Feature Article - July 17, 2008

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Feature Article - July 17, 2008 Basking in the history of Bedford TownshipBy Julie Druker

It is no wonder that June Quinn, Chair of the Bedford District Historical Society located at Glendower Hall at 1381 Westport Road, sometimes is amazed at the amount of information that she finds floating around in her head at any one time.

That amount recently increased exponentially since the society held an Open House on Canada Day. Roughly 40 local history buffs turned out to dine, chat, exchange stories and personal histories and to explore the wealth of historical information on display at the hall.

June was thrilled by the turn out. “It really gives people a thrill to see and touch history, especially if relates to them personally.”

A history buff herself who has delved thoroughly into her own family history, June thought originally that she’d write a book about the people from Bedford Township. She soon realized, after having spoken to many locals, what needed her immediate attention. She explains, ”More than writing a book, what was needed was a historical society where stuff could be gathered and generations could come and see their ancestors.”

So the society began three years ago this coming November and it presently boasts 15 members. Most of the artifacts that have been gathered and donated are stored and displayed in the office and library sections of the Hall. These artifacts include old documents from the town hall, schools, and churches, maps, photos, etchings, family histories, and the John Laughlin Collection of over 40 books donated to the society in December of 2007. Hours of work have gone into collecting, documenting and organizing the materials. One could spend hours exploring the history of the area and learning some very interesting facts.

For example, did you know that:

In 1896, Andrew Grey held military training sessions for local farmers at the Burridge School House? Or that the Corcoran family of Godrey,who sold their farm in the 1940s, returned every year for 15 years to celebrate their annual family reunions in the fields that no longer belonged to them? Or that a tornado touched down on Green Bay in 1963 and caused a considerable amount of damage?

Art lovers will appreciate a copy of a colored, etched landscape scene from the area titled “Wolf Lake from Fermoy Village” which was copied out of the Canadian Illustrated News and is dated November 25, 1876. The original art work is located at the national Archives in Ottawa.

After a visit to the society, one comes to understand the general history of the area.

Logging began in Bedford in the 1830s. Trains came along after that in the 1860s. In 1854 the post office opened up in Godfrey and Fermoy and the stagecoach was then extended to Westport.

Westport Road used to be called Mast Road after the huge pines that were cut down from these forests and used as masts for English ships. These fresh cut pines traveled the Westport Road and likely headed to the Rideau Canal or to Kingston, where they were loaded onto ships and sent to shipyards in England.

Also of interest is the old framed photo of the Council of Bedford Township dated from 1900 and whose frame bears a bullet hole from one gone astray, likely from the gun of a young rabble rouser.

The stories are endless and the history fascinating. All one need do is take a bit of time and stop by The Bedford District Historical Society located in Glendower Hall at 1381 Westport Road. You’ll definitely come away knowing more than you did when you stepped in.

It is open every Tuesday from 1pm-7pm in July and August. The society is also in great need of volunteers to help organize the large amount of artifacts and information coming in. Anyone interested in volunteering is greatly encouraged to do so. For more information call June Quinn at (613) 273-7241.

Oct 16/08 - Letters

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Letters -October 16,2008 Letters: October 16

Deacon Farm at Bolingbroke, Bill Deacon

Deacon Farm at Bolingbroke

One never knows what interesting information can be often found in my great little paper the Frontenac News.

Some such information was in an article and picture of a church in the Maberly and Bolingbroke section by correspondent Karen Prytula, appearing in the Sept. 28 issue. Also was a short interesting history of Bolingbroke. My dad James Deacon was one of the families mentioned who were early settlers there.

He was one of the 2 boys and 5 girls of Irish/English settlers Ephraim and Annie Deacon, who built a farm on the Tay River very near Maberly.

I do believe some time ago the “Deacon” Farm was given the designation “Centennial” and a sign put up saying this. The sign was erected on the road near the bridge crossing the Tay River to the farm.

I am looking forward to the future information by Karen Prytula on the church pictured. I remember as a young boy 10 years old seeing a church exactly like the one pictured while visiting my aunt Annie Norris, Dad’s sister. The church sat directly across from her house.

At any rate this interesting picture and history has been added to my “Deacon” family pictures and records.

It is interesting articles like this one that makes the Frontenac News the unique little paper it is. It makes very enjoyable reading for me as I’m sure it does for others who once lived in North Frontenac and grew up there.

