Thought this might be of interest to Grey County People as well. Jopie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pam Tessier" <pamtessier@sympatico.ca> To: <CAN-ONT-SIMCOE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 8:11 AM Subject: Black History Month > February is Black History Month in Canada and in memory of all the Black > men and women who struggled to make a new life in Ontario, this is the > abbreviated story of one of the first Black families to settle in Simcoe > County. It has been compiled from public records and supplemented by local > history. > > Remember the little boy who was the servant to the Assistant Surgeon at > the Establishments, Dr. Clement Todd? He appeared in one of the early > postings of Storied Penetanguishene by W.R. Williams. > > In 1825, this child, only eight years old, played and worked at the > Establishments three years before the boatload of refugees and soldiers > from Drummond Island came to Penetanguishene. Indeed, he was here in > Simcoe County long before many of our own ancestors arrived. He wasn’t > Indian, he wasn’t white and English or French. He was black - a “Man of > Colour”- and the son of escaped slaves. His name was Robinson Davenport. > > His parents, William and Sarah Davenport, lived down the Penetanguishene > road in what would in time become the town of Hillsdale. William and Sarah > along with William’s brother Benjamin, escaped bondage and fled to Canada > sometime before the outbreak of the War of 1812. In return for his service > in the War, William was granted land in a unique, government sponsored > settlement project in Oro Township. William was no dummy; he knew the land > was not suitable for farming so he sold it as soon as his settlers’ duties > were completed and moved his family to the area of Hillsdale. Here the > family built their house and those of their neighbours and from this > place, they helped to build the Penetanguishene Road and the Nine-Mile > Portage. Soldiers from the Establishments were constructing the Road. > Sarah was their washerwoman. Now perhaps you can see how Robinson came to > be in Penetanguishene in 1825. > William and Sarah had about nine children, all born free in Ontario. After > their deaths, they were laid to rest in the Swan Cemetery and later > re-interred in the Hillsdale Presbyterian Cemetery. Sometime this spring, > the historical significance of the Swan Cemetery will be recognized by the > erection of a plaque on the property. > Robinson fell in love and married Janet Farney, the daughter of a retired > British soldier. Dad didn’t take to well to having his daughter married to > a black man. Robinson was a carpenter, as were his father and uncle, and > he trained his sons in the same trade. Janet and Robinson, along with > their ten children moved often, living in Coldwater, Flos, Tiny and > Midland during their children’s growing years. Two of their children, > James and Joseph, formed Midland Builders and Contractors. These two men > designed and laid out Lakeview Cemetery in Midland where they buried their > parents. Their mother’s grave was one of the first in the cemetery. > > There is not one major event in the history of Ontario or Simcoe County in > which one member or another of this family did not participate; the War of > 1812, the building of the Penetang Road, the Nine-Mile Portage, the 1837 > Rebellion. They were responsible for the construction of the Hillsdale > Hotel, the Midland Library, the Martyrs Shrine and the Simcoe Hotel in > Barrie, to name only a few of their accomplishments. > Perhaps their greatest legacy was their family. Some of their descendants > still live in the area. > > There is so much more I could tell you about this family but you will have > to wait until I tell my tale at some other event honouring Blacks in our > County. If I have caught your interest and you would like to know more > about the history of Blacks in Simcoe and the Davenports in particular, > the following is a list of material with references to the Black settlers. > > KITH ‘N KIN > Compiled and edited by Joanna McEwen, 1978. > Pages 279-281 > out of print > > THE ORO AFRICAN CHURCH: A HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL > CHURCH EDGAR ONTARIO CANADA > Compiled by the History Committee of the Township of Oro-Medonte, 1999 > Edited by Tim Crawford > Page 17 > out of print > On-line edition: > http://www.ourroots.ca/ > > THE STORY OF ORO > Editor - Joanna McEwen > Published by the Township of Oro, 1972 reprinted 1987 > Pages 6-10 > available at the Simcoe County Museum > On-line edition: > http://www.ourroots.ca/ > > MEN OF COLOUR > by Gary E. French > Published by Kaste Books, 1978 > Pages 80-86 > out of print > > ANOTHER LOOK AT HILLSDALE > Compiled by the Hillsdale Historical Committee > Published by Sylvia Holderny > reprint, 2003 > Black Settlement in Flos - The Davenport family > by Margaret Davenport Cole > Pages 76-81 > available in book stores > > SIMCOE COUNTY PIONEER PAPERS > Published by the Simcoe County Historical Society, 1908 > reissued in 1995 > Page 16, Section 2 > available on CD from the Penetanguishene Museum > On-line edition: > http://www.ourroots.ca > > MEDONTE - A TOWNSHIP REMEMBERED > Compiled by Mary Garbut > Published by the Township of Oro-Medonte > Pages 35, 36, 47, 160, 211, 302, 303 > available in book stores > > ILLUSTRATED ATLAS OF THE COUNTY OF SIMCOE > Published by H. Belden & Co., Toronto > Pages 13 and 16 > out of print > copies in libraries and the GHRC of the Penetang Museum > > THE LAND I LOVE - MINESING - ONTARIO > by Joseph Orchard > Page 41 > > NORTHERN LIGHTS - HURONIA WINDOW TO THE WORLD > July/August 1989 Magazine edition > Article by Barbara J. Renshaw > Page 15 > -- > Pamela L. Tessier > Research Co-ordinator > Genealogy and History Research Centre > Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives > 13 Burke Street > Penetanguishene, ON > L9M 1C1 > 705-549-2150 > www.pencenmuseum.com > ptessier@pencenmuseum.com > > ______________________________ -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.14.23/243 - Release Date: 1/27/2006