Upcoming Meetings & Events

Note: All membership meetings begin at 7:30pm and will be held in a hybrid format (In-Person at the Bush Lyon Homestead, 479 King Street, Port Chester, New York 10573 and on Zoom).

Membership Meeting: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Lecture and Presentation “My Family: The Merritt, Felmetta, and Roselle Families from 2025 back to 1785” by Dennis Richmond, Jr: Thursday, February 12th, 2026, 6:30pm

Membership Meeting: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Membership Meeting: Thursday, April 2, 2026

Membership Meeting: Thursday, May 7, 2026

Membership Meeting: Thursday, June 4, 2026

Membership Meeting: Thursday, July 2, 2026

Membership Meeting: Thursday, August 6, 2026

About the Host:

My name is Dennis Richmond, Jr. I’m a 30-year-old historian, educator, and genealogist with over 17 years of experience researching Black history—particularly the stories of Black families in New York and Connecticut prior to and after the Civil War.

My roots in the region run deep. My fourth great-grandmother, third great-grandfather, and great-grandfather all lived in Port Chester, and my family has lived in Westchester County and Greenwich, Connecticut for generations. Their stories—like many others—are not defined solely by slavery, but by landownership, entrepreneurship, and resilience. They were part of a lesser-known yet vital thread in the fabric of American history: quasi-free Black families who owned land, bought and sold property, and even lent money to prominent white families in the region prior to The Civil War.

Too often, historical narratives surrounding Black Americans before the Civil War are centered exclusively around slavery. While that chapter is significant, it is not the whole story. I believe it is time to uplift and share the experiences of free and quasi-free Black people in the North who were making remarkable strides—stories that challenge conventional narratives and enrich our collective understanding of American history.

https://connecticut.news12.com/made-in-connecticut-the-history-of-free-blacks-in-early-greenwich