William Hall was born in Horton Bluff, Nova Scotia, the son of former American slaves. He began his naval career on an American trading vessel in 1844 when he was only seventeen years old. In 1852 he joined the British Royal Navy and fought in the…
This wooden habitation was built in 1605 near present-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, after the settlement at Sainte-Croix Island, New Brunswick, across the Bay of Fundy proved unsuitable. There was no fresh water source on the island. And after…
This petition from James Frazer to the Governor of Upper and Lower Canada, Robert Prescott, is a request for assurances that these colonies will not abolish slavery. Frazer was a White United Empire Loyalist who came to Nova Scotia and brought, at…
Advertisements of runaway slaves of this sort were common before 1833 when the British abolished slavery. The format of the ad is also common, giving a description of runaway, Henry Jones, and threats to anyone who might aid in his concealment.…
Marie Joseph Angélique was a Black slave woman living in Montreal in the early eighteenth century. She was accused of setting fire to her mistress’s house and, in doing so, burning down half of what is now Old Montreal. She was tried in a court of…
This is a map of the Saint John River and its tributaries in New Brunswick created in 1788. It is thought to be the first map of this area that was relatively unknown by Whites until it was settled by United Empire Loyalists from the United States…
Ships built in Europe travelled a roughly triangular route around the Atlantic during the 1600s and 1700s, and they rarely travelled empty. They carried guns, luxury items and manufactured goods to Africa, the West Indies and North America. In…
This graph shows the use of the word law in four publications written at different times. They are:1) Robert Charles Dallas's 1803 book History of the Maroons: from their origin to the establishment of their chief tribe at Sierre Leone2) Alexander…
These graphs compare the use of the words god and my in four publications written at different times. They are:1) Robert Charles Dallas's 1803 book History of the Maroons: from their origin to the establishment of their chief tribe at Sierre…