Resolved, That in this glorious land of Freedom, and under this equitable and powerful Government, man is man, without respect to the colour of his skin, and that we, as men, will not submit to degrading terms of service, nor see our brethren treated with indignity by public conveyances, or excluded therefrom, without showing a manly spirit of resentment. Resolved, That, as waiters, at the public hotels, of St. Catharines, we will not continue in the service of our present employers, unless, in the management of their conveyances, they henceforth treat ourselves and our people with the respect and civility, to which we are entitled, as men. With this expression of affirmation and solidarity and with the support of influential members of the community also threatening to boycott these establishments, the hotels changed their policies.
The building of the Welland House provided jobs for black people in the 1800s. The Welland House and the other spa hotels connected to natural hot water springs or therapeutic waters — such as The Springbank or the Stephenson House — developed around the local salt springs which were thought to have healing powers. Affluent people from around the world were attracted by these springs, especially the United States, and they flocked to St. Catharines for rest and relaxation. Guests of the spas included Mary Todd Lincoln (the widow of Abraham Lincoln), the aunt of Robert E. Lee, various spies, and tourists from the American South who travelled with their enslaved black staff. Because the white guests from the south expected the black people in St. Catharines should be subservient but they were not, the guests forced the hotel owners to exclude black people from equal access to the hotels, giving rise to racial conflict. Today the spas are closed and only the structure of the Welland House remains.
Anthony Burns became a resident of St. Catharines after an arduous course of events and likely was convinced that Canada was indeed the Promised Land.
Born a slave in Virginia on May 31, 1834, Burns was owned by Colonel Charles Suttle. Suttle hired him out to work for others, and Burns was able to escape — finally ending up in Boston. On May 24, 1854, he was arrested in Boston under the terms of the Fugitive Slave Act. Following a town meeting in support of Burns, there was a riot in which several people were injured and one was killed. Burns was put on trial on June 2, and it was ruled that he had to be sent back to Colonel Suttle. Because of the anger of the citizens of Boston, Burns was escorted out of the city by twenty-two state militia to prevent any crowd violence. Over 50,000 people lined the street to protest the decision and witness his transfer back to Suttle.
Burns was returned to Virginia where he was severely beaten and confined to a cage for months by Suttle. He was later sold to a plantation in North Carolina. Finally members of the Boston church he had attended purchased him and a matron financed his education at Oberlin College in Ohio as a student of religious studies. By 1860, Burns had moved to St. Catharines, serving as the pastor of Zion Baptist Church on Geneva Street. He died on July 27, 1862, at the age of twenty-eight, and was buried at Victoria Lawn Cemetery in St. Catharines. His courage and dedication have been commemorated with a plaque — he was the last enslaved person to be captured in Massachusetts.
After rescue, kidnapped blacks tell their story.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
During her very first winter in St. Catharines, in December 1851, Harriet conducted a group of eleven people on the UGRR that included her brother and his wife.
They earned their bread by chopping wood in the snows of a Canadian forest; they were frost-bitten, hungry and naked. Harriet was their good angel. She kept house for her brother, and the poor creatures boarded with her. She worked for them, begged for them, and carried them by the help of God through the hard winter.
St. Catharines was a significant centre for the reception of black people on the Underground Railroad, with an African-Canadian population of over 1,000 out of a total population of about 7,000. Blacks primarily lived around the Geneva, Niagara, Cherry and Williams Street area, although some lived in the homes where they were employed throughout St. Catharines or in nearby farming areas. From the assessment records of St. Catharines, it was learned that Harriet rented a house for herself and for the reception of refugees on Lot 11, North Street, near the corner of Geneva. It was close to what is believed to be her house of worship, now called the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada, Salem Chapel, at 92 Geneva Street, which still serves the needs of the present-day community. She also had a connection to the AME Zion Church.
