Ichabod Twilight went missing when Alexander was at a very young age, putting Alexander in charge of the family. Alexander then had to work to pay off the family debts, putting off his schooling by years. Working for the local church, Alexander met the headmaster of Middlebury College who, by having had a conversation with Twilight, was probably influential in the acceptance of Twilight to Middlebury. We believe Twilight was accepted into Middlebury because he appeared to be a white man, even though his heritage was African American. But, unlike most African Americans, he had very light skin so he was able to get away with passing as white. He graduated from Middlebury in 1823, after just three years of college. Later, he moved to Peru, New York to become a school teacher and met his future wife Mercy Merrill. They got married in 1826 and moved to Brownington, Vermont, just 90 miles North of Dartmouth where he remained for most of his later years.
Thank you, Esme and Gabby
2 Comments
Dana Karuza
11/14/2018 08:17:09 am
It is hopeful reading this to see how far we have come with civil rights. Do you find skin color is less or no longer an issue for your generation? There has been so much progress since Alexander Twilight's time. Let us embrace and celebrate that progress!
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Twilight Girls
11/21/2018 05:45:50 am
Thank you for your comment! We will address your question in the blog post.
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AuthorsGabrielle and Esme have been researching Twilight thoroughly for three years. They started off working on their Vermont History presentation and eventually ended up, more recently, presenting at Boston History Camp in Boston, Mass. Archives
December 2019
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