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Escaped slave and Navy sailor recounted his Civil War story in a diary. Now Dedham looks to honor his legacy
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The extraordinary life and legacy of William Benjamin Gould had been all but forgotten in Dedham, the town where he raised eight children, was a founding member of an Episcopal church, and served as commander of the Civil War veterans post.
His descendants knew Gould had fought during the Civil War. But it wasn’t until his diary was discovered by accident in 1958 that this remarkable story began to emerge: He made a daring escape from slavery in North Carolina and had served three years in the US Navy that rescued him from the Confederacy. Gould’s great-grandson wrote a book about his forebear’s diary, but his exploits had long faded from local memory.
Now, prompted by a grass-roots effort, Dedham is seeking to make Gould’s name resonate again, joining a broad movement to honor Black Americans whose lives, however notable, have been overlooked by history.
Read the story at BostonGlobe.com.
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