Wellington County Black Settlements

Among the Loyalists who came to Upper Canada over two hundred years ago were several hundred Blacks. Blacks represented about 10% of the total Loyalist emigration. Some had fought on the British side during the American Revolution. The Pierpoint Settlement and the Queen's Bush Settlement are local examples of how Blacks created communities and helped develop the Wellington County we know today.

The Pierpoint Settlement

Richard Pierpoint was born about 1744 in Bondou, Senegal. When he was about sixteen, he was captured and sold as a slave. He survived the Atlantic crossing and was sold again in New York to a British Officer by the name of Pierpoint. It was common for slaves to take the last name of their owner. The officer owned a vast amount of land on the Hudson River and Richard Pierpoint acted as his personal servant.

In 1776, with the outbreak of the American Revolution, many slaves were offered freedom if they fought on the side of the British. They were also promised land in Canada if the British were defeated. By at least 1780, Pierpoint was one of about a dozen Africans fighting with the Butler's Rangers regiment. Following the British defeat, the Rangers settled in Niagara. Blacks were entitled to the same proportion of land as their fellow Loyalists. In 1788 Pierpoint was located on 200 acres of land near present-day St. Catharines. In 1794, Pierpont signed the Petition of Free Negroes to Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe. The Petition was read by the Executive Council of Upper Canada Government on July 8, 1794 and dismissed.

Following the outbreak of the War of 1812, Pierpoint proposed to organize a Corps of Men of Colour on the Niagara frontier. His offer was refused, but a small Black corps was raised locally by a white officer. Pierpoint volunteered immediately; at this point he was at least 60 years old. The corps saw action at the Battle of Queenston Heights and the siege of Fort George. For the remainder of the war, the corps was used for labour and garrison duty.

In 1821, Pierpoint petitioned the Lieutenant Governor Simcoe for passage back to his homeland in Senegal. His request was denied and instead Pierpoint and approximately 8 to 10 other Black families, inlcuding other 1812 veterans, were given land grants in Garafraxa, just outside present day Fergus. By 1826, Pierpoint had built a cabin and cleared a small plot of land, as indicated by the land patent issued to him: Location Ticket grant on fulfilment of settling duties req'd by Order in Council of 20 Oct. 1818: to clear and fence 5 acres for every 100 acres granted; to erect a dwelling house of 16 by 20 feet; to clear one half of the Road in front of each lot. The whole to be performed within two years from the date of the ticket. Note The Settlement duty performed as attested & admitted. 15 Sept. 1826. Sig. T. Ridout.

The exact number of Blacks living on the Settlement is unknown. Very few records were left and even orally transmitted history seems to have been limited. On January 28, 1828 Richard Pierpoint drafted his will. He left everything he owned to Lemuel Brown. Brown was a neighbour of Pierpoint and he and his wife often took care of him in his old age. The will was witnessed by sons of two former Butler's Rangers officers.

Pierpoint died in 1838 and many believe that when he died the strong leadership that held the community together also died. Some Scottish families purchased the settlement land. After being bought out, the Black community dispersed, possibly to Glen Allan, Priceville, and Collingwood.