Tintamarre!
  • Home
  • Tinta Blog!
  • Tintamarre Trail
  • Characters
  • Pics, Vids & Music
    • Pics of Real People
    • Pictures
    • Music
    • Paintings
    • Maps
    • Videos
  • Author & Kudos
  • Contact
  • Tribute to Peter Jobin
Check out Tintamarre Trail!

History of Acadia / Nova Scotia 

Book of Negros - Descendants who lived and thrived in beaubassin / aulac

2/20/2015

1 Comment

 
Watching "Book of Negros" ...
A story - like the one I wrote about the Acadians - that has not really been told as it could. Most of us in NS and NB assumed the large black population came up in the underground railroad. 
No idea - it was never taught us - that thousands of black people came as free (wo)men with British as loyalists.
Including the family of my friend Myles Martin and Alma his sister (and Mom's eternal friends Mildred and Lil). 
Myles was about the most popular guy in school - and was Valedictorian, although he wasn't the best of students. Sadly, he died young. 
Myles' ancestors came up with the Loyalist soldiers...
"Sennacherib Martyn was a captain in Winslow's expedition to capture Fort Beausejour. He brought with him to Westmoreland Point, as slaves, a negro family, to whom he afterwards gave their freedom, and gave them also his name (now spelled Martin)."
(From THE CHIGNECTO ISTHMUS AND ITS FIRST SETTLERS BY HOWARD TRUEMAN 1902)

More here

Recently, the Mount Allison Archives received the donation of a handwritten book documenting early and mid-twentieth century black life in Westmorland County, and recording details of the families who lived in the black neighbourhood of Green Hill, at Mount Whatley. The book was a gift of Clyde Gabriel of Amherst, a grandson of its keeper, Burton Martin (1877-1948), whose regional ties in turn can be traced to eighteenth century Westmorland. Mr. Gabriel’s donation presents a rare opportunity to consider what life was like for early black residents in this area.
Burton Martin was a direct descendent of Peter Martin (circa 1790 - 1851). In all probability, Peter was connected to the Martins mentioned in Howard Trueman’s The Chignecto Isthmus and Its First Settlers (1902). As Trueman wrote, “Sennacherib Martyn was a captain in Winslow's expedition to capture Fort Beausejour. He brought with him to Westmoreland Point, as slaves, a negro family, to whom he afterwards gave their freedom, and gave them also his name (now spelled Martin).” By his own account,  Peter was born in the United States, almost a decade after Sennacherib’s death (circa 1782), arriving in British North America in 1798. Thus, it would seem he was either informally adopted by those the captain held as slaves, or acquired the last name by proximity.

1 Comment

Wider Area Map of Acadia and st lawrence river

2/1/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

    Brian Lloyd French

    I was born 3 miles from the scene of the action and played in the places where the principals in Tintamarre lived and died.

    Archives

    August 2020
    May 2019
    November 2018
    May 2018
    August 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    July 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    May 2012

    Categories

    All
    Acadia
    Beausejour
    Cajun
    Exiles
    Louisiana
    Tantramar
    Tintamarre
    Writing A Novel

    RSS Feed

All text content on this website is (c) Brian Lloyd French 2013
  • Home
  • Tinta Blog!
  • Tintamarre Trail
  • Characters
  • Pics, Vids & Music
    • Pics of Real People
    • Pictures
    • Music
    • Paintings
    • Maps
    • Videos
  • Author & Kudos
  • Contact
  • Tribute to Peter Jobin