GEN-AFRICAN-L Archives

From: "Saundra Brown" <>
Subject: History of How Blacks Came to Nova Scotia
Date: 18 May 1997 07:37:10 -0700

> History of How Blacks Came to Nova Scotia
> By: Raven Glasgow
> Grade 12, Cole Harbour High School
>
> 1605 - Mathieu Dacosta
> (Dacosta is a Portuguese word meaning "man of the coast"). Mathieu Dacosta
was
> a Black seaman involved with French Expedition at Port Royal. As a freeman
he
> was recorded as an interpreter of the French and Micmac languages at a time
> when the Acadians were developing a fur-trade industry along the Atlantic
sea
> coast. He was the first recorded black man to reach Canada.
>
> 1749 - Halifax
> Some Black people also were enslaved in the province prior to and after the
> founding of Halifax in 1749 by Lord Cornwallis, who had slaves of his own.
> Documents indicate servants and runaways were in the area; "Slave Sale"
> advertisements and "Wanted Slave" posters are evidence of this.
>
> 1775-1782 Loyalists
> The "American War of Independence" began and finished. Lord Dunbar made a
> proclamation that every black slave to cross over to the British side of the

> line would be declared free. The Black Loyalists were many of these, due to
> their loyalty to Britain during the Revolutionary War. Some 3500 free men,
> women and children arrived on Nova Scotia/New Brunswick shores. In a 1767
> census, 104 people of African origin were listed out of a Nova Scotia
> population of 13,374. In contrast, the Scots numbered only 52!
>
> 1783-1792 - Freetown
> Stopping points of the Black Loyalists were Shelburne, Annapolis, Halifax
and
> Saint John, N.B. These people encountered tremendous difficulties and beat
> formidable odds. However, poor treatment and unjust land distribution did
> prompt some 1196 individuals, including influential leaders, to relocate on
> January 15, 1792 to Sierra Leone, West Africa. There they established the
> settlement of Freetown. This was a British controlled solution to a
desperate
> situation that eased the tension on the crown.
>
> 1796 - Maroons
> Approximately 550 exiled Jamaican Maroons arrived (militant leaders) aboard
> three small ships: "The Dover", "The Mary", and "The Ann", and settled in
> Halifax County. They would come to provide labor as well as military
> reinforcements. Some were put to work on Citadel Hill reconstructing Fort
> George, while others served on Governor Wentworth Farm. Just four years
later
> after experiencing extreme hardship and intolerance, they asked for and
> received permission to relocate. The majority of the Maroons left and sailed

> to Freetown, Sierra Leone. However, a few did stay in Nova Scotia and
> descendants exist in the Halifax area today.
>
> 1812-1816 - Black refugees
> In 1812, the war between Britain and the United States of America began.
After
> the war ended in 1814, approximately 2,000 Black refugees, loyal to Britain,

> were evacuated via Washington (Chesapeake Bay), to Nova Scotia and New
> Brunswick. This arrival had a number of complications and eventually they
were
> left to provide for their own existence after much of the land distribution
> was unfairly divided. However, through it all they survived and prospered.
The
> largest settlements were established in Preston, Hammonds Plains,
Beechville,
> Africville, Lucasville and Sackville areas. The majority of African-Nova
> Scotians today are descendants from this group. Some popular Nova Scotian
> family names include Carvery, Smith, Crawley, Diggs, Wyse, Grant, Cromwell,
> Bundy, Johnston, Johnson, Saunders, Sparks, Boyds, Beals and Downey.
>
>
>
> 1890-1920
> The final wave of immigrants to arrive came from the Caribbean lands during
> this time. Most originated from Barbados and were employed as migrant
laborers
> in the steel making industry of Sydney, Cape Breton, N.S. The number of
people
> vary, however approximately 300 resettled during this period. Descendants
> today still keep the cultural connections alive.
>
> In conclusion African-Canadians have a rich and diverse history and heritage

> which has been long standing in this province. Our strong faith in God and
> hard work have been beneficial for Nova Scotia's development.
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Afro-Nova Scotian Communities
>
> Community List
>
> 1. Shelburne
> 2. Birchtown
> 3. Yarmouth
> 4. Greenville
> 5. Southville
> 6. Danvers
> 7. Hassett
> 8. Weymouth Falls
> 9. Jordantown
> 10. Conway
> 11. Acaciaville
> 12. Digby
> 13. LeQuille
> 14. Granville Ferry
> 15. Inglewood(Bridgetown)
> 16. Middleton
> 17. Cambridge
> 18. Gibson Woods
> 19. Aldershot
> 20. Kentville
> 21. Three Mile Plains
> 22. Beechville
> 23. Hammonds Plains
> 24. Africville
> 25. Lucasville
> 26. Cobequid Road
> 26B. Maroon Hill
> 27. Halifax
> 28. Dartmouth
> 29/30. Lake Loon & Cherry Brook
> 31. North Preston
> 32. East Preston
> 33. Truro
> 34. Springhill
> 35. Amherst
> 36. Trenton
> 37. New Glasgow
> 38. Antigonish
> 39. Monastery
> 40. Mulgrave
> 41. Upper Big Tracadie
> 42. Lincolnville
> 43. Sunnyville
> 44. North Sydney
> 45. Sydney
> 46. New Waterford
> 47. Glace Bay
> 48. Liverpool
>
>
Lucie K. Lewis


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• History of How Blacks Came to Nova Scotia by "Saundra Brown" <>