Please keep up the local historical stories like the one by Karen Prytula’s on Bolingbroke.

And thank you.

Bill Deacon, Kingston

Feature Article - August 21, 2008

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Feature Article - August 21, 2008 How did Sharbot Lake get its name?By Jeff GreenIf you look on the wall to the left of the stage in the Oso Hall, there is an old framed photograph of a man and a woman. The photo was taken in the 1800s, and it is a photo of Francis and Mary Sharbot, after whom Sharbot Lake was named.

The photograph was installed in the Oso Hall by order of council in 1936, (Oso is one of four townships that were amalgamated into Central Frontenac in 1998).

There are no longer any people listed by the name of Sharbot under Sharbot Lake in the phone book, since the branch of the family that retained the name moved to the Pembroke and Calabogie areas in the early years of the 20th century. However, in recent years they have taken an interest in their family roots in Sharbot Lake.

One of the descendants of Francis and Mary Sharbot, Cathie Duchene, has returned to Eastern Ontario from British Columbia this summer to promote the research she had done into the family history in light of the Algonquin Land Claim that is being pursued by the Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nation (formerly Sharbot Lake Algonquins). Cathie Duchene has also taken an interest in the controversy over uranium exploration in the region.

Duchene is the grand-daughter of Cecil Sharbot (1902-1989) who was born at Sharbot Lake to Thomas Sharbot (1866 – 1927) and Cecilia Antoine. Thomas Sharbot was the son of Francis and Mary Sharbot.

Accounts vary concerning when the Sharbots arrived in Sharbot Lake. According to one account it was in 1825, and it came with a land grant of 100 acres. One account from the history of the Barker and Warren families, written by Grace Croft, talks about the arrival of John Warren in Oso township in the late 1846 or 1847. “John rode horseback throughout the wilderness country, following an Indian trail, to the Indian village of Sharbot. Chief Sharbot showed him how to blaze trees for marking a trail from Sharbot to his homestead. The Chief also showed him how to notch and fell his first tree.”

According to Cathie Duchene, the family had a history in the area that goes back even earlier, to 1777. “Francis Sharbot’s father visited the area in 1777; it could have been to investigate the possibility of logging the area, and Francis moved to Sharbot Lake from Lake of Two Mountains,” she said in an interview.

In the 1861 census Francis and Mary Shabotte (nee Guigue) are listed under Frontenac County District 34 (Oso) along with three children, Francis, John and Mary. Also listed as living in the same house are Mary Antoine, 30, Antoine Antoine, 16, and Nabus? Antoine, 14.

At the bottom of the census record it says “out of a total population of 300 in the township, only Francis and Mary and family (families) are Indians. Others are from England, Scotland, Canadian born, some Irish and one USA.”

In the 1871 census, Francis and Mary are listed under the name of Shabot or possible Sherbert, and at that point there were seven children listed.

In 1914, members of the family, including Thomas Sharbot Sr (photo left), who was born in 1870, left the Sharbot Lake area and moved to Calabogie.

Throughout the census information, the family’s occupation is listed as “hunting and fishing”. By 1914 trapping in the Sharbot Lake area was not as good as it had been and Thomas and Cecilia Sharbot (nee Antoine) left for Calabogie, with children Harold, Jerome, Cecil, Cecilia, Tom, and a baby sister (who later died in a tragic shotgun accident.

Cecil, Harold, Jerome and Thomas Sharbot.

Wes Boomhower of Calabogie has written a history of the life of Tom Sharbot Jr., who was born in 1910 and died in 1995.

Tom Sharbot, who never married, lived a colourful life. He was a fiddle player and a baseball player, as well as a war hero in the 2nd World War. He cared for his mother Cecilia, who lived until the age of 99 and died in 1973. Tom Sharbot performed the fiddle music for the film “The best damn fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar” although he was disappointed that the music was not included in the final version of the film, which starred a young Margot Kidder.

Tom's brother Cecil, who was born in 1902 at Sharbot Lake, died in 1989, and his offspring have taken up an interest in the family history, and in the question as to the ethnic origin of the family.

Cathie Duchene says, “My grandfather Cecil Sharbot wanted me to let everyone know that we are a Mohawk family, that Francis Sharbot and Mary Guigue were Mohawks from Lake of Two Mountains, as was the Antoine family. Sharbot Lake is Six Nations territory, not Algonqun territory.”

