Historical Society Ghost Walk Part 1: Former slave Lorenzo Bryant died a Waterbury citizen

June 5, 2021 | By Skip Flanders

Editor’s Note: Below is an edited version of the presentation by Skip Flanders of the Waterbury Historical Society on Lorenzo Bryant and his descendants made as part of the Memorial Day Ghost Walk at Hope Cemetery. It was one of three presentations made at the Waterbury Historical Society event. 

I am honored to share the story of two African-American men, former slaves from Virginia, Charles Daggs and Lorenzo Bryant coming to Waterbury in 1861. 

Skip Flanders (right) gives his talk on Memorial Day about former slave Lorenzo Bryant who settled in Waterbury in 1861 and lived the rest of his life here as a logger, carpenter and church custodian. He and family members are buried in Hope Cemetery. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

The story  begins in May 1861 with Charles Dillingham recruiting a company of Waterbury men for the 2nd Vermont Regiment for service in the Civil War.  Dillingham, age 25, the son of Paul Dillingham, later lieutenant governor and governor of Vermont, recruited 100 men from Waterbury and surrounding towns for a company.  Dillingham was the captain of the company and Waterbury resident William Wirt Henry, age 30, was second in command as his first lieutenant.   This company was mustered into service in June 1861, was sent to Washington, and was at Bush Hill, Virginia, on July 10, 1861.

Another of the people you will learn about today is Charles Daggs, who came from the plantation at Bush Hill, Virginia.  We do not know where Lorenzo Bryant was other than Fairfax County, Virginia. We learned from his obituary in 1912 that Lt. William W. Henry brought both Lorenzo Bryant and Charles Daggs to Waterbury in 1861. Lorenzo and Charles were 19 and 20 years old when they arrived in Waterbury.

We owe a large part of today’s talk about Lorenzo to Robert L. Duffus and a chapter in his book “The Waterbury Record.” Robert Duffus grew up in Dac Rowe House, went to Stanford University, and worked as an editor for the New York Times. He wrote numerous books and “The Waterbury Record” is one about his time growing up in Waterbury 1900-1905. He devoted a chapter entitled “Equal Chance” about Celia and Howard Bryant’s time in Waterbury.  

This undated photograph shows Lorenzo Bryant and a child with a pair of oxen likely used for logging. Photo courtesy Waterbury Historical Society.

Lorenzo R. Bryant  was born in Fairfax County, Virginia, about 1840 and was a former slave. He was brought to Waterbury by then-1st Lt. William Wirt Henry of Waterbury.  On June 23, 1872, Lorenzo married Eliza Thorndike Wood, a widow whose husband, Theodore Wood, was killed serving in the Union Army at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864.  

On Jan. 20, 1873, Lorenzo purchased a building lot near Butler’s Pond on North Main Street from John Coffin for $300. On Jan 30, 1873, Lorenzo borrowed $120 from Luther Davis, presumably to build his house. He paid the money back in two years. Lorenzo built the house on the lot at 70 N. Main Street that he lived in at the time he died. That house stands today. 

My research locating Lorenzo’s house was revealing to me as it turned out I grew up across the street at 65 N. Main and did not know about Lorenzo Bryant, his family, or that he built the house across the street. Lorenzo worked as a carpenter and was the janitor at the Methodist Church.

Lorenzo and Eliza had two children together: a daughter, Celia Ella Bryant, was born on June 3, 1874, and a son, Howard Harry Bryant, was born April 15, 1878.  

Howard graduated from Waterbury High School and worked at different jobs including time as a Pullman Porter on the railroad. He did not like that job and returned to Waterbury. Robert Duffus reports that Howard Bryant was not a happy person and had a difficult time adjusting. We have one picture of him that may be his high school graduation.  In July 1902, Howard contracted typhoid fever and died on July 24 at age 24 and is buried here with this small stone marker Howard Bryant.  This is the only reference to the Bryant family being here in Waterbury.

Flanders shared this undated photo believed to be Celia Bryant on her wedding day in Waterbury c.1898. Photo courtesy Waterbury Historical Society.

His older sister Celia graduated from Waterbury High School in 1893 and was very popular, outgoing, and musically talented.  She wrote the senior class song and worked as a reporter for Harry Whitehill on the Waterbury Record.  She was very active in the Methodist Church, taught Sunday school, and had a job as a reporter for the Epworth League.  After Celia resigned her job as a Waterbury Record reporter to get married, Robert Duffus who wrote the book took her job as a reporter for Harry Whitehill. 

On November 10, 1898, Celia married Benjamin Wellington Paxton, an African-American man from Burlington.  Benjamin’s father was Madison Paxton, also a former African-American slave who came to Vermont after the Civil War. 

We found this unidentified picture from photographer Dale of Waterbury of an African-American woman. Dale advertised as a photographer in Waterbury from 1896 1897. I believe it is Celia Ella Bryant in her wedding dress for two reasons: the time period is right. 1898 is when Celia was married; and Celia is the only known African- American women in Waterbury during that time. 

