Summer Newsletter
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BHS Quarterly P res i d e nt'S Reflecti o n © Brrmt]sTE#o[3:I_::::edy lgg5 ``Musellms ewich uses, Teal:hing back info time teaehirlg the stories off the BRANT HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD 0F DIRECTORS past and breaching the tirMLe between President -Mrs. Ruth Lefler Past president -M. Ed pancoe past and present." July 1995, The Beaver MQgEiriqc First vice president -M. Robert Debcer Treasurer -M. Dan ciona Assistant Treasurer -M. Jim selmes Secretary -M. Briar wood e, as members and oupporten Warden County of Brunt - hdr. Louis Campbell of the Bmn:t Historical Society, have been involved in much 8oul goarching in the lace months DRECTORS focusing upon just the8e thoucht8. With the continued gro"th of our valuable Mr. John Bonfield Mr. George Beaver M. Ralph cock Brunt County couection, the internatioml Mrs. Angela Fifes Dr. Hank Hedges Mr. John Johnson Scope of the Harri8on M. Scheck Couec- Mrs. Gloria Neamtu hdr. Ken shachan Ms. ire Westaway tion and our community involvement, we Mr. Tony oiszotvy hdr. Wayne King realize the value and incredible potential thzLt we have within our County. BRANT COUNTY MUSEUM BOARD 0F GOVERNORS Thank you for your reapon8e and oupport in our recent telephone campaign Councillor County of Brunt - M. Steve Comisky (Chairman) to infomi the local politicians of our ritu- Councillor County of Brant - M. Bob Taylor ation. It was most 8ucce88ful. Word of mouth is our best marketing tool. Please Councillor County of Brant - hdr. Art Mackenzie continue to dircus8 the present and futtire Warden County of Brunt - M. Louis Campbell needs of the Society and the Museuni & Aiehive8 among your friends, associates Mrs. Margaret Chandler Ms. Ruth Stedman M. Edwh Eason and politicians at all levele of govern- ment. We need community, volunteer, CURATOR and monetny support. Cia behalf of the Historical Society, Ms. Susan Twit I would like to congratulate the City of Brarit County Museum & Archives, 57 Charlotte St. Brantford, Ont. N3T 2W6 Brantford, The Ben Homestead Commit- tee and Staff for the tremendous job in restoring the Ben Homestead. It is one of Brunt County'8 valuable heritage re- Mrs. Peter Jones, The First Chatelaine 8ource8. Of Echo VIIla, 743 Colborne St. East, The Society'8 regiilar monthly meet- ingr on the third Wednesday of each Brantford, Ontario by Angeia Files month, except July and AugiLst, at 8 p.in. have been most oucces8fin and won at- The house, "Echo Villa", was built by banosay. Rev. Peter Jones was born on tended. Plea8o join us . the Rev. Peter Jones a{chloeqaquonchy) January I, 1802 at Burlington Heights. Enjoy your summer and I am locking who lived here from 1851 until his He was converted to Methodism in forward to Seeing all of you in the fall. death tn 1856. He was the son Of the 1823andbegantopreachintheGrand noted land surveyor Ailgustus Jones R;iver area. In 1826, he moved to the and his Mississouga Wife Tuhbenah- Mississouga Settlement on the Credit Ruth Lefler neequay, doughier Of Chiof Wah- (Conthued on page 5) •*: ..- I - . xl - ii`i;i.: `'`'i;rm :;.:i:i!esgivfa±:i£!Eii±.§.*;!!::§!E . !*iii!i!i!iii! !i!iiiii!!ii!i! ;!iE :,,I.*:i:i:::: i!! !ii Fas.!&iti.at€ffiihaiENiasRE:REi.ias!:inutFord !';:.:..:':..;:;:; trts` ::i!::i:i:i!i::: .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. c` Slave Name lctw,hunted us down. Only ir. CancLda, IIis slave name was Charles Stokes on this contirienJ, were we protected The Underground Railway Route Of and asked why he did not retain the from the Slave traders' blood hounds, name said: "Oh! you mus drop yo' slave and having landed on this free happy name, else dey'u git yo' suah". ® soil, tasted what freedom is. We intend Slaves Henry Maxfield And Rev. Walter to show our gratitude by remaining d) Age Ouestlon Loyal to the Queen Of Great Britain, andteaching our children to be Maxfield says he is 91 years of age, Hawkins, Brantford, Part V by Angela Files the same. We wlu never o`^Ie although he does not lock iL and hopes allegiance to arty Alnerican Church, to get a pension to vchich he is undoubt- hedecidedtomakeadesperatebreckfor but rerrlain Canadiar. and British'' . freedom. edly entitled. Iris memory of people and events is very dear and a pension at this Supedutendent Hawichs has had an "I cue, away on de underground rail- time of life would be acceptable. eventful Ire, but no more so than the He has been a powerful man and way, on de Abolition line, dat's wat we Eves of other ddegates to the present called de Qucher carriages. Dey seril us proudly declnes that he was never oven confoence. He was born in 1812 near come by "a vthite man nor cumed in from one to de next, dat wavi." Washington D,C., and was the human Brantford. Cue man, who attacked hin chattel and property of a hdrs. James ``When I reached Rochester, I got on with a scythe and gave him a terrible Robinson, a widow who treated her bov'd de ole "Chiof Justice" , and took gashontheshoulderwasbrouchtbefore Chief police MaSstrate Weyms and sent shafty.