In the final talk of Lincoln County Historical Association’s winter lecture series, Vana Carmona, a descendent of early Maine slaveholders, will share stories of individual enslaved people and bring to light some of the people who experienced slavery in what is now Lincoln County. The talk will be held by Zoom on March 30, 5:30-7 p.m.

Because of her grandmother’s interest in genealogy and history, Carmona had always known that she was descended from a number of early New England settlers. But it was only recently that she discovered the role they played in enslaving kidnapped Africans. Her research into Maine’s slaveholders began eight years ago when she discovered that several of her ancestral New England families not only enslaved people of color but were also complicit in the slave trade itself.

Carmona is the founder of The Prince Project, a database of over 2000 people of color who lived in Maine prior to 1800.  She has given presentations on her work to local historical societies and schools and is a docent/guide for several historic sites in the Portland area, including Maine Historical Society and Spirits Alive (Eastern Cemetery, the oldest public burial ground in Portland, Maine, which has two sections of African American graves).  She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts (focusing on Medieval History) at California State University/Sacramento.

The talk is open to all, but pre-registration is required. Please visit www.lincolncountyhistory.org to receive a link and navigate to upcoming events. There is no charge, although donations are welcome to help our dual goals of offering high quality programs to the public and continuing our mission of stewardship for our three irreplaceable historic buildings. The program will be recorded, and all registrants will be sent a link to the video that can be viewed at will by those who are unable to attend the live presentation.

Lincoln County Historical Association is a non-profit organization that provides stewardship for the 1754 Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta, the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, and the 1811 Old Jail and Museum in Wiscasset.  For more information, please visit www.lincolncountyhistory.org or Facebook at Lincoln County Historical Association (Maine).