Duchene has returned to Ontario from British Columbia, intent on taking this issue public.

Indeed, according to all family records, from the story of Tom Sharbot by Wes Boomhower, to the research Cathie Duchene has done, as well as the account of her 73-year-old uncle Warren Sharbot, Francis Sharbot was a Mohawk.

However, in recent years most of the family, with the notable exception of Cathie Duchene, have applied for and received native status from the department of Native Affairs (Canada) as Algonquins under the auspices of the only Ontario Algonquin reserve at Golden Lake.

Warren Sharbot, who was born in Pembroke and lives in London, Ontario, explains his decision to apply for status in this way. “I have never had a reason to apply for status since I worked for the government for 37 years and I have pension and health benefits, but I am interested in the original land grant that was given to Francis and Mary Sharbot.”

According to Warren Sharbot, who applied for and received his status last year, he could not prove his Mohawk ancestry because all the records were lost in a fire at the Catholic church at Lake of Two Mountains many years ago, but he has Algonquin ancestry on his grandmother’s side, for which there are records.

“I've been told that I have three years to change the designation to Mohawk if I can come up with the paperwork,” he said.

According to Wes Boomhower's account of the life of Tom Sharbot, he also was a Mohawk who eventually became an Algonquin.

Boomhower quotes from Tom Sharbot's speech, given at his 85th birthday party shortly before he died: “I've been a North American Indian all my life, but now I'm no longer a Mohawk, I'm an Algonquin.”

According to Boomhower, Tom Sharbot was referring to having been “adopted as an elder by the Algonquins of Golden Lake.”

Dec 18/08 - Old School

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Feature Article - December 18, 2008 Old school night in Plevna

by Katie Ohlke

Editor's Note: The following is an original article, written by Katie Olhlke for the Frontenac News. Portions of this article appeared in another weekly newspaper without Ms. Ohlke's permission, under another writer's name.

Martha Brouse holds an original slate at the CMCA History night. Inset: her school photo of 87 years prior at the S.S. No. 2 Clarendon in Plevna.

Everyone has heard the tale told by a grandparent about walking to school uphill, both ways, in the snow. That was reality for the youth of Clarendon Miller Township up until 1952, when the first buses started their runs for the rural kids of Ardoch, Plevna, Fernleigh and surrounding area.

The Clar-Mill Community Archives group hosted a local history evening on November 18, with the special focus on the one-room school house. CMCA President Bethany Armstrong, read a retrospective on early education in the area written by her uncle, Andy Armstrong. His first day of school started in 1918 in Plevna. “The school was in the old Lookout Lumber building, now a private residence, at the top of Lookout Road, off 509. When I started, it was a one-room school. In 1921 they added a second room. On a nice day in [school] there were not enough seats to go around, so some of the older students went over to the United Church and got a bench which we younger ones sat on.”

Students from the 1921 S.S. No. 2 Clarendon School in Plevna.

The “Away Back in Clarendon and Miller” (by Charles Armstrong, 1976) book records that there were 14 school houses, pre-dated by a few original ones (circa mid – to – late 1800’s). The first school houses were log, erected by original settlers and staffed primarily by local women. The original S.S. No.1 school building, built in the 1860s along the 506 just south of the township office (by the hydro lines), was later converted into William Hermer’s blacksmith shop. A second school, (still called S.S. No.1) was built a few kilometres south of its namesake in 1898 and is currently a private residence. Two of the teachers for the original S.S. No.1 included Emily Knowlton (1868) and later, Mary [Bremner] Godkin. Another interesting fact: murderer Thomas Deacon was held for a time before his trial in the second S.S. No.1 school.

As the population grew, the communities required more schools, within reasonable walking distances (up to three miles) and often had up to 55 students enrolled at a time. Martha Brouse (92) remembers having to share a desk and bench seat with two other students. She also recalls being pushed off that seat by the older student and when Martha shoved back, it was she that the teacher caught!

