Wilberforce Street

History

In 1807 Great Britain took the major step of officially abolishing the slave-trade. A British politician named William Wilberforce, whose name became synonymous with abolitionist causes, spearheaded the campaign. Thirty-five years earlier the British government decreed that whenever a slave landed in England, he automatically became a free man. With the act finally passed, the British navy had a new mandate from 1807 onwards – that of hunting down slave-traders.

During the war of 1812 the Canadian forces included one contingent comprised of native Indians and several others comprised of black men. Of the latter group, some of the men came from the British colonies and others headed northward from the United States. Many joined the York Militia and the Glengarry Light Infantry. There was also a contingent known as “Captain Runchey’s Company of Coloured Men,” stationed in the Niagara area along the border.

According to the practice of the times, it was customary for the British to award generous land grants to retired soldiers, particularly those who had served in combat. Following the war of 1812, the British considered it strategically necessary to secure and protect the lands surrounding the Georgian Bay.

Shortly thereafter, they surveyed an area of land covering the Penetanguishene Road and first concession road to the east into 100-acre lots for designation as a supply route. They offered the lots along the Penetanguishene Road to retired white officers and soldiers and the lots on the eastern concession, originally named the “Military Route,” to the black soldiers. This covered the threefold purpose of colonizing with area with trained, experienced soldiers who were available if needed, rewarding those who fulfilled their military duties, and carried out the British initiative of encouraging settlement of a black community in British North America.

The job of establishing the black settlement fell to Sir Peregrine Maitland, who was Lieutenant Governor at the time. In addition to rewarding the veterans, Maitland also committed to building a colony for fugitive American slaves who were fleeing north.

In 1819 they issued grants to 15 black settlers. By 1826 that number had grown to 23. The “experiment” was anything but a success. In 1831 they noted that only nine grantees were still in possession of their lots. The others either failed to take possession or had left the area. However the British were not ready to give up – quite the contrary! They expanded the program to offer 50 acres on Wilberforce Street to all “Friends of the Corp. of Colour.” Actually only one group of lots was located on Wilberforce Street. The remainder were scattered throughout Oro Township. Unlike other black settlements in Canada, this program was different in that it was government-sponsored. Nonetheless the settlement became known as “Wilberforce Street.”

They surveyed the township of Oro in 1820, setting aside the second and third concessions for the settlement of escaped slaves. The lines ran north from present village of Shanty Bay. These programs were somewhat more successful. Although it was only possible to estimate exact numbers, according to census records there were 97 black residents or somewhere between 20 to 30 families living in the township in 1831.

August 2, 1834 was the date for the official abolishment of slavery in Upper Canada. For many years there was an assumption that most of the black community were former slaves who arrived through the underground railway. Recent research seems to dispel that. From 1830 to 1845, with the help of a British agent, Colonel Edward George O’Brien, an estimated 20 new families settled in the area around Wilberforce Street.

Overall the new settlers were not successful as farmers, although as always there were exceptions. Several reasons were cited. Many of the settlers came from warm southern climates and had no knowledge of farming traditions in Canada. Also, very few came from a tradition of farming, where they handed down practices from one generation to another. They established most of the farms on the north end of the road and east where the land was more suitable. The land on the south was somewhat swampy where others were located. Overall the men did not adapt naturally to farming however they apparently made excellent farmhands and labourers. Many were able to find plenty of work doing logging and at farm work harvest time.

The settlers adapted will with their neighbours who were primarily Scottish and British. Interestingly in 1843 the first will probated in Simcoe County was from one of Wilberforce Street settlers, George Darkman.

The black community members were also eager to establish their own institutions. The Congregational Church sent the Reverend Ari Raymond, a white man from Boston, in 1838. Services for both blacks and whites took place in his home. He also helped the black community form their own congregation.

Between 1845 and 47 the Reverend Richard Sorrick, a former slave and brilliant orator, took over. He found a number of the community members were doing well but a large number were having difficulties adapting to a life of farming. Although he had limited knowledge in this area, he helped as best as he could. Then he departed for Hamilton, taking a large number of the settlers with him.

The community declined following Sorrick’s departure however a sufficient number still remained to warrant the building of a new church. They realized their goal in 1847 with the purchase of an acre of land from Noah Morris, one of the early black settlers, for the token amount of one pound.

The African Episcopal Methodist Church, built on the northwest corner of Lot 11, Concession 4, opened in 1849. Since many of the members came from the United States, it seems likely the name originated from the American African Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was essentially “British Methodist” with services open to both blacks and whites. Morris’ son, John Nelson, later donated 1/4 acre on his property for the establishment of a school, SS No. 6. In 1855 both father and son served as school trustees.