Celia’s husband, Benjamin Wellington Paxton, graduated from Burlington High School in 1892 and was awarded a gold medal for oration. He went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., studying a theological course.  St Paul’s Church in Burlington transferred him to Kentucky to be ordained so that he could work in the south in a Black community.  

Benjamin was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1899. Following their marriage, Celia and Benjamin served in an African-American church in Cairo, Illinois, and then transferred to St. Phillip’s Church in Newark. N.J., in 1903 for eight year. Then in 1911, Benjamin and Celia went to Cleveland, Ohio, at St. Andrew’s Church.  

We have a picture of Rev B. W. Paxton when he served at St. Phillip’s Church in 1908.

Benjamin and Celia came back to Vermont often to see their family.  Rev B. W. Paxton, as he was referred to, is reported to have preached the sermon numerous times at the local Methodist Church where Celia and her family attended. 

Under Rev. Paxton’s leadership, St. Andrew’s Church became self-sufficient and undertook building a new church and mission costing $30,000.  That church is in service today.  At each church, Celia demonstrated her abilities serving with the children and women and leading them in faith and spirit.  Rev. Paxton and Celia were always dedicated to making the lives of their parishioners better. 

On Oct. 1, 1912 Lorenzo died in the home he built at 70 N. Main Street.  His funeral was delayed a day until Celia and Benjamin could arrive from Cleveland.  Lorenzo was described as a Christian gentleman and an honorable citizen. He was buried here with the small marker inscribed, “FATHER.” 

Rev. Benjamin Paxton died in Cleveland, Ohio, on Oct. 1, 1918, following what was described as a nervous breakdown from the stress of the major construction project. He was on disability leave for a year preceding his death. Following a funeral service in Cleveland, his body was brought to Waterbury and interred here next to Celia’s brother, Howard.  The plan at the time probably was that Celia would be buried next to him. 

Following his death to show their love and respect for Rev. Benjamin Paxton, the congregation raised $3,000 to purchase an organ and $1,500 to have it installed in his memory.  That is the equivalent of raising $80,000 today.   

On November 23, 1921, Celia married again to widowed African-American Episcopal Minister Edward Ellis Jr. in Newark, N.J. They moved to Richmond, Virginia, where Edward had a church. But Edward Ellis Jr. died September 16, 1926. 

Lorenzo Bryant’s wife, Eliza, died Dec. 23, 1921, in Cambridge, Vermont, where she was living with her daughter, and is buried here with a marker labeled, “Mother.” The only way you know they are the Bryants is that the maker for their son, Howard, is identified, “Howard Bryant.”

Celia then found her way to Springfield, Ohio, and married some time before 1930 for a third time. Her third husband was an African-American widowed police officer named Albert Thompson. Celia continued to be active in the church and in April 1931, she graduated from the Columbus Training School for Embalmers.  Celia was the second woman to graduate as an embalmer, and the first African-American woman to do so.  

Celia’s third husband, Albert Thompson, died in 1942 and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, in Springfield, Ohio, next to his first wife. 

Celia continued to live in Springfield, Ohio, and died August 10, 1947, at age 74. Celia was buried in an unmarked Grave in Ferncliff Cemetery 800 miles from home, her family, and first husband.  It does not appear that anyone back in Vermont was notified of her passing, and she did not have any close family or money to send her back to Waterbury to be buried next to Benjamin and her family. 

It is regrettable that Celia is not buried in Waterbury with her family where her love and dedication to help her people began, instead of being forgotten in an unmarked grave 800 miles from home. 

The story of Lorenzo R. Bryant ends  in 1947 with the death of his daughter Celia. There were no children to carry on the story.

If money were no object, I would have Celia exhumed from her unmarked grave so far from home and reinterred here beside her husband, Benjamin, and family.  It is likely that there are many unmarked forgotten graves of African-Americans across the county.  Now we know the story of two of them. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I would like to share a bit more about the person I think is primarily responsible for both Charles and Lorenzo being in Waterbury. That person is General William Wirt Henry.  Growing up, William’s father, James, was involved with the Temperance Movement.  William’s mother, Matilda Gale Henry, signed the 1870 petition to the Vermont Legislature for the Women’s Right to Vote.  William’s father and mother are buried in the front part of the cemetery near the Congregational Church.

Before the war, William wrote articles that were anti-slavery. During the war, William wrote letters home speaking highly of the Black troops’ performance in battle. There is little doubt that with his upbringing and beliefs, William was the main reason that former slaves, Charles and Lorenzo, were brought to Waterbury for the hope of a better life. 

General William W. Henry had a distinguished career after the war and died in 1915 at age 83 and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.   

Another woman who also signed the 1870 petition is Alma Atkins Wells who signed as A. L. Wells. Her husband, Henry W. Wells, was a blacksmith. Her daughter, Fannie, also signed the petition.  Alma is unique as she is the only woman who signed the petition from Waterbury at the time who to my knowledge has descendants living in Waterbury today.  Those descendants are Marion Wells Howes, Cathy Wells Flanders, and George Wells.  

That concludes the talk about the story of Lorenzo Bryant and his life in Waterbury and his family.  

Skip Flanders is a lifelong resident of Waterbury and a member of the Waterbury Historical Society.