The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920Various
History
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920
Various
African Americans -- Periodicals
The settlement crept up the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario so as to be
as far as the River Trent by the end of the eighteenth century: and
Prince Edward County had also its quota of settlers. Until the
nineteenth century had set in there were practically no settlers from
the Trent to near York (Toronto) but that splendid territory of level
clay and loam land covered by magnificent forests of beech and maple
gradually filled in and by the 30's was fairly well settled. In the
latter territory there were very few, if any, slaves.[15]
Farther east, however, in what became the Eastern and Midland
Districts there were many slaves. It is probable that by far the
greatest number had their habitat in that region. When York became the
provincial capital (1796-7) slaves were brought to that place by their
masters. In the Niagara region there were also some slaves, in great
part bought from the Six Nation Indians as some of these in the
eastern part of the province were bought from the Mississaguas who
had a rendezvous on Carleton Island near Kingston. In the Detroit
region there were many slaves, some of them Panis;[16] and many of
both kinds, Panis and Negro bought from the Shawanese, Pottawattaimies
and other Western Indians, taken for the most part from the Ohio and
Kentucky country. Most of these slaves were west of the river, few
being in the Province of Upper Canada _de jure_. Omitting Detroit, the
number of slaves in the province at the time of the Act of 1793 was
probably not far from 500.[17]
In the Eastern District, part of which became the District of Johntown
in 1798, there were certainly some slaves. Justus Sherwood one of the
first settlers brought a Negro slave Caesar Congo to his location near
Prescott. Caesar was afterwards sold to a half pay officer Captain
Bottom settled about six miles above Prescott and after about twenty
years service was emancipated by his master. Caesar afterwards married
a woman of color and lived in Brockville for many years and until his
death. Daniel Jones another old settler had a female Negro slave and
there were a few more slaves in the district.[18]
It is possible that this part of the province was the home of a Negro
who at the age of 101 appeared at the Assize Court at Ottawa in 1867
to give evidence. He was born in the Colony of New York in 1766, had
been brought to Upper Canada by his master, a United Empire Loyalist,
had fought through the war of 1812 on the British side, was present at
the Battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane and was wounded at Sackett's
Harbor.[19]
In the Midland District at Kingston such leading families as the
Cartwrights, Herkimers and Everetts were slave owners. Further west
the Ruttans, Bogarts, Van Alstynes,[20] Petersons, Allens, Clarks,
Bowers, Thompsons, Meyers, Spencers, Perrys, Pruyns, speaking
generally all the people of substance had their slaves.[21]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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