Oldest Known Gravestone of a Free Black American Found in Boston

In Boston's historic Granary Burying Ground, established in 1660, a previously overlooked gravestone has been recognized as belonging to a formerly enslaved man known as Boston, who passed away on February 28, 1728. Discovered by historian Gloria McCahon Whiting, the gravestone's lack of a surname suggests a background of enslavement. Boston, formerly owned by merchant John Waite, gained his freedom between 1702 and 1708, later working as a handyman. During her Independence Day speech, Mayor Michelle Wu lauded this find, remarking it may represent one of the earliest gravestones marking a free Black individual in the United States.