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Richard Freeman of Westbury (Watertown)

There were at least two men named Richard “Dick” Freeman in Waterbury. One lived in Westbury (Watertown), the other in Waterbury.

The name “Freeman” was often taken as a surname by African Americans who had been freed from slavery; it was also, however, the word used to refer to the voting members, normally white men, of a town.

Richard Freeman of Watertown (1756-1814) probably attended the Episcopal Church in Waterbury, but does not appear to have been a full member. Freeman married Hannah Souare in Oxford on January 9, 1792. Freeman’s son Pollard was baptized in Waterbury’s Episcopal Church on May 5, 1797; his son Dolphin was baptized July 17, 1799. There was an Episcopal Church in Watertown, which would have been much closer to the Freeman home. It is not known why Pollard and Dolphin were baptized in Waterbury instead of Watertown.

Freeman died November 28, 1814 at age 58. His estate inventory included numerous articles of clothing, including a pair of velvet pantaloons which were given to his son Dolphin; a vinegar cruet; a teapot, sugar bowel, tea canister and a half set of teacups and saucers; four “old kitchen chairs”; a looking glass; a bible; two tables, a chest of drawers, a cupboard and a candlestand; a fiddle, a brandy pipe and a cider hogshead. Freeman also owned a cow, eleven sheep, and two pigs. His house, which he owned, was on a small piece of land; he owned 18 acres of farm land at a different location, on the main road in Watertown.

Freeman’s will left most of his property to his widow and his sons. A few items, including his fiddle, were left to German Freeman, who owned land next to his farm.

On January 5th, 1815, Samuel H. Nettleton became the legal guardian of Pollard Freeman (19 years old), and Samuel Hickcox became the legal guardian of Dolphin Freeman (17 years old). These adoptions hint at a deep connection between the Freeman and Hickcox families. The 1790 census recorded a Dick Hicocks (an alternate spelling of Hickcox), head of a household of three, as the only free African Americans in Watertown. In addition, a "Dick Hickox Negro" of Watertown was paid money owed him by the estate of Capt. George Nichols in 1790. Dick Hickcox was almost certainly the same man as Dick Freeman.

Pollard and Dolphin spent their lives in Watertown; Pollard's descendents were still living in Watertown in the early 20th century.

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