Caleb, Hannah, 1776 -
Most of what is known of Hannah Caleb comes from a religious conversion narrative, written, in 1833, years after her death, by the Rev. William Apes who gathered information from the recollections of her tribal relations.
Apes states that Hannah was born in Groton, Connecticut, presumably North Groton, now the Town of Ledyard. Her date of birth is uncertain,1 as is her surname at birth.2 After the death of her mother, Hannah, age 6, was sent to live with James Avery and family, likely, indentured or bound out. She remained with the Avery family until the age of 18. She was married by the next year to a man, as described by Apes, who was a soldier in the French army; dying in Canada presumably in a military engagement, although Apes provides no details in that regard. It is also unclear as to whether Hannah’s husband was a Native man or not. Sadly, of the five children that Hannah had, none would survive.
According to Apes, Hannah was educated and took it upon herself to, not only teach young Indian boys and girls how to read, but also, as member of the Free-Will Baptist Church was active in spreading the Gospel. Other than the brief description of Hannah Caleb’s life by Apes there is little mention of her in the historical record. She does appears in the records of the Overseer as receiving goods, on two occasions in 1814, with the last mention of her being in August of that year. Apes states that Hannah Caleb died at age 40.
In 1822, a number of years after her death, leasing records of Overseer Erastus Williams, reference the leasing of the "Hannah Caleb Lot" along with the Cocheets Place, a portion of the Avery Pasture, and the Schoolhouse Lot to Mark Daniels
O’Connell, On Our Own Ground, 144-148; Western Pequot Overseer Account from May 1813 to February 8, 1820, 1820.02.08.00; CHS, Ms 27960 Geer & Morgan Families Papers, 1717-1850, Folder 19
- 1. Based on her age at death, provided by Apes with a high degree of confidence, and her last known appearance in the historical record, it is possible she was born in 1776.
- 2. The surname Caleb could be a married last name or the result of the vernacular process of distinguishing two woman with the same name by providing the additional descriptor of the husbands’ first name, ie. Hannah wife of Caleb.
Born:
c. 1776Tribes
Ethnicity