Lucy Terry was a gifted storyteller, orator, and poet, renowned for being the author of “Bars Fight” (1746), the oldest known literary work by an African American.
Lucy Terry was born around 1733 on the African continent. Like many others at the time, she was abducted as a child and sold into slavery in the British colony of Rhode Island. She lived there with her masters until the age of five, at which point she was sold to Ebenezer Wells in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where she served as a house servant.
On May 17, 1756, Lucy married Aijah Prince, a free Black man from Curaçao who had purchased her freedom. The couple settled in Guilford, Vermont, where they had six children. One of their son Cesar would later serve in the American Revolutionary War, further linking the family’s legacy to the early history of the United States.
Lucy Terry’s literary legacy lies in her poem, Bars Fight, composed in 1746. The poem recounts an attack on two white families by Native Americans on August 25, 1746, in an area of Deerfield, Massachusetts, known as “The Bars.” This work falls within the American captivity narrative genre, a literary tradition that recounts the experiences of individuals captured by Native Americans.
“Bars Fight” was preserved orally for over a century before its publication in 1855 in Josiah Gilbert Holland’s History of Western Massachusetts. Although it is the only known surviving work of Terry, she was renowned in her time for her storytelling and rhymes, emphasizing her role as a cultural figure in her community.
Terry’s work is considered the oldest known work of literature by an African American, though Phillis Wheatley‘s, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, printed in 1773, was the first published work by an African American.
Check out her poem “Bars Fight” below:
August ‘twas the twenty-fifth,
Seventeen hundred forty-six;
The Indians did in ambush lay,
Some very valiant men to slay,
The names of whom I’ll not leave out.
Samuel Allen like a hero fout,
And though he was so brave and bold,
His face no more shalt we behold
Eteazer Hawks was killed outright,
Before he had time to fight, –
Before he did the Indians see,
Was shot and killed immediately.
Oliver Amsden he was slain,
Which caused his friends much grief and pain.
Simeon Amsden they found dead,
Not many rods distant from his head.
Adonijah Gillett we do hear
Did lose his life which was so dear.
John Sadler fled across the water,
And thus escaped the dreadful slaughter.
Eunice Allen see the Indians coming,
And hopes to save herself by running,
And had not her petticoats stopped her,
The awful creatures had not catched her,
Nor tommy hawked her on the head,
And left her on the ground for dead.
Young Samuel Allen, Oh lack-a-day!
Was taken and carried to Canada.
Despite her literary accomplishments, Lucy Terry Prince faced significant challenges throughout her life. She and her husband became prominent smallholders in Guilford, Vermont, but their prosperity was threatened by John Noyes, a neighbor from a slaveholding family. Noyes and his associates launched a campaign of harassment against the Princes, damaging their property and engaging in frivolous lawsuits.
Lucy and Aijah Prince fought back legally, ultimately winning every lawsuit. However, the feud continued to escalate, culminating in violent attacks on their farm. In 1785, Lucy successfully argued her case before the Governor of Vermont, who recognized the injustices faced by the Princes. The state’s legal system eventually took action against Noyes’ mob, but Noyes himself evaded prosecution, and even went on to serve as a state legislator in Vermont for over a decade.
In 1803, Lucy, appeared before the Vermont Supreme Court to defend her sons against fraudulent land claims made by Colonel Eli Brownson. She successfully secured a judgment of $200. Notably, she was the first woman to present a case before the high court, effectively standing her ground against two of the state’s top lawyers, with the presiding Justice remarking that her argument was better than any he had heard from a lawyer at the Vermont bar.
In her later years, Lucy Terry, who continued to advocate for her family, became determined that one of her sons should receive a formal education. She applied for admission for her son Festus to Williams College, but he was turned down because of his race. Outraged by this decision, Lucy engaged the trustees of the college in a three-hour address, passionately presenting her case and citing numerous laws and biblical passages. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, and they did not alter their decision.
Lucy Terry Prince remained a beloved figure in her community until her death in 1821, 27 years after her husband died at the age of eighty-eight. Oral histories recount that children would visit her home to hear her stories, highlighting her lasting influence as a storyteller and community leader.
