Malden Declaration Day – Special Tribute to Black Revolutionary War Veterans

Special to The Advocate

Mayor Gary Christenson, Library Director Dora St. Martin and Malden Historical Society members welcomed residents on June 28 at historic Bell Rock Cemetery to kick off Independence Day celebrations. Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe, Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley, Ward 5 Councillor Ari Taylor, Ward 6 Councillor/City Council President Steve Winslow and Ward 7 School Committee Member Keith Bernard all attended the ceremony. A crowd was present to hear patriotic music performed by the William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps as they marched down Green Street to the Cemetery. Following welcoming remarks by Mayor Gary Christenson, the “Town Instructions” were read by period actor Ryan Hayward as members of the Historical Society stood by in period dress.

The May 27, 1776, document titled “Instructions of the Inhabitants of Malden, Massachusetts to their Representatives in Congress” was unanimously voted on by the townspeople of Malden to be delivered to the Second Continental Congress via their representative Ezra Sargeant. In the 1776 communication, the voting citizens of Malden renounce the Colony’s ties to the Kingdom of Great Britain and set forth their wish to become an independent “American” republic. The document is credited as a precursor to the Declaration of Independence written in July of 1776 when the Continental Congress formally declared their independence from England.

This event was especially moving – the new bronze Revolutionary War Memorial recently installed to honor the service of free and enslaved Black soldiers of Malden who served during the Revolutionary War was unveiled. In 1930 a memorial was installed in the same location and lists no Black soldiers. To assist with the memorial unveiling, Willis Rose, Sr., a longtime community member and Emmanuel Baptist Church member, stepped up to uncover the memorial for all to see for the first time.

Mayor Christenson publicly thanked Library Director St. Martin for her research that led to the discovery of the omission of memorializing Black soldiers. The Mayor also thanked those who made the project possible, including the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which provided a grant for a broader project that led to the discovery; State Representative Paul Donato, who worked with the Secretary of State and State Records Advisory Board Veterans’ Heritage Grant Program; the Malden Public Library Board of Trustees; and the Malden Cemetery Board of Trustees.

Library Director St. Martin read the names of each of the Black soldiers from Malden who served our country during the Revolutionary War: Titus Freeman – 1760; Cato Green – 1775; Samuel Harden – 1777; Prince Hills / Hill – 1775; Fortune Holmes – 1777; Charles / Charlestown Lynde – 1777; Pomp Magos – 1779; James / Bacchus Nichols – 1775; Aaron Oliver – 1775; Bristol Pratt – 1777; Waterman Randol – 1778; John Ranfree – 1781.

“This was a great moment for Malden,” said Mayor Christenson. “I am grateful to Library Director Dora St. Martin for all she did to ensure that these soldiers, who answered the call and served in the Colonial Militia, are now recognized for their service.”