The gravestone of a daughter of a former slave that was missing from Norwich for decades will now be returned to the Norwichtown Burying Ground.
The headstone of Dezenah Zibbere, who died aged 11 in 1781, will be returned to her plot, beside the grave of her sister, during a ceremony on Saturday at 1 p.m. The ceremony will then continue at the First Congregational Church, by the Norwichtown Green, Norwich City Historian Dale Plummer said.
While the event marks the formal return of a historic artifact, it also recognizes Norwich’s Black history, and affirms that everyone has “inherent worth and dignity, and should be treated as such,” Rev. Dianne Daniels, consulting minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Storrs and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Norwich, said.
“We’re putting her story back together,” she said.
The headstone
The stone went missing from the Norwichtown Burying Ground in 1978 or 1979. It went to Savannah Georgia, and a former Norwich City Council member had the stone. After he died, it was given to his daughter. When she died, the stone was given to another family member. They considered breaking up the stone for the lawn, but instead looked up the stone. They also found Plummer’s number and called him, he said.
“We don’t know all the circumstances, but thank goodness they identified it and contacted me,” Plummer said.
Plummer retrieved the gravestone in 2021, and left it in the care of Slater Museum for a few years.
“There was the question of what we should do with it, but it seems the appropriate thing is to reunite her and her stone,” he said.
More: Historically Speaking: Norwichtown’s ancient burying ground is a historic treasure
Dezenah Zibbere's family
Dezenah Zibbere’s was the daughter of Bristo Zibbere, who was born in Africa and arrived in the area as an enslaved person. By 1779, he and his son bought property in the city. His stone has also been missing since 1908, Plummer said.
“They had the means to purchase gravestones for two daughters and the father, so they were definitely people of means,” he said.
The son was also named Bristo Zibbere. He served in the Revolutionary War, and fought in the Battle of Saratoga. This was the same battle where Norwich-born Benedict Arnold betrayed the Revolution.
It’s uncommon to have the stories of former slaves who fought in the Revolutionary War be documented. Only the families and some other people in the community may have known these stories, Daniels said.
“Some of theses stories have been lost to the passage of time, and I think it’s wonderful we’ll be able to learn more about Dezenah Zibbere and her family, and treat her gravestone with the respect it deserves,” she said.
The son Bristo Zibbere had owned property in Bozrah, and lived in Pomfret for awhile. He eventually relocated to upstate New York with his wife. He died in 1813, and his widow applied for a pension. The request was denied due to there being no marriage certificate. Since the application made no mention of children, Plummer believes the two didn’t have any children. To his knowledge, there are no remaining relatives in the area.
The message
Norwich as a community is interested in righting historical wrongs for people in its community and is setting an example for other communities, Daniels said.
“Once you find out something like this has happened, we as a community can decide to come together and make it right,” she said.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: “We’re putting her story back together:” Missing gravestone to be returned Saturday
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