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Other Lives

Cato Cole

1737 - 1825

About This Person

Cato’s mother, Jin Cole was captured from Guinea on the west coast of Africa when she was about 12 years old. “Cole” is most likely the surname of her first enslaver. Jin, also known as "Gin" and "Jene" was eventually brought to Boston, Massachusetts, where she and her infant son, Cato, were purchased by the Reverend Jonathan Ashley of Deerfield, Massachusetts, in about 1738. She was probably 15 or 16 years old at the time. “Cato Servant to the Revd mr Jonathan Ashley” was baptized on August 19, 1739. [i]

Cato and his mother lived in the Ashley household where they served the family; the minister frequently hired out Cato and a second enslaved man, Titus, to other men in town to perform agricultural labor. For Asa Childs, Cato reaped oats, hayed, picked, and husked corn. He cleared land for John Sheldon, and he plowed for Samuel Dickinson. For various people he also mowed, threshed, pulled and dressed flax, and hoed, among other tasks. [ii]

Cato had an account at Elijah Williams’ store where he made a number of small purchases. From April of 1756 through May of 1757, he bought knee buckles, shoe buckles, pipes, two knives, rum, buttons, fabric, and a snuff box. He also bought a “Small pamphlet”, suggesting that he could read. In this time period customers did not have to pay at the time of purchase, and they could pay with goods, cash, or services. In April and July of 1756, Cato paid with cash. 

In 1756, Cato served in Elijah Williams’ company of militia in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), as did Abijah Prince, a free African American man. Abijah's wife was Lucy Terry, who was enslaved by Ebenezer Wells until her marriage.

Jonathan Ashley died in 1780, and Cato and his mother continued to serve his widow, Dorothy Williams Ashley and their son, Dr. Elihu Ashley (1750-1817). Jin and Dorothy died in 1808, within weeks of each other. Although slavery was no longer part of Massachusetts law or society by the time Elihu died, Cato continued working for and living with Elihu's son, Thomas Williams Ashley (1776-1848). 

George Sheldon, who published a history of Deerfield was six years old when Cato died. Sheldon remembered him fondly and included the following reminiscences in his Deerfield history, published between 1895 and 1898:

I recall seeing him when "dunging out" use his hands instead of a shovel. It was probably the oddity of it that made this lasting impression, or it may have been his feeble, tottering footsteps. I remember seeing him often sitting on a bench in an outhouse, where he would spend hours singing in a gruff voice the famous ballad of Captain Kidd, drumming an accompaniment on the board at each side, with both hands; his finger nails were long and thick and each one gave a blow which sounded like the stroke of a tack hammer.

Solomon, son of Parson Ashley, was a fine dancer, and Cato was a fervent admirer of his skill, and tried to imitate his steps. His practice was usually on the barn floor.

Cato was very fond of horses, and was a furious rider, when he could indulge his passion unobserved. If caught, he would protest that the horse ran away with him.

A favorite seat of Cato’s was in the chimney corner where he could get the full benefit of the blazing kitchen fire, which he would enjoy like a salamander. Col. T. W. Ashley [grandson of Cato's original enslaver, Jonathan Ashley] was one of the earliest to substitute a cooking stove for the fireplace. Cato was disgusted with this change and was always cold after it. The big black pile of iron yielded no warmth or comfort to him. He would hug the stove and sweat and shiver, and shiver and sweat, till he could stand it no longer; then he would go into the room of Madam Ashley, widow of the doctor, to warm himself at her blazing fire. Seeing was believing with him. He, also, gathered trinkets to provide for his translation, his most valued possessions being brass or copper buttons. The term "Cato’s money" as applied to them is still part of the "North End" vocabulary. [iii]

Cato continued living with the Ashley family until his death on November 19, 1825, at about 88 years of age.



[i] Church records of the First Church of Deerfield, Deerfield Massachusetts. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) Library.

[ii] Account book of Jonathan Ashley, Ashley Family Papers, PVMA Library.

[iii] George Sheldon, A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts: The times When the People by Whom it was Settled, Unsettled and Resettled : With a Special Study of the Indian wars in the Connecticut Valley: With Genealogies (Deerfield, Massachusetts: Press of E.A. Hall & Co., 1895), 897-898.

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