Mural Dedication Ceremony for Primus Armes

The Alex Breanne Corporation is proud to announce the unveiling and dedication of the Primus Armes Mural in Norwich, Connecticut.

Primus Armes was captured in The Gambia in the early 18th century, torn from his mother and forced onto a slave ship—where he discovered that his father had also been captured. His father died during the brutal Middle Passage, and Primus arrived in America alone. Enslaved in Norwich, he later built a family with his wife, Venus, laying the foundation for a remarkable lineage of resilience and service.

His son, Job Lathrop, served in the Revolutionary War while still enslaved—crossing the Delaware with General George Washington and fighting in the Battle of Trenton. Upon his return, his freedom was purchased by a local resident. Job then used his own war wages to secure the freedom of his wife, Sylvia.

Generations later, two of Job and Sylvia’s great-grandsons served in the Civil War as members of the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment. One of them, Daniel Stanley Lathrop, is memorialized today—his image etched into the centerpiece of the regiment’s monument at Criscuolo Park in New Haven, Connecticut.

This new mural will depict Primus’s journey—from The Gambia to Norwich—and honor his family’s enduring contributions to American history. It will stand as a powerful testament of resilience, sacrifice, and the deep historical roots of Norwich’s African American community.

“The mural is more than art—it is an act of historical restoration,” said John Mills, founder of the Alex Breanne Corporation. “It reconnects Norwich to a story that began in West Africa and continues through generations of service, resilience, and contribution to this nation.”