Avon Event To Spotlight Enslaved Woman’s Revolutionary War Story

AVON, CT — Residents in the Avon area can attend a historical program highlighting a newly recognized figure from the American Revolution on Saturday, April 25.

The program will be at 2 p.m. in the community room of the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road.

Historian and author Claire Bellerjeau will present “Remember Liss: A New American Founding Figure,” a one-hour talk exploring the life of Elizabeth, known as "Liss," an enslaved woman connected to the Townsend family of Oyster Bay, N.Y.

According to Bellerjeau’s research, Liss was enslaved by the family of Robert Townsend, also known as “Culper, Jr.,” a key member of the Culper Spy Ring and a spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

The presentation traces Liss’s experiences alongside major historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Benedict Arnold, John André, and John Adams, as well as events such as the Boston Massacre, the Battle of Long Island, and the Benedict Arnold treason plot.

Bellerjeau will discuss Liss’s escape with British forces, her re-enslavement in Manhattan and later Charleston, S.C., and her efforts to secure freedom.

The program aims to provide a perspective on the nation’s founding through the experiences of an enslaved Black woman.

Bellerjeau is co-author of "Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth" and is co-founder of the nonprofit "Remember Liss," established in 2022 to promote public understanding of Liss’s life.

She has researched the Townsend family and the people they enslaved for more than two decades and works with educators to develop curriculum based on primary sources.

Copies of her books, including a young adult adaptation titled Remember Liss, will be available for purchase at the event.

The program is free and open to the public, with advance registration requested.

For more information and to register for the program, click on this link.