Peter Chaveons

Peter Chaveons (also spelled as Chavons, Chavez, and Chaves) was a Black manual laborer on Miami’s campus starting in 1852. In the Board of Trustee’s minutes, he is described as a “good carpenter and glazier,” and the Board goes on to say that he did “more and better work than Woodhurst,” who previously fulfilled Peter’s role. Perhaps a 38 year-old Peter felt pressure to outperform Woodhurst. For Peter, success as a laborer on Miami’s campus may have been necessary for the survival of himself and his family. Perhaps he did not want to meet the same fate as Woodhurst in being “removed.” According to the 1850 census, Peter had a six year old child named William. Maybe Peter wanted to offer his child more economic prospects than Peter himself had access to. This becomes far more poignant a possibility when one considers Peter’s birthplace in Virginia, which may indicate that Peter was born into slavery. But it is hard to say with certainty that he was or wasn’t born enslaved. Without Peter’s words, it is impossible to completely understand his life, but we can try.