The church itself was of log construction and covered with wood siding on the outside. According to speculation, they added the siding afterwards. The original floor was dirt but later covered with wood planks. Heating came from a large box stove. Coal oil lamps, placed in hooks along the walls, provided additional lighting. Since the congregation couldn’t afford a full-time minister, itinerant pastors filled the gap. These included Reverend William Banyard from 1859 to 63, followed by an Anglican, Reverend J.H. Harris.

The establishment of cemeteries is a bit vague. A burial ground is located just behind the church. There is further reference to a burial ground on Lot 45, Concession 4, donated by Benjamin Turner in 1864. Burials reportedly took place in that cemetery beginning in 1858 or earlier. They listed James and Mark Bush as trustees for this cemetery on behalf of the British Methodist Episcopal Church. Peter Hero sold another plot, located on Lot 12, Concession 4. to the church for a cemetery. This property at one time was owned by someone named Balfe and is referred to as “Balfe’s Cemetery.” Another reference cites an area one kilometre south of the village of Edgar on the west side of Line 4. They compiled several lists into a master list of all known burials in these cemeteries. There are no markings on the graves.

Like all communities this one was not without its cast of legendary and interesting characters. People often hired Joe Smith, an expert lime burner, to determine whether the lime was sufficiently burned. When the big day came he would arrive dressed in a long black coat and stovepipe hat, befitting his reputation as an expert. Davy Thompson, a scrap iron dealer, was a sought-after entertainer who sang and played the Jew’s harp. In Pioneer Papers, there is a story of one Jenny Jackson, a portly lady, who single-handedly took on a bear in a hand-to-paw combat after she caught it trying to steal a pig from here sty. Luckily for Jenny, she won. The community regularly celebrated Emancipation Day with great fanfare on August 2.

Census figures from the early 1860s show the population had grown somewhat until the 1870s, when it began to slip downward again. Following the departure of Reverend Harris, the church once again found itself without a minister. This time Mark Bush, a member of their own congregation, took over services.

Bush was born in Oro Township in 1848. By the early 1870s he and his wife Mary were living on a small farm on Lot 11, Concession 6, and raising their family. Bush also performed a variety of other jobs including wood-cutting, and slaughtering pigs for his neighbours. According to one description he was a small, gentle man,,both well liked and highly respected by the black and white communities. Bush was a church elder who took over the thankless task of conducting services as a lay minister after the regular minister departed. Over time he became known both in the church and to the community at large as “Elder Bush.” He kept the church alive for many years and performed services possibly as late as 1900 when regular services at the church ceased for good.

Over the remainder of the 19th century the black community in Oro Township continued to dwindle. By 1871 the population had dropped to 79 and by 1901 to about half that amount. Likewise church membership was also on the decline, dropping from 22 to nine between 1878 and 1881. A number of reasons for the decline were given but upward mobility appears to have been one factor. For the most part, many of the men had excellent labour skills. There was a great deal of work in the lumber camps during those days and many gravitated to that area. In later years many moved to the cities were they were able to find well paying, secure jobs with the railways, usually as porter.

By the early 1900s the entire community had pretty much dissipated. The last surviving descendant of the Oro settlers, James Dixon (Jimmy) Thompson, grandson of one of the original settlers passed away in 1949. His stepson, the Reverend Bennie Gearo, who he helped educate, conducted the service.

By 1916, authorities officially classified the Oro church as “abandoned,” although it appears the community continued holding anniversary services there annually until the late 1930s. Over the years the property gradually began to deteriorate. In 1945 a committee headed by W.R. Best and E.C. Drury, a former Ontario premier, was formed to begin restoration on the church. The choice of Drury was particularly enlightening. He served as township clerk in Simcoe County for many years and was also a respected amateur historian and writer. Over the years he spent a great many hours digging through township records for information on the Wilberforce Road settlers. Over the years he developed considerable expertise on the topic.

The restoration project, which included the erection of a stone cairn, took place over a two-year period. In 1949, 100 years after they first built the church, the job was complete. Further repairs and renovations took place in 1956 and 1980. The property transferred to the township of Oro in 1974 under the cemeteries act. In 1981 the church was badly vandalized by a group of individuals who rammed it with two stolen trucks. Fortunately they were able to repair the damage. Further repairs took place in 1987 a group of volunteers replace the badly rotted floor.

An historical plaque that marks the beginning of the road stands at the first concession and Ridge Road in Shanty Bay. The church itself is located just west of the village of Edgar. Although simple, the church is a solemn, dignified building typical of the pioneer spirit.

The cemetery lies just behind the church. There are no markings on the graves but it it easy to discern them when the foliage is low. There are two cairns just outside the church. One dates from 1949 and lists the names of the church members. The Township of Oro laid a second cairn in 1999 during a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the church. The remainder of what was once Wilberforce Street is now a combination of farms, urban sprawl and recreational areas.