Celebrating black culture - one man's perspective

The past years have been memorable ones for Africadians (the preferred word): from the victory of MLA Wayne Adams, a journalist who was elected a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature, and was selected for a cabinet position to become the first Black in history of the province to attain that goal; to the Nova Scotia Masses Choir; celebrated poet and teacher Maxine Tynes; and many others who have won esteem and admiration.

Delving into Janet E. Mullins, Some Liverpool Chronicles, I noted: “A dozen or more slaves were brought to Liverpool by their masters in 1760. The term 'slave' as it applied to them had not the meaning that it bore in the American south, for here they had freedom in every respect, and their children were treated as other children. The adults however, considered themselves bound to remain with their employers - the men working on their farms, at their fisheries and seamen on their ships, the women as domestics.”

Colonel Simeon Perkins, who settled in Liverpool in 1762, owned several vessels. Black Boston was a sailor on one of his vessels. Among descendants was John Boston who lived on Western Head Road (1939), and Terrance 'Tiger' Warrington, Canadian Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight boxing champion.

Colonel William Freeman, who resided in the Cobb house for a number of years, had in his service the African Princess Violet, mentioned in More's History of Queens County. A son Cato was born in 1786. An efficient and faithful servant, she remained with the family until her death, and lies in her family plot in the Old Cemetery in Liverpool. Mullins Chronicles reveal: "In 1880 twenty slaves were 'owned' in Liverpool. In the war of 1812-1815 many of the older slaves, such as Gaskins, Croxon, and West were seamen on the privateers. Croxon was supposed to have secreted in his stone wall, money obtained as his share in privateering and in succeeding years, parts of the wall on many occasions have been the scene of treasure hunts.

“The Liverpool slaves were not ill-treated or looked down upon. They were devoted to their families, and in later years were often heard to express the opinion that the younger generation did not measure up as gentlemen to their old masters." Times were changing!

James F. More in his book about Queens County had this to say: "The colored people in the county are quite numerous and number some hundreds. Their principal residence is near Liverpool on the Moose Harbour Road. They first removed to this township with their masters about 1760, more in the character of domestic servants than slaves.

"A large number of their people moved from Shelburne to Liverpool a short time after the first settlement of that town. We have no record of the sale of slaves in Liverpool, but they were held by different parties by whom they were treated kindly.

"At the conclusion of the War of 1815, a large number of blacks were permitted to take refuge on board the British squadron then blockading the Chesapeake, and were afterwards landed in Halifax." (Britain had abolished slavery in the Empire many years before the Americans) "A number of these blacks found their way to Liverpool; among them Absail and Carter Croxon and James Gooseley, who settled and became responsible citizens."