Financial assistance, in addition to what Harriet earned, came from many sources, including the American Missionary Society and the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada, presided over by Dr. Michael Willis of the University of Toronto. Ideological support came through George Brown, an abolitionist and owner of the Toronto newspaper, the Globe and Mail. Anti-slavery support was very high in Toronto and was shared by some local, influential people. Black people settled throughout Canada, especially in Ontario and the Maritime provinces, but within Ontario Harriet preferred St. Catharines. Why did Harriet Tubman prefer St. Catharines to other Canadian cities? Clearly the booming economy of the 1850s made it relatively easy to make a living, but the acts of anti-black racism detracted from this potential prosperity and security. Since Harriet and her charges were fresh from plantation-style experiences she may have found more positive than negative in the St. Catharines community. Its distance from the American border suited her, it was inland enough to not be too attractive to bounty hunters and it meant that her Underground Railroad trips were somewhat brief within Canadian territory.
The industrial growth in the area had ensured that former enslaved Africans would be able to find a means of supporting themselves. But Harriet liked to have a main contact in each town she passed through, someone whom she felt she could trust completely, someone who could provide unconditional support to herself and to her people, and in St. Catharines she found Reverend Hiram Wilson. Born in New Hampshire, Hiram Wilson had settled in Toronto after completing his religious studies. Acting as an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society, he travelled throughout Ontario and established ten schools. He worked with Josiah Henson to establish the British North America Institute in Dresden. However, he was saddened by the loss of his wife and the concerns over the financial management of the Dresden scheme. As he was about to return to the United States, the passing of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act made him consider remaining in Canada to assist the large numbers of fugitives entering the country.
I was almost in despair of continuing in Canada & thought seriously of seeking some other field & in fact had packed up my effects at Dawn to facilitate removal before we made our journey to the East in September thinking then of planting ourselves in the West but after the infamous fugitive Bill had passed & became a law I resolved to return & continue in Canada, at this most fearful crisis with the colored people.
He settled in St. Catharines, received financial support from the American Missionary Association, operated a fugitive relief station, and set up a number of schools with teachers who he knew from Oberlin College. He was one of the four whites to have attended the North American Convention, and with others he represented St. Catharines.
I am to guard the Niagara Frontier and do all that can reasonably be done in this section of Canada for the welfare of the Refugees who are here quite numeral are rapidly increasing.
We are in the midst of an enterprising village of 4000 inhabitants but 14 miles from Niagara falls 11 miles from Queenston 12 [miles] from Niagara 3 [miles] from Lake Ontario 34 [miles] from Buffalo.
He was a main contact for Harriet Tubman in St. Catharines and was active as an abolitionist and a refugee supporter. In fact, upon her initial arrival she may have met him, or he may have made arrangements for her to be hosted by his supportive wife at Bethel Chapel, AME Church, a log building on North Street. It later became a BME Church. Wilson indicated that he was in New York State in December of 1851 — when Tubman made her journey with eleven others — and did not return to St. Catharines until New Ye
ars Day, which would have been January 1, 1852. He does not mention travelling with a band of freedom seekers — is this when Tubman arrived, or was it later? Was he just being overly cautious, or had he yet to realize the significance of his new arrivals? A letter Wilson wrote states:
St. Catharines C.W
Dear Brother Hill Feb. 5th 1852
Some time having elapsed since I have communicated I take the liberty to make known to you something of our circumstances the foremost winter. I spent the latter part of Dec. in the state of N.Y making Utica the farthest point of travel Returned to my family on New Years day I have been at home …
In his many letters written to fellow classmates from Oberlin, members of the American Anti-Slavery Society, or potential sponsors, he is careful to not reveal too many details of his efforts to aid refugee slaves. While Tubman was among the most famous of his associates, he rarely made full mention of her by name. Granted, this was early in her “career” as a freedom leader. Such was the ongoing issue connected to interacting with “fugitive slaves,” even when they were on free soil.
