Performance Honoring Revolutionary War Hero Jordan Freeman

Honoring Revolutionary War Hero Jordan Freeman
A living history presentation by Connecticut State Library employee Kevin Johnson

The Museum of Connecticut History at the Connecticut State Library invites the public to attend a performance honoring Revolutionary War hero Jordan Freeman on Thursday, September 18, 2025 at noon. In his rousing performance “Jordan Freeman: The Fight to Set a People Free,” long-time agency employee Kevin Johnson vividly illustrates the contributions made by African Americans in Connecticut during the American Revolution.

Mr. Johnson’s presentation is based on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History. A native of Old Lyme, CT, Jordan Freeman was an African American servant of John Ledyard and the body servant of Col. William Ledyard during the Revolutionary War. Although Jordan Freeman did not enlist in the army, he witnessed key events of the war for independence while with Col. Ledyard.

Historians estimate the number of black soldiers in the American Revolution war to have been about 5,000 men, serving in militias, seagoing services, and support activities, including nearly 500 from Connecticut. Some enlisted because they felt it was their duty; others because they were offered their freedom in return for satisfactory completion of a set period of service.

Kevin Johnson is an employee of the Connecticut State Library’s History and Genealogy department. He has been presenting emotional and exciting first-person narratives for over 20 years, including Revolutionary War hero Jordan Freeman, Civil War-era Private William Webb, and most recently, James H. Williams, a longtime employee of Trinity College nicknamed “Professor Jim.”

“Jordan Freeman: The Fight to Set a People Free,” will take place on Thursday, September 18, 2025 from 12-1:00 p.m. in the Museum of Connecticut History at the Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. Admission is free and open to the public. Registration is requested: https://forms.office.com/g/xNBa7BkQEt. For more information, please contact the Museum of Connecticut History at [email protected] or (860) 757-6535. Directions and parking information are available at https://portal.ct.gov/csl/about/hours-and-locations.

This presentation is part of a Connecticut 250 series planned by the Connecticut State Library’s Semiquincentennial Committee. In addition to advising on the Museum of Connecticut History’s upcoming Connecticut’s Revolution exhibit (opening in 2026), the Committee has curated a selection of Revolutionary War resources from the Connecticut State Library's vast collection, available here: https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/america250.