Dolphin Freeman (1798-1844), also known as Dauphin Freeman,
was the son of Watertown’s Richard Freeman. His brother
was Pollard Freeman. Dolphin was baptized in Waterbury’s
Episcopal church shortly after his birth.
His father died when Dolphin was 17; Samuel Hickcox became
his legal guardian, while Samuel Nettleton, cousin to
Hickcox, became Pollard’s guardian.
Dolphin inherited a number of items from his father, including
a pair of velvet pantaloons, a great chair and a spice
mortar, as well as a portion of the family farm, located
on Echo Lake Road in Watertown.
In the 1820s, Dolphin married a woman named Elvira (sometimes
spelled Alvira), who was born in 1803. They had four children
together, although their eldest child died in 1825 at
age two. Their other children were Erastus (1824-1855),
Leverett (1827-1898) and Frederick (1830-??).
By 1840, Dolphin had changed his name to Dauphin. He died
in 1844. His gravestone reads “In Memory of Dauphin
Freeman who died March 25, 1844 A.E. 46.”
Dolphin's Children
Very little is known about Dolphin's son Erastus. Town records
list a child of Erastus Freeman dying at age 2 in 1849.
Erastus died in 1855. So far there is no record of his having
married or having other children.
Frederick, like his brother Erastus, worked as a laborer.
He married a woman named Hannah in the 1850s. Tragically,
the couple's daughter Martha Jane died in 1856, when she
was only three months old. She was buried next to her
uncle Erastus. Her grave marker was inscribed "My
parents, dear, weep not for me/ When in this yard my grave
you see./ My time was short and blest is He/ That called
me to Eternity."
By 1860, Frederick and Hannah had moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut,
where Frederick worked as a seamster. They had a daughter
named Eunice who was born in 1858.
Leverett Freeman (1827-1898) was a farmer his whole life.
His wife, Antoinette, was born in 1831. They had three
children: Arthur, born in 1864; Eunice, born in 1866;
and Lucy, born in 1868. The family lived on their farm
in what became the Oakville section of Watertown. In 1903,
Antoinette moved to Waterbury. She may have died soon
after.
Detail of the record book of St. John's Episcopal Church,
Waterbury. Collection of the Mattatuck Museum
Dolphin's Adoption Paper- 1815
Dolphin's adoption following the death of his father,
Richard Freeman. Collection of the Mattatuck Museum
Dauphin Freeman's Gravestone
Located in the Old Burying Ground in Watertown. Dolphin
Freeman became Dauphin Freeman when he was an adult. The
small stone resting in front is a fragment from the grave
stone of Wealthy Skilton, who is buried to the right.
His son Erastus is buried to his left.
Map of Watertown (detail) - 1859
Detail of Clark's Map of Litchfield County. Leverett Freeman's
home is highlighted. It was located on Buckingham Street
in Oakville, approximately where Hadley Street is today.
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to Waterbury's African Americans List