Wilson needed to be able to travel freely to solicit funds, and his concern for undermining the effectiveness of the UGRR, should his letters have been intercepted, was clear. What is also clear was the difficulty in finding the means to provide the type of assistance that the new arrivals required. In this letter written soon after Harriet Tubman and her first group arrived in St. Catharines, one can see how dedicated Wilson was in trying to assist them with their crucial settlement issues, namely food and fuel:
We have had some intensively cold weather this winter in this quarter, colder than has been known for many years thermometer having fallen down to 15 [degrees] below zero. It has been very hard on the poor.
A considerable number of colored families had come over from the state of New York for protection late in Autumn & not having opportunity to prepare for winter they have suffered to some extent and but for over timely & [illegible] exertions in their behalf they would have been many greatly sufferers[.]
From the first of [January] till about 10 days ago I was inexpertly on the move for the purpose of [illegible] living the destitute. Some were entirely out of provisions & had no means of obtaining any Some destitute of both food & fuel. My means were soon exhausted & to prevent people from suffering I have made the best use I could of credit and owe now [invalued?] to a considerable amount in behalf of others.
In view of the destroyed condition of the people & my own [liabilities] incurred in releasing them I have made appeals to friends in New York and at the last which may meet with a response if we wait patiently but I do not expect much.…
Wilson assisted those in need and harnessed the resources of individuals who could inspire the new Canadians — people like Jermain Loguen. Loguen was an ordained AME Zion minister who came to St. Catharines to avoid being arrested in Syracuse, New York, for his part in helping a slave escape. A self-freed man himself, Loguen worked not only with the church, but also with the Underground Railroad movement in New York. His own experiences and his expertise with fugitives made him a helpful addition to the abolition group in St. Catharines. He worked with Reverend Hiram Wilson providing for their needs.
Another St. Catharines black resident, Nelson Countee, a signor of the hotel petition, entered Canada in the 1840s and the AME ministry in 1844. He also was involved in fugitive relief.
As previously mentioned, William Hamilton Merritt, MP, was key in setting the tone in St. Catharines. He was born in Bedford, West Chester County, New York, on July 3, 1793. Merritt’s father was a United Empire Loyalist and a military man who served with a unit commanded by Colonel John Graves Simcoe. Upon learning of Simcoe’s new appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), he visited his old friend in Niagara and moved his family to Canada when William was three years old. Merritt’s father was appointed sheriff of the Niagara district and purchased land on Twelve Mile Creek — the area that became known as Merriton. His father was also credited with promoting the healthful qualities of the springs in St. Catharines.
As a young man, William Merritt fought in the War of 1812 and following the war he opened a general store, sawmill, and flour mill on the site of present-day St. Catharines. He also purchased some three hundred acres of land nearby. He promoted the transportation system to enhance commerce between Ontario and New York, including construction of the Welland Canal, which saw the first boats through the canal on October 24, 1829.
By 1832 he was elected to the legislature of Upper Canada and continued his interest in transportation facilities between the two countries. In the 1840s, he developed the concept of the Niagara Suspension Bridge, which was completed by 1849 and used by escaping enslaved Africans in the following years. He died on July 5, 1864.
The idea for a land connection between southern Ontario and Upper New York came from Merritt’s success in building the Welland Canal and his interest in improving trade between the two countries. He felt that a land route would allow carriages access to the markets of St. Catharines, encourage more business on both sides of the border, and attract tourists for the mineral spring spas. Merritt used his experience as a financial agent for the Welland Canal Company to start the project.
A community called Suspension Bridge grew up near Drummondville at the north end of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and a similar settlement on the American side had the same name. Later the community referred to as Suspension Bridge became known as Niagara Falls, and today Bridge Street marks the location of the centre of this community in Ontario. In 1849 the building of the suspension bridge was complete, with two levels combining a train bridge with a motor way, one over the other.
It was ideal for freedom seekers — perhaps there would be no guard posted at the entrance, or the guard would just look the other way. It is known that on at least one occasion, Harriet Tubman took an actual train ride across the suspension bridge with her human “cargo,” before making their way into St. Catharines.