When asked about discipline, the immediate response of Bernice Gunsinger was “Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic; taught to the tune of the hickory stick!” This, of course, is from the well-known “School days, School Days” song of 1907. However, the song was not an exaggeration; the strap was common, and sometimes students would be hit with a stick or physically by the teacher. Of those gathered, only a few ever had male teachers, and only then once. There was a group recollection of an infamous Mr. Reid, school inspector, who would usually have the teacher in tears before he departed from one of his bi-annual inspections. It should be noted that annual teacher salaries were approximately $300 a year in the 1930s.

Anecdotes about school hi-jinx were shared: a homemade valentine of a giraffe that was given to the teacher with the excessively long neck; female students having their hair dipped into the inkwell of the boy who sat behind them. The students would have to bring a pail of drinking water up the Lookout hill every morning from Billy James’ well at the foot of the hill. Mr. James would enquire if the youngsters had any pie in their lunches and when the answer was “yes,” he would growl like a bear and pretend to chase them up the hill.

The schools were heated by a central woodstove and often in the winter months a soup or macaroni and tomato meal was served. Sometimes students would bring in soup ingredients from home to go into the communal pot, and on occasion the school would provide milk and cocoa for the students. Bernice made note that every student drank water from the same dipper, out of the same bucket of water (after the chase, no doubt, by Mr. James) and thought nothing of it.

There were holidays at Christmas, summer and Easter (which was the main time for collecting sap) and on Arbor Day (in April), students would spend the day cleaning the school, planting the garden and then maybe pick some flowers. “That was also considered a holiday,” Bernice said. “There was no such thing as a ‘snow day.’”

Students bought their books and supplies from the T. Eaton’s catalogue; one early reader cost Martha’s brother $0.09. Students supplied their own slate, slate pencil, and later ink, pens (with nibs) and scribblers (notebooks). As for dress codes: “The code was show up dressed! Girls wore skirts and boys wore pants, but you dressed in what you had,” said Evangeline Hermer. Some of the girls wore long underwear and wool socks under their skirts in the winter, and some wore bloomers and high stockings; however at the mention of bloomers, the subject was promptly changed for becoming too personal.

The curriculum in Ontario was standardized in 1816. The post-WW1 and pre-WW2 curriculum included Literature, Composition, History, Hygiene, Geography, Spelling, Reading, Writing, Art, Nature Study & Agriculture and Arithmetic. Many students could not progress to the next form [grade] due to poor spelling, and the Agriculture curriculum included knowing the different breeds of cattle and various livestock. Martha Brouse recalls her favourite subject being Ancient History; she still has her textbook, and she still reads it. Bernice recalled going to Mrs. Flake’s house (who was the teacher at Beech Corners) and with a friend, doing Mrs. Flake’s laundry as the teacher puzzled out their math questions and then helped them to better understand how to solve them.

After the fourth form (grade 8), students could try the entrance exam for the cost of $1 for what we now call high school. If you failed the exam you repeated the year, and it could be failed by spelling alone. The local students were at a disadvantage in that only some of the fourteen schools offered “Continuation School,” or the modern day equivalent of grade 9 and 10. Many students who wished to take these two years boarded with family or friends to attend the schools that offered these courses (Plevna, S.S. No.1 in Ardoch and S.S. No.8 in Fernleigh). If you wanted to complete high school, the next closest school was Denbigh. This was a luxury many families could not afford to give their children, as they were needed at home to help on farms or with family industry. At one point in the late 1930s and early 1940s, young men were excused from classes to assist on farms for the war effort.

On April 10, 1963, Clarendon Central opened its doors, which effectively shut the doors of fourteen others. There were approximately 130 students enrolled at that time. Bernice was the first caretaker for the school and worked there for 25 years. She has witnessed a lot of change, both in the students and the school system.

The evening lasted two hours and many rich, wonderful memories and anecdotes were shared. Thank you to all who attended. The next local history night will be held in the spring and the topic of discussion will be Sawmills and the Local Lumber Industry.

Back to HomeFeature Article - September 3, 2009 A cookbook with history for a causeby Julie Druker

Nancy Lansdell with the first cook book she wrote as a grade 5 student at Harrowsmith Public School 

History and cooking often make good bedfellows and Verona resident Nancy Lansdell has plans to meld the two into a community cookbook for a community cause.

The idea came to Lansdell, who is on the fundraising committee for the Find A Doc campaign, when she and the Verona Community Association were brain storming for ideas of how to raise money for the campaign.

