PETER TUMBO/TUMBER: REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN, ABOLITIONIST & FORMER SLAVE

In 2016, the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) posted a story Safe at Last in Cavendish, based on information obtained while conducting an oral history of Dr. Gene and Phyllis Bont. Phyllis related a story that was told to her about a pregnant slave who came to Cavendish via the underground railroad. She had supposedly lived on property that she and Gene once owned across from the Coffeen Cemetery.  (South Reading Rd and originally part of the Coffeen Farm).

 

As it turns out, the name of “Charlotte” became key to unlocking the true story of who once lived on the Bonts’ property on the South Reading Rd. Note the Bonts sold the property in 1987 to Foxford Farm.

 

Sandy Stearns, author of “Cavendish Hillside Farm 1939-1957,” recalled that her childhood friends (Cady family) had a grandmother who remembered a Charlotte Tumbo/Tumber, who was of African descent and lived on the property that Phyllis mentioned. Sandy's research found Peter Tumber, Charlotte's father, in the Cavendish town records.

 

A review of town documents, Internet searches, contacting historical societies, as well as genealogists, a fascinating story started to unfold. 

 

In 1832, the abolitionist newspaper, “The Liberator,” along with “The Vermont Watchman” & “State Gazette” carried a notice that read, On Jan 30, 1832, Peter Tumbo, “colored man”, aged 106 died in Cavendish, VT. 

 

Town records have no record of his death or burial. We suspect he was buried in the Coffeen Cemetery, a private cemetery that did not require a burial permit and therefore would not be recorded.

 

Peter Tumbo is referred to in Cavendish records as Peter Tumber. What we’ve been able to confirm, while possibly sufficient to qualify for a Revolutionary War Veteran marker, still leaves numerous questions.

 

 If you have any information, or would like to help investigate more about Peter Tumbo/Tumber , please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807.

 

Below is the timeline we’ve constructed, followed by testimony of Charlotte Tumber, Josiah French and Jabez Proctor.  

 

Born in Africa and brought to America via slave ship

 

1775-1783: Served in the Revolutionary War. See testimony below

 

1780: Marries Phyllis Vaughn in Roxbury. Over the years multiple children are born to them as recounted by Dr. Ames in his diary. (Roxbury Historical Society)

 

1795: Warned out of Roxbury Mass (Roxbury Historical Society)

 

1804: Charlotte Tumber is born in Windsor VT (Death Certificate) In Charlotte’s testimony-see below- she said that her parents came to Cavendish in 1795. Windsor may reflect the county and not the town.

 

1805: Buys 50 acres of land in Cavendish from Lake Coffeen ( town records). Lake, with his parents, were the first settlers in Cavendish. He was a Revolutionary War veteran and is believed to have fought in the battle of Bunker Hill. More than 100 African American and Native Americans took part in this battle. (National Park Service: Patriots of Color at the Battle of Bunker Hill)  Is it possible that Coffeen and Tumber’s paths crossed during the war? Could that be the reason Tumber came to Cavendish?

 

1812: Married Polly Job of Cavendish ( town records)-no information about his first wife’s death

 

1820 &1830 Census: Counted as head of household

 

1823: Land reverts to the town (town records)

 

1832: Tumber dies.

 

1850: Charlotte lived in Reading with Charles Buck’s family of 5. Probably a servant. Her last name was spelled Tamber. (Census data)

 

1870: Charlotte is living in the household of Merrium Sherburne (black) in Reading and is listed as “keeping house.” Probably housewife.

 

1871: Charlotte Tumber dies at 67 years of age (She is believed to be buried in the Coffeen Cemetery)

 

The testimony below, taken as part of obtaining a Revolutionary War pension for the widow of Prince Robinson, not only confirms Tumber’s veteran status but also suggests that he wasn’t 106 at the time of his death. His daughter states that he was given his freedom at the age of 21, soon after the war ended. Since the war ended in 1783, he would have been considerably younger than 106 at the time of his death.