8
Taking the Railroad into Canada
William Hamilton Merritt was called “the Father of Canadian Transportation” for his work on the Welland Canal, and he was also a member of the Refugee Slaves’ Friends Society (RSFS) formed in 1852. This organization offered financial, employment, and housing assistance to fugitives, and many local blacks, including Harriet Tubman, were involved with this organization. The first mayor of St. Catharines, Elias Smith Adams, was one of the founders of the RSFS.
In addition to providing immediate relief to “fugitives,” the RSFS worked to send the now free blacks on to Toronto. Many of the surnames of African Canadians who settled for a time in St. Catharines as reflected in the 1861 census, spread throughout the area and continue among contemporary blacks in Ontario today. Names like Ball, Hollingsworth, Miles, and Jackson exist among Toronto families which have long roots in Canada. Other families documented in the 1861 census, such as Johnson, Jones, Miller, Sheffield, and Stewart, have descendants living in St. Catharines, Hamilton, Brantford, Cayuga, Collingwood, Owen Sound, Windsor, and London, Ontario. The following is an 1899 death notice about a black man who settled in Brantford, Ontario. Note his surname and the surnames of his pallbearers — more survivors of the UGRR.
Ex Slave Dead
Peter Johnson Passed Away — Attacked with Blood-Hounds
Peter Johnson aged 78 died Saturday at the hospital. He was born in slavery on a southern plantation, and after reaching maturity made a dash for liberty. He was tracked with blood-hounds, but succeeded in effecting his escape and finally reaching British soil by way of “the underground railroad.”
Johnson lived in Brantford since 1857 and was respected as a hardworking capable citizen. He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Pallbearers were Messrs. John S. Jones, Thomas Snowden, Nocholas MGormas, Charles Walker, Joseph Purly and Stephen Brown.
— The Brantford Expositor, June 26, 1899
From the entry point at Niagara and their stay in St
. Catharines, many travelled further from the border in search of jobs, their own land, or family members. Hamilton was attractive at the time since people could get their start in the ship-building industry there. The need to fell the forests of black walnut, oak, and ash provided employment for black people in “Little Africa” — what towns heavily populated with fugitive slaves were called — until the wood reserves were exhausted.
Harriet Tubman remained in St. Catharines and was one of the black people who was an active member of the interracial RSFS. She was also an executive of the Fugitive Aid Society (FAS) in 1861. She is credited with being the reason for the success of the FAS. Harriet’s work in conducting people from the land of bondage to the land of freedom contributed to the role St. Catharines’ importance with the UGRR. She was obviously interested in making sure that all of “her people” were going to get the start-up or ad hoc assistance they would need.
Harriet’s fourth trip on the Underground Railroad was a turning point for her. She had to travel further than she was used to, so she came to Canada first and began to work with other Underground Railroad “staff” to ensure the safety of her passengers. Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, orator, and a self-emancipated man, gave freedom seekers shelter in his Rochester home; William Still kept records of blacks who needed assistance in order to potentially reunite families, including his own, in Philadelphia; Thomas Garrett routinely escorted passengers across the Christiana River.
Both Still and Garrett documented the work of Harriet Tubman, indicating that she made four trips by 1851 and at least eight more trips by 1856. Harriet claimed to have made nineteen or more trips before the Civil War, probably eleven of those trips beginning and ending in St. Catharines. On one rescue mission, Harriet stopped at what had been the home of a free black to obtain food, shelter, and other assistance. Instead, the home was now occupied by a white man who told Harriet that the previous resident had to leave because he was harbouring runaway slaves. Harriet quickly joined her hidden passengers and moved them to a swamp to avoid detection. She prayed all day, and by dusk a Quaker walked to the edge of the swamp and said that his barn had a wagon with provisions that they could use. This showed the effectiveness of the Underground Railroad communications. Abolitionists were watching for her party, which reinforced Harriet’s faith. By 1854, a formal connection with Garrett ensured that other freedom seekers would not get stranded at this point in their flight.
Harriet Tubman Page 7