® passage to Toronto.® Captain Rollires he Underground Rrtyr took a notion to me bekase I was a to penitentiary for a long pchod of time. 1. Henry h4arfeld. EI sfave He died before his trm was finished." a) Soid For Nine Hundred was a name given to a secoct The Undeliground Railway Route of pow'ful black man, and I worked fior Do]lams In Gold amngement for hdyqg Ex Slave Henry Maxfield of Brantford is himf tor two seasons on de boat." At the death of hds. Robinson, her slaves escape from the Southern Sfatee belated in the April 27, 1888 edition, page 2. Rev. Walter Hawlmns. Ex son sold Hawldns for rime hundred prior to and during the American Ciul 8, "Brantford Wectdy Expositor" as fo1- Slave -TheJulyll,1890,page7editionof dollars in gold to a slave dealer named War. This system conveyed the slaves` lous: from one hiding phce to another until : "The Brantford Weddy Expositdr" ..`..`'..:qunI.I-!I they reached Carmda or other places of Her/Iz.y Mourfield told the story Of his intention of going to Buffilo and enlist- related some of Rev. Walter Hawkins' safety.O It flourished between about capture in Africa by slave traders ing with the thion army. He said a experierLces iwhen he was aslave: I,;;:.,,,,,:,,+#.ife[:,,,q;thnd;'I,i''ii'l-:: 1820 and 1865 and enabled an esti- sevenomine years ago to the raporter. man namedTuttle went over with mated 50,000 to loo,000 slaves to reach When Madield was twehe years old, he him, but he enlistedwrithouthis aid. A fo`r years ago, Rev. Walter Hawldns freedom. landed at Baltirrure, and was sold into Jim M€Curtis went to enlist also but was pastor of the British Methodist Epis- Throughout the territory extending sleverytoaplanterinirarylar.d.® he flundnd the test. copal Church in Brantford. Presently, he from the Ohio River to Canada, there is a delegate to the BME Conference were many slave symp3thizus who hid now in session in Toronto. in converse, Over forty years of his life was apent in The Battle ofpetersthm Vlrdin (1864- shves duing the dry time and conveyed tionwitha reporter, he alluded to the Mar)dand under three masters. Being rs them on one of the numerous under- attempts of the African Methodist Epis- sold a third rfue and Eke many others, Henry was sent from Buffilo to ground railway routes at richL From Tbronto, Henry Maxfield Pennsylvania where he joined the 127 copal Church in the thited States to went to Thombury and there he was told Black Vohmteers, a nginent of I,loo cally the Canadian church over to the to come to Brantford or London edoured men. He foucht in a number of States and said: EiH ``. _. .`. c !5``'F-` `i.~ `.-` 3*fE:FF§3Effi- whhae he could find plenty of his desperate engagements including the .-.-. _`T. ` .``.I _ -' -`.`_-'` -`B!±-.`i_!`2.-`± pepeople.® He came here in the year Battle of Peteribung. Here his left foot This effc]rt to drive us back to the P*¥#rsEL .~. ` .. 'E'E&-. ` ` .,* '- 1859 and went to work for Daniel and leg were badly tom by a fragment United States touches us in a ve;ry tetr m`u'".`# House, a famer who Eved clout four from a sheEL® He v`ras frolly dis- der apot. It Becks lo turn our loyalty miles east of Brantford. ctrarped at David's. from theBritish flag.Many Of our ministers arid members were born tn I A: w tJ u, i_EJ.. al The American Civil War b) The Bounty slavery and escaped to Canada after \}]_ f]_ r]_±±. `_I I. '.E]. .n.I. ELffih --- terrible hardships and were tracked by a.s€a:ca;aeaa®i :I==...I v~±-.--a He received six hundred dollus - '-fsi- -.- . - i`. '1861-1865' the slavecatchers' blood hounds® M. Danict House was in synpathy bounty money and an additional four We remember, with feelings Of intense hhandred dolhrs at the time of his dis- with the eleven Southern slave-holding loyalty to Great Britain, that Canada Ami\mericansfates.Ih/henMaxfidd'stwo charge. After he came here, this money offered us freedom and aLqham while months of work for Mr. House were wasstalenfromunderhispfllow.® the United States governmerit, aided by finished, Maxfield announced his Hadleywhowasgoingtotakehinsouth Endnotes: 4.ThomJombuqLatowntwenty-seven to work in the plantations. Hadley sold 1. Railway terms used by the under- miles cast of Owen Sound, Grey hin to a planter, but he was never ddiv- ground railway system were as follous: County, Ontario.