“Find A Doc” was launched on April 1, and includes a $1000 reward to be paid in gold to the first person who provides the name of a physician who signs a 5-year contract to practice in Verona. (Visit www.veronacommunity.on.ca for more details.)

Lansdell, who has always loved to cook (she has 200 plus cookbooks in her kitchen), thought a community cookbook would be great way to raise money - not just a straight-ahead cookbook but one that includes heirloom recipes plus a bit of local history.

“I thought what a neat way to raise money and also a way to record some of our local history… if we don’t start writing some of these local stories down for future generations, they will be lost.”

For Nancy, cooking has always been closely tied to history, specifically her family history. She has fond memories assisting her grandmother Maggie May Campsall, aka Gramma Ime, in the kitchen as a youngster and was so inspired that she wrote her first cookbook as a grade 5 student at Harrowsmith Public School.

When I spoke to Nancy at home in her kitchen, she recalled how her second cookbook came about. “After my grandmother passed away I went to her house and copied out her recipes, made them into a book, and gave it out as a Christmas gift to my siblings.”

The Find A Doc cookbook project will be Nancy’s third cookbook and she is hoping to receive a wide array of recipes and local stories from contributors. She intends to include in the book anecdotes such as how Howes Lake in Verona was changed from its original name of Long Lake, how Verona got its name and perhaps the tale of the never-found gold robbed from a train that passed between Parham and Verona.

The cookbook will also include some historic photographs like the old dance hall in Verona that was once located across from Rivendell Golf Course.

Nancy hopes to start collecting recipes, tales and photos throughout the fall and winter and to have the keepsake cookbook printed and spiral bound by February 2009 so it is ready in time for next year’s tourist season.

Anyone interested in making a contribution to the cookbook and becoming a part of local history can find a recipe form in Verona at Jitterbugs, Local Family Farms and at the Verona Lions’ canteen at the Verona Farmers’ Market. Forms can also be downloaded from the VCA’s website at www.veronacommunity.on.ca. Don’t forget to include your historic anecdotes on the back side of the form.

Anyone needing more information can contact Nancy Lansdell at 613-374-3255 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Back to HomeFeature Article - August 6, 2009 Central Frontenac firefighter honoured for 60 years of serviceby Julie Druker

Deputy Chief at Central Frontenac Fire and Rescue Station 3, Bill Young congratulates fire fighter and secretary Keith Hawley (right) for his 60 years of dedicated service

Sharbot Lake firefighter honoured for 60 years of service

By Julie Druker

On August 4, Keith Hawley, secretary of the Sharbot Lake Fire Department Association at Station 3 of Central Frontenac Fire and Rescue, was presented with a pin for his 60 years of service with the department.

Volunteers firefighters from Station 3 gathered there on Tuesday night to celebrate and honour Keith with a BBQ dinner and cake, and Deputy Chief Bill Young made the pin presentation.

Hawley was one of the original founders of the fire department in Sharbot Lake village in 1949 and worked with an original crew of 16 members. A 1944 army truck served as their first pumper until 1959, when Oso Township built the original fire hall in Sharbot Lake and purchased a fire pumper that year.

Hawley reminisced with volunteers about the early days back in the village when the bell at the Anglican church was used as their siren long before telephones were installed. He recalled how the army truck would often freeze up in the winter months.

Hawley served as a volunteer fire fighter from 1949 until the mid-1980s and has served as secretary for the Sharbot Lake Fire Department Association for 55 years. His knowledge and skills are revered throughout the department and he has been instrumental in running a tight ship at Station 3.

At 80 years old Hawley sees himself continuing on as secretary and says that he “feels great”. Asked if retirement looks to be in the cards he answered with a decisive ”No.” Hawley also spoke about the possibility of putting together a book about the history of the Sharbot Lake Fire Department and said, “I’ve been putting things together.”

This is the first time in the history of Station 3, and quite likely in the history of all of the Frontenac fire departments, that a 60-year pin has been awarded to a volunteer. The pin had to be custom made in Vancouver.

Deputy Chief Bill Young said Hawley has always been a pleasure to work and commented, "Everyone who knows him has nothing but good things to say about him." Young added, “He’s done a lot of work above and beyond serving as a volunteer fire fighter.”

