Join JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH), and Hancock writer Eric Aldrich to see where the Due family — described in early U.S. censuses as “free people of color” — lived and farmed in Hancock in the late 1770s and early 1800s.

Together, we’ll visit the Due family’s former homestead, now part of the Forest Society’s Welch Family Farm and Forest — a property that was also home, at various times, to Jack Ware, who was enslaved as a child in Africa before gaining his freedom. We’ll also take a short hike to see where Betsey Due lived until the 1840s and hear the story of her resistance to the Hancock church.

Along the way, Dave Anderson of the Forest Society will talk about the abandonment of New Hampshire farms in the 1800s and the creative ways the Welch family and others continued farming into the 20th century.

The tour begins with a short bus ride from the Hancock Town Offices to Welch Farm. Come prepared for some light trail hiking over uneven terrain with little elevation gain, for a total roundtrip distance of 1.5 miles.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Hancock. Space is limited, and registration is required. There is a $35 fee to cover shuttle costs. For general information about Harris Center field trips, see our Outings Information page. For more information about this particular outing, including questions about accessibility, contact Susie.

Co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Conservation Education, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and the Forest Society.

This marker at Welch Farm commemorating the Due family is the first Black Heritage Trail of NH marker outside of Portsmouth. (photo © The Forest Society)

About Our Trip Leaders

JerriAnne Boggis, the Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, is a writer, educator, and community activist who works to correct the historical record on the racial complexity and richness of New Hampshire’s diverse past. Through the development of several community programs that focus on history and race, she has raised public awareness of New Hampshire’s little-known people of color and increased the visibility of Black history in the state. She believes that diversity programming is more than listening to a speaker or lighting a candle. It’s about social change. The programs she creates are powerful, noteworthy, yet social and engaging.

Eric Aldrich is Senior Writer and Content Manager for The Nature Conservancy. A former newspaper reporter and communications director for both the Harris Center and New Hampshire Fish and Game, he is a skilled historian, wildlife tracker, and photographer. Eric has spent years leading Harris Center outings that connect participants with both the natural world and the rich human history hidden in the region’s forests and fields.

Dave Anderson is Senior Director of Education for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, where he has led conservation education programs since 1990. A well-known naturalist, he teaches about forest ecology, wildlife, and land conservation through field trips and workshops across the state. Dave also co-authors the Forest Journal column, writes the Nature’s View column for Forest Notes, and co-hosts NHPR’s Something Wild radio feature and podcast.