Venture Smith: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture

A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture A Native of Africa: but resident above sixty years in the United States of America. Related by himself

Published in 1798, Venture Smith, in his own words recounts his life from his youth in Western Africa where he was kidnapped and enslaved to his eventual manumission in Stonington, Connecticut. His harrowing life story was documented when he dictated his story to a schoolteacher, who wrote it down, then published it preserving his story to this day.

This booklet is also available at the Lighthouse Museum where there is a permanent exhibition “My Freedom is a Privilege that Nothing Else can Equal” dedicated to the story of Venture Smith and enslavement in Stonington.