A portion of the pension application for former slave Cuff Tindy details his service in the Continental Army and history as a slave before emancipation.

Understanding Hopkinton’s role in events like the American Revolution is an ongoing project, and the discovery of a slave from town enlisting to fight in the war is broadening the picture.

Recent research undertaken by the Hopkinton Historical Society has revealed the name of at least one black soldier from Hopkinton who fought in the American Revolution.

“Except for us, nobody knows about this man in town,” said Linda Connelly, member and archivist for the Historical Society.

The man in question was named Cuff Tindy, a slave who was born in Hopkinton and lived in Holliston with his owners. He went by the last name Cousins (sometimes written as Cozzens), that of his owners, until he was “made free by the laws of my State,” according to his pension papers. Post-freedom, he opted to take his own family name.

In April 1778, Tindy joined the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment under Col. John Bailey. He served for a total of nine months before receiving an honorable discharge. Papers on file in the National Archives list Tindy’s role in guarding a jail in Taunton during an “alarm” on Dec. 8, 1778, as a notable moment of his military service.

After earning his freedom, Tindy moved to Lancaster and became a farmer. In 1818, he applied for his $8 per month military pension. He died of consumption eight years later.

Uncovering Tindy’s story is part of ongoing work by the Historical Society to show a wider picture of Hopkinton’s history. Both Connelly and Anne Mattina, president of the Historical Society, believe telling the full story of the town is vital.

“[Slaves were] a big part of the history of this town,” said Mattina. 

“We need to know who they are,” added Connelly. “You’re only telling part of the story [without them].”

Connelly has worked on Hopkinton’s history with slavery for over a decade. She has a growing list of slaves known to have resided in Hopkinton in the town’s early days up until slavery was made illegal in Massachusetts. The list has grown to more than 30 names, and continues to expand.

The Historical Society hopes to commemorate these slaves by erecting a bronze plaque on the Town Common. The plaque would feature the names of known enslaved persons living in Hopkinton from the town’s founding in 1715 to around 1790, when the last enslaved person was listed on the town census.

That project is waiting for input from the Select Board. The Historical Society approached the Parks & Recreation Commission in March about getting approval to install the plaque on the Town Common, but commission members opted to defer to the Select Board. 

Members of the Hopkinton Historical Commission also recommended moving the project from the Town Common to the Hughes/Colella properties on Hayden Rowe Street. That location once was home to Hayden Rowe Hall, a former church, firehouse and meetinghouse where anti-slavery activities took place.

Mattina explained that from the Historical Society’s perspective, options other than the Town Common don’t make sense for the plaque’s location.

“It was the rich guys in the center of town that owned slaves, not farmers on Hayden Rowe,” Mattina said. She also noted that slave labor may have been used in the construction of Hopkinton’s first meetinghouse.

Both Mattina and Connelly explained that sharing Tindy’s story is part of an effort by the Historical Society to educate the town on Hopkinton’s involvement in the American Revolution as well.

“We really want to highlight Hopkinton’s role in the American Revolution throughout the next year,” Mattina said, referencing the 250th celebration of the start of the Revolution earlier this year and the upcoming America 250 celebration in 2026.

According to Mattina, a forthcoming talk by Historical Society member Chuck Joseph will focus on Hopkinton’s role in the American Revolution, based on primary source documents in the town archives. The society also will be taking to Facebook to share other pieces of Revolutionary history through the year.

Mattina said there are other Revolution-related stories that the Historical Society is working to uncover, and they may be shared at a later date. She pointed to the story of another potential black soldier from Hopkinton, as well as that of a Liberty Tree that once stood in Woodville.

“There was a tavern there,” Mattina said. “People used to meet there to plot the war.” 

According to the society’s research, the tavern was located near the Woodville Fire Department building on Wood Street. The town commemorated it in 1976 by planting a Liberty Tree. However, it was forgotten and later taken down.

For Connelly and Mattina, educating Hopkinton residents about this history is important, especially as the nation moves into its 250th celebrations next year.

“History is big, and it’s stories,” said Connelly. “We have to keep going with the research … to widen the picture.”

Added Mattina: “There’s so many untold stories.”