Back to HomeFeature Article - May 28, 2009 Harrowsmith W.I. celebrates 85 years!by Julie Druker

FDWI president Jane Adamson, HWI president Jerry Babcook and HWI's longest standing member, Gwen Leonard

Sixty members from eight districts that make up the Frontenac Women’s District Institutes gathered at St. Paul’s United Church in Harrowsmith for their annual district meeting.

While the all-day meeting was mostly spent taking care of the usual business, it was also an opportunity for members from the other districts to learn the history of the Harrowsmith branch, which currently has 30 members and this year celebrates its 85th anniversary.

Joyce Watson, past president of the Harrowsmith Women’s Institute, prepared and shared a summary of that history which began with the founding of the branch in 1924 by its first president, Eva Stewart. Meetings were held the last Tuesday of every month at the Harrowsmith Town Hall, which once stood where Starkes grocery store now stands and burnt down in 1972.

One of the Harrowsmith W.I.’s first accomplishments was establishing a library branch. Rules required that a fund of $200 be in place, along with a 50-person membership, both of which the W.I. satisfied. Motion pictures and plays were performed at the town hall to help establish funds to be paid to the library board.

The branch also raised funds to care for the local cemetery, which at that time was in a deplorable condition.

In 1934 the branch passed a motion to have music taught in the local schools. They also purchased a piano for the town hall to be used on social occasions. Nursing, health and safety courses were popular back then and the institute organized many.

During WW2, Harrowsmith’s W.I. collected maple syrup and maple sugar, which they sent to the Navy League. Contributions were also regularly made to the “Milk for Britain” and “Baby Foods for Britain” funding projects. They also assisted the Red Cross by sewing bandages and knitting socks.

Support for 4H Clubs in Harrowsmith and Hartington was ongoing and a scholarship fund that was set up in 1958 to support a student at Sydenham High School continues to this day.

Today Harrowsmith’s W.I. raises its funds with ongoing monthly sales of Wilton cheese products, a fundraising idea instituted by current president Jerry Babcock. The institute continues to educate the community by offering various skill-related and craft workshops. The members also regularly cater to funerals and anniversaries and continue to support the Salvation Army with their Christmas basket campaign.

The hosting of relevant programs to meet the needs of community members has always been a focus of the institute and, in the past, topics have included fraud awareness, stress management, and information about pacemakers.

These women are eager to learn but also love to get together and have a good time. The lunch the W.I. provided to their other branch members at the meeting was both ample and delicious and included some of the best potato and jellied salads that I have ever tasted and an impressive anniversary cake.

Gwen Leonard of Hartington, at 96 years of age, has been a member of Harrowsmith’s W.I. for 67 years. She joined back when the member’s monthly donations used to equal the cost of a loaf of bread, roughly two cents.

Gwen was present at the meeting and was given the cake-cutting honours. She joined the Institute in 1942 and was very active in leading nine of the 4-H home-making clubs that they sponsored. Joyce Watson remembers being taught by Gwen many moons ago, “I helped knit long socks and scarves for the navy and for soldiers during war time.”

After lunch the Piccadilly Pickers entertained the ladies and the meeting continued on into the afternoon. The Frontenac District W.I. president Jane Adamson chaired the remainder of the meeting with humour and charm, telling a number of not-to-be-repeated jokes that had everyone is stitches.

Harrowsmith’s W.I. monthly meetings are still held on the last Tuesday of every month at St Paul’s Church. New members looking to learn new skills and make friends can contact Eileen Manson at 613-374-2626.

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 19, 2009 local resident stresses the need to be carefully taughtBy Julie Druker

Carleton Brown of Verona shares his family history

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear, You’ve got to be taught from year to year, It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear You’ve got to be carefully taught.   You’ve got to be taught to be afraid Of  people whose eyes are oddly made, And people whose skin is a different shade, You’ve got to be carefully taught.   You’ve got to be taught before its too late, Before you are six or seven or eight, To hate all the people your relatives hate,

You’ve got to be carefully taught.You've Got to be Carefully Taught

Rodgers & Hammerstein, South Pacific

 

Retired teacher Carleton Brown recently shared an in-depth look into the history of slavery in Canada and into that particular part of his own family’s history, to mark Black History month.

While Brown believes that all history should be integrated and ongoing and not focused on particular aspects at designated times of the year, he happily accepted an invitation to speak to a church group at Trinity United Church in Verona.

