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Cornelius Sparrow was an escaped slave who arrived in Saint
John in 1851. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1824. He married a Saint John
lady, Martha Jane Moore, in 1851, the same year he became a Freeman of the
City. He first worked as a labourer but by 1862 he had opened his first
restaurant, the Royal Saloon, at 18 Charlotte Street. The restaurant
specialized in foreign and domestic fruits and vegetables, including Buctouche
and Prince Edward Island oysters. He also offered a Ladies and Gents hair
dressing saloon.
In 1874 Cornelius moved his business to 8 Germain STreet. In 1877 he was joined
by his brother George in a new business, the Victoria Dining Saloon where it
was advertised that you could get "Meals At All Hours, Fruits in their
Season". The business moved to 35 Germain Street, where it was destroyed
in the Great 1877 fire.
Cornelius reopened his saloon in 1878. He died in Hartford, Connecticut in
1880. He is buried in Saint John.
Amonia was affectionately known as Chocolate Drop. From Willow Grove, Amonia made his living peddling goods in Saint John and surrounding areas.
A member of the Black community who worked for a local business in Saint John.
Nicodemis Skinner operated this second hand store on City Road
for many years. Left to right: Jimmy Whelly, Landlord; Charlie Hall, employee;
Clifford (Nick) Skinner; Seely Skinner; Aderine and Nicodemis D. Skinner.
The following newspaper article appeared in the late 70's...
"David Peters is a rarity in Saint John - an internationally recognized Chef who just happens to be from New Brunswick.
Chef David has taught cooking at the New Brunswick Community College for over 20 years. Through this medium he has passed his love of cooking, and his culinary skills, to hundreds of aspiring chefs.
In 1976 David opened Saint John's first elegant dining room, combining excellent food with exquisite surroundings. The Iron Duke on Leinster Street was the forerunner of today's heritage inns. The building, built in 1878 for Andrew J. Armstrong, offered the charm and the beauty of Victorian architecture and design with his specialty of the house, Creole cuisine. The house even came with the ghostly image of a young girl's face on a metal basement door."
The Iron Duke closed in 1981 when the building was purchased by the province for demolition. The area now forms part of a parking lot on Leinster Street.
Chef David is a charter member of the Canadian Federation of Chefs de Cuisine, which initially had only seven Canadian born certified chefs. He is also a direct descendent of Thomas Peters, one of the leaders of the Black exodus to Sierra Leone in 1792.
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All pages © Heritage Resources and New
Brunswick Community College - Saint John.