Andover Biography - Pompey Lovejoy

Pompey Lovejoy was born in 1724 in Boston. His Andover master Captain William Lovejoy gave him his last name and granted him freedom in 1762, eighteen years before slavery was officially abolished in Massachusetts. Along with his freedom Captain Lovejoy gave Pompey a 31 acre parcel of land to build a home. Pomp's Pound is located on this land. After he married Rose Foster, a slave belonging to John Foster, on December 26, 1751, they built a home on that property.

Pompey and his wife were loved by the people of Andover. He provided Pomp's cake and ginger beer at Town Meetings and funerals.

See

• "Pompey Lovejoy 'Lection Cake and Ginger Root Beer" by Pam Smith, Andover Townsman, August 25, 2011.
• History of Essex County, by D Hamilton Hurd - volume 2, page 1591
• The Townswoman's Andover, by Bessie Goldsmith (974.45 Gol), page 22 - 23.
• Andover: a Century of Change. 1896--1996,by Eleanor Richardson
• 1924 Andover Town Report, pages 91, 104, 41, 112
• "Lovejoy neighbors", Andover Townsman July 31, 1896, August 27, 1896
• "John and Eben Lovejoy", Andover Townsman, September 10, 1897 and September 24, 1897

--Eleanor 16:41, December 21, 2012 (EST) back to Main Page