Brown admitted, “It’s an easy thing for me to do. I like to help  people become more aware”.

Brown began his talk by stating the facts, the first being: “There was slavery in Canada”.

Slavery began in Lower Canada in 1628. After 1783, 2000 more slaves were brought here by Loyalists from the USA; 1200 settled in the Maritimes, 300 in Lower Canada and 500 in Upper Canada.

In 1793, slavery was partially abolished in Canada in that no new slaves could be brought into the British Commonwealth. Existing slaves, however, continued to be “grandfathered”. It was not until 1834 that the British finally emancipated all slaves in the Commonwealth. 

Carleton Brown is a sixth generation Canadian. His ancestors originated from the southern States of Kentucky and South Carolina, where they had been slaves. In the 1850s they came north to Canada and settled in Elgin, Ontario, a settlement located just south of Chatham, which was set up in 1849 specifically for newly freed slaves.

Many of Elgin's original settlers were fugitive slaves who had arrived from the southern United States, having made the dangerous journey north via the “Underground Railroad”, the name given to a human network of individuals who risked their lives assisting the slaves in their journey north to freedom. 

Brown touched on the most famous Underground Railroad “conductor”, Harriet Tubman, who made 13 trips in total and escorted more than 150 slaves to freedom.

He also talked about the history of the Elgin settlement, which was founded by William King and is now called North Buxton.

The original Elgin settlers were sold 50 acre plots at $2.50 an acre, which they cleared, farmed, and built homes on. In time the settlement thrived and became known for its school, which gained a prestigious reputation in the area and became one of the first integrated schools in North America.

Five generations of Brown’s family came from North Buxton and some of his cousins still reside there. It’s a place that Brown visited all through his childhood and still visits to this day. The museum in Buxton has officially become a national historic site.

As a young man, Brown’s father left Buxton and got a job with the CP railroad as a porter, which Brown says was “one of the only decent steady jobs that a black man could get back then” and he ended up settling in Toronto, where Carleton Brown was born and raised.

At that time, Toronto was not the multicultural place that it is now.

Brown recalled, “I was always aware that my skin was different than everybody else’s and it was difficult. My parents constantly told me to be on my best behavior because if I did something out of line people would say ‘Look at that black guy‘, or use one of those terms”.

In his presentation Brown also addressed attitudes towards race. With the aid of movie clips, poetry and historical video clips he pinpointed two ideas that are central to his understanding of racial attitudes.

The first idea is exemplified by one of Brown’s favorite poems,  “Blink Your Eyes” by the late  American poet and performer Sekou Sundiata.  One of its lines,  “It all depends on the skin, all depends on the skin you’re living in…”,  highlights the idea that no one should ever be judged by the colour of their skin. Brown conceded this attitude is catching on with  younger generations and that indeed times seem to be changing with the electing of Barack Obama, which he sees as a sign of progress and hope.

To demonstrate his next point Brown played a clip from the movie South Pacific and the song, “You’ve got to be carefully taught”. It reinforces Brown’s firm belief that racism is not innate, but rather, is taught. Unfortunately it continues to be taught. Brown said, “I’d like people to be aware that prejudice is something that they are taught; it’s real, but not inborn.”

Children are often dependable purveyors of the truth. Carleton Brown’s wife Linda mentioned how one youngster in a group she had been reading  to earlier in the day, hit the nail on the head when she was asked what colour most of the people around her were.

The child’s response?  “Peach!”

While Brown sees that positive change is happening he is also careful to point out that there is still a long way to go.

In taking the time to share the facts and his family’s history, he is working to hasten that change. 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 12, 2009 Celebrating our past at the Crow Lake Schoolhouse - Frontenac Heritage FestivalBy Julie Druker

Re-enactors Bob Miller (left) and Mike Procter, photo Ludwig Ratzinger

The signs are up announcing the upcoming third annual Frontenac Heritage Festival, which runs from Thursday Feb. 19 to Sunday Feb. 22.

This year the Crow Lake school house will once again be offering a number of activities and events all day Friday and Saturday that are sure to draw a large crowd.

Festival goers can sit around a bonfire outside and be entertained by local historical re-enactors Bob Miller and Mike Procter, who will speak about and demonstrate life as it was 200 years ago when settlers first lived in this area.

