastian, then Bastian to 'Boston' over the years in the documentary records.

"The rediscovery of this gravestone highlights the important role of historic preservation and the historic burying grounds in bringing to light overlooked stories in the City's rich history," said Kelly Thomas, Director of Historic Burying Grounds. "Learning more about Sebastian/Boston's life illustrates the complex, multicultural and multiracial society that created the conditions from which the American Revolution was born."

The finding of Boston's grave is particularly significant as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and Boston celebrates the 75th anniversary of Boston's Freedom Trail. Its presence in the Granary Burying Ground also expands historians' understanding of burial practices in colonial Boston and is believed that this is the oldest gravestone for a free Black person in the United States.

According to historical accounts, Boston was known for being a respected member of the community. An obituary for him was published in the New England Weekly Journal of February 24, 1729, reading: "He having born the character of a sober, virtuous liver, and of a very trusty, honest, and faithful servant to all that employed him, and having acquired to himself the general love and esteem of his neighbors by a readiness to do any good offices in his power for everyone; his funeral was attended with uncommon respects, and his death much lamented."

"Boston lived a life of influence. As a young man in bondage, he cultivated white allies in his years-long campaign to obtain a legal marriage to his wife, who was also enslaved. Evidence suggests that his advocacy helped inspire both the publication of New England's earliest antislavery tract and the passage of legislation in Massachusetts supporting marriage rights for the enslaved," said Gloria McCahon Whiting, author of Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England. "Boston would later obtain his freedom and father six children, whom he baptized in a local church and supported economically. When he died in 1729, Boston left a community bereaved; over the course of his life, he had built intimate relationships with neighbors from all walks of life, ranging from people in bondage to those of great wealth and political power."

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Boston's gravestone was discovered partially buried and obscured by soil with significant structural damage caused by centuries of weathering. Conservators from Daedalus, Inc., carefully documented the marker before removing it to an indoor climate-controlled conservation studio where it underwent thorough cleaning to help reveal details of the inscription. Conservators also repaired parts of the grave with conservation-grade materials to prevent further deterioration. The conservation effort ultimately made the inscription legible enough to support the research that identified Boston and restored his story to the historical record.



In the first photo above, repairs were made to re-adhere the marker along a bedding plane. In the second photo, a specialized adhesive is injected at the void between the stone's strata layers to slow the rate of delamination.

Following treatment, the gravestone was returned to the Granary Burying Ground and reset vertically at its original location using soil and crushed stone. This conservation work not only preserved a rare colonial-era artifact but also made the inscription legible for the first time in decades, enabling the Boston Parks and Recreation Department to identify the man memorialized as Boston.

"The discovery of Boston's gravestone and possibly the oldest one of a free Black person in the United States right here in the City of Boston's Granary Burying Ground is truly remarkable" said Suzanne Segura Taylor, Executive Director of the Freedom Trail Foundation.  "The Foundation's Preservation Fund helps support the Historic Burying Grounds Initiative's important restoration/preservation efforts, which uncovered this history, and the Foundation's team is excited to be able to bring Boston's story to life and show people the gravestone, while interpreting all of our city's history along the Freedom Trail."

The gravestone is located at GR-A-141. This location can be viewed on a map on our website at boston.gov/historic-burying-grounds-initiative.

Learn more about the Granary Burying Ground and our Historic Burying Ground Initiative at boston.gov/historic-burying-ground-initatives. To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks visit boston.gov/parks, call (617) 635-4505, join our email list, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on X, Facebook, Instagram, and @parks.boston.gov on Bluesky.

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