Page 3 Reverend William Odber Raymond, wrote that the earliest evidence of a Black man's presence in New Brunswick appears in a letter of James Simonds, dated 1767 from Portland (now Saint John's North End) to a partner regarding a shipment of lime to a customer. It reads "expect nothing but to disappoint him, as that rascal Negro West cannot be flatter or drove to do a fourth of a man's work....". Other than this brief quote there are no records of any Blacks living in the Saint John area before the arrival of the Loyalists.
Most Blacks living in Saint John can trace their ancestors to three major groups: the Black Loyalists (1783), the Black Refugees (1815), and those who arrived near the turn of the 20th century from the East Indies.
Of
the approximately 15,000 American Loyalists who came to New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia, close to 20% were Blacks. Most of these Blacks settled in Nova Scotia.
Many of the ones who came to New Brunswick came believing that they would be
given the same assistance and rights as the other Loyalists.
When they arrived in Saint John, small town lots were given to the free
Blacks. By 1785 blocks of 50 acres each were surveyed in areas now known as
Loch Lomond, Kingston Peninsula and the Westfield area. These lots were given
to approximately 100 Black families; however, things did not fare well for
them. Many were not adequately prepared for clearing and farming the land,
having nothing in the way of money or provisions beyond what the government
provided.
Added to this was the special instruction from Governor Carleton in October,
1785, to the sheriffs of the various counties, informed them that "the
votes of Blacks are not to be admitted" in the upcoming elections for
a General Assembly. This practice of excluding the Black vote continued until
the 1840's, and in some parts the early 1850's.
In addition, there was the continued practice of slavery in the province. Many prominent Loyalists, including Governor Carleton, the Mayor of Saint John, Gabriel Ludlow, and Major General John Coffin, kept slaves. Of the free Blacks, many of them worked as indentured servants which in reality was slavery by another name.
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In 1800 there was a split decision by the New Brunswick Supreme
court on the issue of slavery. Two of Judges thought slavery was legal in New
Brunswick, while the other two believed it to be illegal.
...incorporated on April 30, 1785, was a severe blow to the newly arrived Black population. It had a number of restrictions aimed at the Blacks...
The restrictive laws aimed at the Black population had far-reaching effects on the development of the Black community socially, financially, and educationally. Initially, the Black population in Saint John was for the most part unwelcomed, unwanted, and by law, unproductive.
Only in death were they accepted. Of
the approximately 4000 known burials in the Old Burying Ground, ( now known as
the Public or Loyalist Burial Ground ) three percent of the burials are of
persons described as Colored. To see a partial list of names, click on the
image to the right...
The Charter of the City of Saint John was amended in 1870 to exclude these
provisions. This type of Charter would not be tolerated in today's society.
By 1790 many of the free Blacks had become completely discouraged. Some had still not received their land grants. With no representation in government, their pleas for assistance went unheard. Thomas Peters, a leader of the Black community in Saint John, went to England and appealed directly for help, setting the stage for a new exodus. While there, he heard of the Sierra Leone Company which had been formed by a group of British abolitionists. These men hoped to form a group of free Blacks in West Africa.
Peters asked for, and received, permission for any Blacks who may desire to depart for Sierra Leone. The Secretary of State for the colonies issued instructions that all free Blacks should be allowed to go to Africa "free of expense".
In January 1792, 15 transports and 1190 free Black emigrants from New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia left Halifax bound for the new colony. Faced with
hardship here, some Blacks from the Saint John area chose to once again uproot
themselves in hopes of a better life..
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Brunswick Community College - Saint John.