Boston man discovers ancestral history from long-lost freedom papers in Maryland home

Boston resident Aaron Hayes used the discovery of long-lost freedom papers to reveal more about his family history.

Hayes is a descendant of freedman Samuel Jones. However, Jones’s own identity as a freed black man remained hidden for generations until a fortunate discovery six years ago.

Hayes discovered Jones’ freedom papers after cleaning out his mother’s house in Anne Arundel, Maryland. A pandemic-induced evacuation of the house led to the unique find.

His mother pointed out the artifact as the two rummaged through some old belongings and came across the historical documents. Hayes didn’t realize that the article had more meaning than met the eye.

“And I opened it up and looked at it and was very confused as to what this could be,” he said to WCVB. “And she said, ‘Those are your ancestors’ freedom papers.’ And I said, ‘Wait a minute!’”

The discovery led Hayes down his own rabbit hole to learn more about his ancestor’s life. When he returned to Boston, he visited a library within American Ancestors, where he worked with historians and curators to uncover Jones’ story.

With the help of conservator Todd Pattison, Hayes was able to determine the document’s legitimacy. However, the rarity of this find makes this discovery extremely important, as many artifacts belonging to people of color remained undervalued.

“In general, we don’t have as much material from more marginalized people, from people who didn’t have access to collections and weren’t collected by institutions,” Pattison says. “I think there is a bias in collecting institutional data: We collect Founding Fathers material, and we collect wealthy people because historically we have tried to tell that story.”

The actual document was drawn up in 1834. The text itself stated that Jones was 21 years old when he signed the crucial paper. The writing stated that he was born and raised as a free man in a Maryland county. Hayes expressed his own gratitude toward the recently discovered ancestor.

“Now that I know that, I’m probably here because he took this step,” Haynes said. “Just a sense of being grateful for what I have and being grateful for what my family has been through, and knowing that through these trials and tribulations, we can overcome any obstacle.”

His family passed on the precious paper unknowingly for years. However, its revival came at the perfect time for Hayes to expose this history. The moment is not lost on him either, as he understands the gravity of possessing his ancestor’s freedom papers.

“I didn’t realize how much this weighs on the history of not only my family, but this country itself,” Haynes said. “And what it means to be like an African American man, knowing that I have the freedom papers of a family member.”

Now, Hayes hopes others can find these souvenirs that remain a testament to Black American history.

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