 

Coffeen Cemetery

Rumor has long persisted that a runaway slave named Charlotte and her sister are buried in the right hand corner of the Coffeen Cemetery. Charlotte was never a slave. Given that Tumber remarried in 1812, it’s possible that his first wife Phyllis Vaughn is buried in the Coffeen Cemetery. While we have found a death certificate for Charlotte, confirming place of birth and death, we have found no burial record. As noted above, burial in a private cemetery did not require a permit.

 

Charlotte Tumber’s Affidavit:  "I, Charlotte T. Tumbers of Cavendish, aged 33 years on 18 Jan. 1837. (She made her affidavit before Judge Calvin French of Proctorsville 7 July 1837.) "I am the youngest daughter of Peter Tumber and Phillis Tumber, deceased. I have known and been acquainted for many years with Prince Robinson, a Black man, late of Rutland and with his wife now is Widow Anna Robinson, now living in Rutland.

 

That my father and mother were both Black people; and I have often heard both, my father and Prince say that they were African-born and had been imported and sold as slaves in this Country before the Revolutionary War.

 

My father was last a slave to a Quaker by the name of Tripp, who gave my father his freedom when he supposed Tumber had arrived to the age of twenty-one year, which was soon after the war, and then he went to reside in Roxbury, Mass. [He married in Roxbury, Charlotte’s mother Philesta “ Phillis” Vaughan 24 Feb. 1780].

 

 I have often heard my parents say that Prince and his wife moved into Cavendish with them about 42 years ago (1795). Prince was lawfully married to Anna, his present widow, also a Black woman, during the Revolutionary War and I have always understood it was on Long Island. I have heard my father tell a great deal about a Mr. Clark, a justice of the Peace, who was said to have married Prince and Anna, that he knew Mr. Clark.

 

I have often heard both Prince and Ann tell the same story, that they were married while Prince was in the Army by the same Justice of the Peace, Mr. Clark. I have many times heard a great deal more from both of them about their service in the war. I have also heard Prince relate that he was to be free when the war closed, and that he was freed accordingly. I have no doubt that my father related the story of Prince and Anna's marriage from his knowledge of the fact; as he was always an upright and conscientious man, and would never assent anything that he did not know or believe to be true."  Signed Charlotte T. Tumber. 

 

Affidavit of Josiah French of Cavendish, 15 Sept. 1837: "I, Josiah French of Cavendish.. aged 72 yrs.  "I was acquainted with Peter Tumber, deceased for about 40 yrs. previous to his death which took place five or six years ago and during all the above time said Tumber was an inhabitant of the Town of Cavendish, and as I believe he was reputed to be a man of good moral character, and sustained a good reputation for truth and veracity. He was a very industrious man and had acquired a small property consisting of a farm of about 50 acres. He was a man of good natural abilities and intelligent for one of his grade. He was believed to have been a soldier in the American Army of the Revolution.  I further testify and say that I am acquainted with Charlotte T. Tumber, daughter of Peter Tumber and Phillis Tumber, have been acquainted with her for fifteen or twenty years. She has the reputation of a very honest person and a person of truth and veracity, sustaining a good moral character as for as I am informed. —Josiah French (before Calvin French, Justice). —

 

Affidavit of Jabez Proctor of Cavendish:,  "I, Jabez Proctor of Cavendish, aged fifty-seven years, do depose and testify: I was acquainted with Peter Tumber for about forty years previous to his death which took place five or six years ago and that he was during said period, a resident of Cavendish aforesaid. His general reputation for truth and veracity was good. His uniform moral character was considered good and he was not reputed as being in the habit of embellishing stories. I have understood from him and I should think from others, that he was a soldier in the American Army of the Revolutionary War.

 

Said Tumber did not draw a pension to my knowledge, having died near the passage of the Act of Congress of 7 June 1832, and could not, I suppose draw under the Act of March 18, 1818 in consequence of having acquired by industry, a small farm of about 50 acres of land and some stock and other property. He was an intelligent man for one in his grade and respected. I also further testify and say that for a number of years I have been somewhat acquainted with Charlotte T. Tumber and that so far as I am informed, she sustains a good moral character and was reputed as being a person of truth and veracity and further this deponent sathe not. —Jabez Proctor (before Judge Calvin French).