Donning traditional garb, they will have on display various utensils and objects used at that time, most hand crafted by Bob Miller himself. They will demonstrate fire building techniques using only flint and steel and will bake bannock, a soda bread commonly eaten back then, which onlookers will be able to sample.

Their other demonstrations will include common throwing games of that time played with traditional knives and tomahawks. They will also be firing off Bob Miller’s hand crafted flintlock rifles (with blanks of course).

Procter is looking forward to the annual event. “It was a great success last year and the kids really loved it.” And why wouldn’t they? It’s a hands-on, real life, educational experience and teaches an important chapter of local history for the 70-80 local school students who will be visiting the schoolhouse on Friday. Procter explained his and Mike’s objective. “ We depict the spirit of the people who explored and adapted to the wilderness and made an as good as possible life for themselves. We try to dispel some of the Hollywood myths about settlers at that time. We aim to show some of the real hardships that people back then had to face and their amazing resourcefulness.”

Inside the school house will be a display of taxidermy and local artisans will be present demonstrating paper and soap making and spinning techniques. Also inside, Ludwig Ratzinger, president of the Crow Lake Community Association will be offering a lunch of wild leek pasta soup on Saturday and there will be pie and refreshments available as well.

Ratzinger is excited to have the Crow Lake schoolhouse as part of the festival again this year. “It brings people out and we get to show off the history of the school house and the historic value of that time period (early 1800s)”.

He added, “It’s a way for local people to get out into the community and see what’s going on and a chance for them to see different parts of the township that maybe they are not aware of.”

Thanks to the slew of local community volunteers organizing and participating in the events, the Heritage Festival should be an enjoyable 4 days where locals can get out, have fun and learn about the history of their community.

Back to HomeEarly Literacy - February 12, 2009 Black History Month

by Susan Ramsay, Early Literacy Specialist

The book is old; older than the printing press yet as relevant as the 2008 American presidential election. There are only three copies of this book in the world – one in England, one in United States, and one in Canada. In 1783, when this book was written, thousands of Black men, women and children in the United States wanted to see their name written between its covers. This “Book of Negroes” was a hand-written list of Black Loyalists to whom, at the end of the American Revolution, Britain offered safe passage from New York to Nova Scotia.

Freed slaves escaped to Canada on ships with other fleeing white Loyalists, some who travelled with slaves of their own. The courage and resilience of Black people during this time is humbling and the inspiration behind Black History Month. Though recognized decades earlier in Ontario, Black History Month was declared nationally for the first time in February of 1996.

Especially during Black History Month, we are reminded that adults can nurture an awareness and appreciation of Black culture and people among our children long before they are old enough to understand the history of slavery, or learn the names of Black leaders.

Books for children that simply depict Black people in illustrations affirm to all of us that Canadian society is only complete when the books we share with infants and toddlers include children of colour. “Whose Knees are These?” by Jabari Asim is a multicultural board book featuring babies knees. The book combines rhyme with a peek-a-boo guessing game.

“We All Went on Safari” by Laurie Krebs teaches children to count in both English and Swahili. The reader travels through Tanzania finding big cats, ostriches, warthogs, monkeys, elephants, and other wildlife to count.

“Why Mosquittos Buzz in People’s Ears” by Verna Aardema is an African folktale that offers a lesson about lying. The story begins with a mosquito telling a lie to an iguana. This sets off a series of events that affects everyone in the African forest.

“Amazing Grace” by Mary Hoffman shows the spunk and spirit of a Black girl, and demonstrates the power of love within a single parent family. Grace wants to be Peter Pan in a school play. Her classmates tell her she can’t play that role. She’s a girl, after all, and Black. Grace, however, with the encouragement of her mother and grandmother, makes up her mind to try for the part anyway. Her acting is brilliant and Grace learns, as her grandmother reminds her, “Grace, you can be anthin’ you wan’.”

For older children, “The Kids Book of Canadian Black History” by Rosemary Sadlier, overviews the events and people who shaped Canada. It’s a nonfiction book with fact boxes, mini profiles, timelines, stories and more.

During Black History Month, we recognize the tremendous contributions of Black people to Canada. We also remember that appreciation of cultural diversity can grow with each generation when we choose with care the books we read and talk about with our children.

Susan Ramsay is the Early Literacy Specialist for Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. You can contact her at 613-354-6318 (ext 32)