The African American community of Greenwich at the time of the Civil War totaled 260, roughly 4% of the population. Many still had names identical to the original white slave holding families, including 26 Greens, 24 Merritts, 13 Mills, 9 Knapps and 8 Bushes.  The vast majority were born in Connecticut and most of the others came from across the state line in New York. Two, William Dixson and Allah African, had been born in Africa. Male heads of households were almost always employed as farm hands and day laborers, while their wives were usually homemakers. 

Image: African American Farmhand, Solomon Mead Farm, ca. 1900. The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich.

The few African Americans who were not farmers or laborers were coachmen, barbers, boatmen and gardeners. Older children were frequently hired out to white families as farm hands and domestic servants, with the younger ones attending school. A number of these families owned their own property.

Image: Ritch & Adams Groceries, ca. 1896. The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich.