Aaron & Betsey Brister

(The First Freedom Seekers of Wayne County)

Slavery in Wayne and Ontario County

While slavery was more popular in the South of the United States, there were slaves in the Northern states as well. Quoting from the New York, Wayne County website and a paper titled, "African American Life in Wayne County, New York, 1789-1900", is an understanding of how slaves arrived in the upstate New York.  "With the arrival in 1792 of Charles Williamson, land agent for English investors, the market for the “Genesee Country” was expanded to include residents of Virginia and Maryland – specifically southerners with slaves." The article continues, speaking of how southerners wanted  the new areas of land to harvest the resources and wanted the slaves to clear the land. Between the years,  1789 and 1810 is when most African Americans, majority enslaved came to Wayne County. 

One of the largest slave owners at the time was, Captain William Helm of Prince William County. Recorded by the Wayne County Historical Website in the fourth page of the document, "Sites Relating to the Underground Railroad, Abolitionism, and African American Life in Wayne County, New York by Last Name", William Helm may have brought as many as seventy slaves with him from From Warrentown, Farquier Co., Virgina. In 1797, he brought an estimated fifty five African American men and fifteen women, them settling first on the shores of Sodus Bay and later moving to Bath, New York to work.

It was William Helm that owned Aaron and Betsey Brister, and their children as slaves.

The Bristers  (The First Freedom Seekers of Wayne County)

The Bristers, Aaron and Betsey, are considered the first freedom seekers of Wayne country. It is estimated that the Bristers started their life in Palmyra between the years 1805 through 1810. Aaron, the husband of Betsey and father of ten children, was a former soldier in the Revolutionary War.


After the Revolutionary War, Aaron and his family were imprisoned as slaves under Captain William Helm. That was until Betsey was to be sold to an owner in Bath, New York, and the two (at the time) small children of the Bristers were to be sold and transported away from their parents as well. Before the year 1810, Aaron, Betsey, and their two small children escaped to Palmyra N.Y. The family became fugitive slaves.

The Brister's Life in Palmyra After Escaping


When in hiding, Aaron used various names to evade being captured. The 1810 U.S. Federal census shows Aaron, used the name Benjamin Bristol. The census states, ' Benjamin Bristol, a free person of color, with a household of four persons.' Aaron changing his name in the census would have made him and his family less noticeable since they were still considered fugitive slaves. However, Aaron still did sometimes use his real name.

According to a book, written by Mark Lyman Staker, tilted, Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations, Aaron Brister, under the name of Aaron Bristol, worked in Palmyra as a cooper. In this area of Palmyra, was a strong African American community, called Aarondale, named after Aaron for his service in the Revolutionary War.

In 1817, Aaron Brister was recorded in the "Palmyra, New York Highway Tax Record" to have been working on maintaining a system of roads. Between the years 1817 and 1822, according to the Tax Record,  all men in each district twenty-one years or older, no matter the skin color, were required to work on the roads. For at least one day, every year of his life, Aaron and his fellow district men participated in this mannuel labor.


In the end, Aaron Brister did live a decent life with his family in the town of Palmyra, until August 8th, 1821, the day of his death. He had secured his pension where his assets were valued at $115 and included ¾ acres of land and a small house on which he owed $100.  

Aaron Brister's Story 


Aaron Brister was born approximately the year 1762 in Virginia. Within his estimated 59 years, he lived an active life with his wife, Betsey. Not much is known about Aaron Brister before the Revolutionary War as he was an enslaved person since birth. 


Upon returning from Revolutionary War, [Description of Aaron's service below] Aaron was brought back into slavery under the owner of Captain William Helm. However, Aaron did not go peacefully. Records kept by Aaron's nephew, Austin Steward, described Aaron as going against his master. On one account, Austin tells the story about his uncle surviving a severe beating from Captain Helm,


“Aaron said that he had ever endeavored to discharge his duty, and had done so to the best of his ability; and that he thought it very hard to be treated in that manner for no offence at all. Capt. Helm was astonished at his audacity, but the reader will perceive that the slaves were not blind to the political condition of the country, and were beginning to feel that they had some rights, and meant to claim them.”


Now, what is written above and other accounts in the book, “Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman”, (Book is available on amazon.com) pertains to Aaron’s belief in liberty and his question if this treatment was deserving to anyone. He had stood up to his master with powerful words that shook his owner. 


After being punished by his Helm, Aaron suffered major head trauma as another excerpt from “Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman” says,


“His face, covered with blood, was so swollen that he could hardly see for some time; but what of that? Did he not belong to Capt. Helm, soul and body; and if his brutal owner chose to destroy his own property, certainly had he not a right to do so, without let or hindrance? Of course; such is the power that Slavery gives one human being over another.” 


Aaron was not alone in his beliefs at the time, as many more slaves across the country were asking the same questions as Aaron.


After having recovered from a brutal horse accident that had nearly killed him, Aaron had helped his family take “French leave” from his master as well as the lawyer who was on his way to purchase Betsey.

Aaron Brister in the Revolutionary War

Aaron Brister is recorded to have signed up for the Revolutionary War in the Spring of 1777 in his home county of Prince William, Virginia. It was during his time in the war when Aaron married Betsey in 1777 or 1778. During the war and still as a solider, it is recorded by, "Black Revolutionaries: African-American Revolutionary War Pensioners in the Early Republic, 1780-1850 [Nansemond County, Virginia references on Pages 74, 75 and 84]" on archives.org, Aaron would return home to visit Betsey, "...Brister not only served in the military but would return to his wife Betsy for a few days and then return to his company." During the American Revolution it was normal for some soldiers to visit family during between battles as long as the solider displayed no evidence for desertion from the army.

 Aaron is recorded in the 3rd Virginia Regiment raised February 1776 at Alexandria and Dumfries; George Weedon was the second commander - between August 13th, 1776 and February 27th, 1777; promoted to brig. general; Thomas Helm one of the lieutenants in the regiment and also Aaron's master's relative.

Below is a quote of his service,

"1st Lt. Thomas Helm, commission 8 Mar 1776 in Capt. Philip Francis Lee's Co - resigned 27 Nov 1777."

Aaron enlisted in the town of Dumfries in Prince William Co., Virginia, in company commanded by Captain Thomas Helms in the 3rd Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colonel Weadon for two years in 1776, and he continued to serve in the said corps until the expiration of the aforesaid term of time where he was discharged from service at Philadelphia; he was in the Battle of York Island and White Plains;

It is speculated that Aaron was between fourteen to sixteen when he was in the war, though since he married Betsey while serving, it is more likely he was closer to sixteen.

After serving, Aaron developed problems with both his knees which affected him for the remainder of his life. 

Betsey Brister's Story

Betsey was born about 1765 in Virginia with her maiden name being Toiver. She died on the 19th of October in 1851 in Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, 30 years after her husband's [Aaron Brister] death in 1831. Today, she is buried in Old Baptist Cemetery in Macedon, New York.


Within her life, Betsey faced a lot of ups and downs. After Aaron passed, she attempted to collect her widows' pension but was at first denied on account that slaves could not be married. To quote from Betsey's agent from September 11th, 1844, "The parties at the time of the marriage were slaves, and no license was issued or record made of it [the marriage], as it was never done in such cases."


A petition was created to bring justice to Mrs. Bristers' cause. Between 1843 and 1850, Betsey and his supporters worked to secure her pension. One of Betsey's main supporters was a woman named, Susan Stuart. According to notes left on Aaron Brister's pension application that was transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris, later revised February 6th 2012, "Supporting her application is a deposition from Susan Stuart who had known Aaron and Betsey Brister since childhood, who stated that Betsey Brister was the mother of 10 children, the first, Aaron, having died in infancy, and four still living: Lucy Jarvis, age 55; Robert, 38; Mina, 33; and Betsey, 31 “and upwards.”

 

The first obstacle that needed to be overcome with Betsey collecting her pension, was the issue of her correct age on Aaron's pension. In an 1820 document, Betsy’s age was labeled as being 46; but she was actually 80 at the time; meaning in the document she was stated to be too young to have been married in 1777 or 1778 to Aaron. Multiple statements were sent to the pension office stating that Betsy Brister was 80. A local physician, Dr. Alexander McIntyre, confirmed that Betsy Blister was 80. 


The Doctor claimed that whatever statements may have been made by Aaron, particularly in the 1820 document that said Betsey was half the age than she was, must have been a misunderstanding. 

The second issue was the requirement by the pension office for an official document establishing the marriage between Betsey Toliver and Aaron Brister. Robert Brister, son of Aaron and Betsey made a statement for the record that his mother and father never had a record of the marriage, therefore there is no record of Betsey and Aaron’s marriage.


In 1844, a letter written to the Commission of Pensions by Thomas C. Miller was sent to advocate on behalf of Betsey and her late husband. Miller wrote how it was impossible to hold the Bristers accountable for their marriage when Aaron and Betsey were slaves when they were married. He asked the Commissions of Pension to make an exception for their need for a certified copy of the marriage bond between Aaron and Betsey as the couple could not acquire a marriage license or record because of their race and status. 


There is evidence that the pension ordeal was resolved in May 1850 when Betsey acquired a certificate of being Aaron’s widow. Beginning in 1848, on March 4th Mrs. Bristers was set up to obtain $80.00 per year for the rest of her life unless she was to be wed again. 


However, to contradict what happened for Betsey in 1848 was a letter from Robert Brister dated July 2nd, 1851. Robert wrote that about eighteen months had passed since a “Mr. Southwick of Palmyra Wayne County drew my Fathers [sic] Pension for my mother Betsey Brister living at Palmyra.” Robert claims that he was never able to ascertain the amount of pension drawn by Mr. Southwick. 

Betsey Brister died on October 19th, 1851, and was buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery (also called Bryant Cemetery), located just west of the village of Palmyra. 


In her last testament, Betsey shared her protocols about her property and dividing the land among her four surviving children, Lucy, Jemima, Betsey, and Robert. Betsey appointed her son as executor. In her will, Betsey stated her friends James Jenner and General Thomas Rogers were to be final arbitrators should any disagreements arise. 


In the end, the Brister family has left their mark on the towns of Macedon, Palmyra, Wayne County, and across America; for their story assists in understanding the cruelty one faced under slavery and the life of a fugitive slave. 

The Battle for Freedom 

In the Spring of 1818, the Brister home was attacked. After many long years of searching, for their slaves, several slave owners led by William Helm, discovered the location of fugitive slaves in Palmyra. The owners planned to recapture and punish their runaway slaves who had fled to Wayne County. The following quote is from Austin Steward’s autobiography,

“The Captain planned to collect all the slaves he had once owned, many of whom had escaped to the surrounding villages, and when once in his grasp, to roll them speedily into a slave State, and there sell them for the Southern market.”

Captain Helm planned to lure all the runaway slaves into one area for capture. For this plan to work Helm hired Simon Watkins to gain the African Americans' trust and throw a party for those of color. Simon Watkins did this act for fifty dollars in 1818, or today's currency (September 2022) of 1,575.38 American dollars.

As the books,  Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations and Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman written by the nephew of Aaron and Betsey Brister, Austin Steward conveyed, Simon convinced the Bristers to have the party at their house and urged specifically for the slaves of William Helm to come together. Regarding Simion Watkins manipulation for the colored-folk, In his book Austin Steward wrote,

"in great kindness and generosity, [to] give a large party to the colored people--desiring that all Capt. Helm's former slaves, in particular should be present for a joyous reunion, and celebrate their freedom in having a fine time generally."

On the night of the party, Captain Helm and his accomplices came to Palmyra in disguise. They hid in one of the nearby hotels before the festivities began. Once the slaves arrived in the Brister’s home, and the opportunity to attack was ready, Helm and his posse attacked the house and the people inside with great force. What Helm had expected to be an easy fight turned for the worst for his men. 

Book is available on Amazon.com

The room was swept up in chaos. Fists, chairs, clubs, and anything else that could be used as a weapon flamed the fire of violence between the African Americans and their cruel former masters.


“Commands from our old master were met with shouts of bold defiance on the part of the Negroes, until the miserable kidnappers were glad to desist, and were driven off - not stealthily as they came, but in quick time and in the best way they could, to escape the threatened vengeance of the slaves, who drove them like "feathers before the wind." -“Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman”


Sadly, even after the fighting, Helm and his group did manage to capture two black children, with the parents of the kidnapped children running and screaming after the wagon taking them away. There is no available information on what happened to the children or parents.

Aaron Brister died August 8th, 1821 in  Palmyra, Wayne County, New York. His place of burial was a mystery for years, but due to the amount of evidence collect from the 2021-2024 Girl Scout Gold Award from collecting information to prove he was buried there, it can be said with almost complete certainty Aaron Brister was buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery with his wife as he was also a member of the Old Baptist Church at the time as well.

More documents proving his place of burial can be found on Aaron Brister's Findagrave page.

Children of Aaron and Betsey Brister 

Records from Marge Perez

Unfortunately where the children are buried are unknown. Only one of their children is listed on findagrave as of 11/18/24

More research is being done to add them to findagrave.com


“Lucy Brister was born about 1790 in Virginia, died between 1870 and 1872, and was buried in Palmyra Village Cemetery.”


Aaron Brister [The second] was born in 1793 and died in infancy.


“Robert Brister was born between 1807--1810 in New York.”


“Jemima Brister was born about 1812 in New York. She may have died in Ontario, Canada.”


“Betsey Brister [The second] was born about 1814 in New York.”


James Brister born around 1808


Mina Brister was born around 1810

Betsey's Gravestone

What is the significance of her having a headstone?

Due to the time of which racism and segregation were still heavily enacted in America, to have a black woman in an otherwise "white cemetery" is phenomenal. Then, for Betsey to have such a high quality headstone, one that is thicker than the standard two inches, the height as large as other prominent members of the cemetery and finally the quality of the inscription is better than most other gravestones.

Inscription of Betsey's Gravestone 

"BETSEY, wife of Aaron Brister, a Revolutionary soldier, died October 19th 1851, aged 70 years."

Meaning of the Anchor on the Stone

There can be dozens of interpretations of a gravestone symbol; the most famous origin symbolism for the anchor on stones is from the Christian Bible, in Hebrews 6, 18- 19: 

“...lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast . . ."

According to the website, wyuka.com, "The anchor carries a lot of symbolism with it, meaning hope and steadfastness. Often found on a sailors’ gravestones to represent the life of a sailor, the anchor can also be disguised as a cross to guide the way to secret meeting places." Moreover the website, billiongraves.com, the anchor on the headstone can remind family members visiting the grave to hold on to the hope of seeing their loved one again.

How Betsey Brister's Gravestone Got Restored 

    Betsey's headstone was found a few inches under dirt close to it's current location.  The headstone had been broken in three pieces and according from the Boy scout's photos since before the 1990s.  The "base" of the tablet headstone was still in the ground with the two other pieces laid in the dirt a few feet beside it. 

The headstone was first recorded for its location on findagrave.com then sprayed with a gravestone safe cleaning spray called "D/2 solution." The D/2 solution safely removes the Lichen imbedded and growing in the headstone. The lichen is an issue because the  biological growth is harmful since it causes the stone to wear down, making it difficult to read.

The headstone was originally facing toward the current fence and East. When restoring her headstone her headstone was flipped so the side with writing was facing toward the inside of the fence instead of toward the fence, so that visitors would have easy access to read Betsey's headstone.

Scott Newcombe picking up Betsey's Headstone

Julia Pierce's Headstone

While picking up the pieces of Betsey's headstone, under Betsey's headstone was found another headstone. The headstone found under Betsey's belonged to Julia Pirece. 

Julia Pierce had not been on any lists of those buried in the cemetery and her burial location and any information on her was lost until her headstone was found. 

Without looking under Betsey's headstone being lifted Julia would have never been found and her story lost. Julia was added onto Findagrave.com on June 23rd, 2024.

Headstone in 1990s Picture taken by Boy Scouts

Picture taken by Erika Newcombe August 2023

Betsey's Headstone August 29th, 2024

Slideshow of the Process of Restoring Betsey's Headstone

A Special Thanks and Honor to Marjorie Perez

A special honor to Marjorie Perez, a retired Wayne County Historian (who also at one point held the position of Wayne County Tourism Position) of 30 years since 1972, but who still remains an advent researcher and advocate for history. Without Marjorie's  incredible research there would be limited information on all of the Bristers; the information she collected is what is on most presented of this page. Marjorie's information has been used as proof that Aaron's was buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery. Without her work most of the information on the Bristers would have been most likely lost to time. 

Marjorie has written a book, published in 2017, titled, "Final Stop, Freedom!-The Underground Railroad Experience in Wayne County, New York." The book is about local Colored families from Wayne County during the time of the Underground Railroad.

The book has information about the Bristers and their story, amongst other stories of People of Color from local Wayne County.

Thank you Marjorie Perez for all your hard work and dedication to preserving history.

Picture of the Palmyra Muesum from Fingerlakes.org

The Palmyra Museum Honoring the Bristers

The Palmyra Museum talks about the Bristers in one of their seasonal tours. More information on this section to be added.

Link to the Historic Palmyra Museum web page: https://www.historicpalmyrany.com/