William Brown (Africville settler)
William Brown, Sr., (abt. 1804 - April 1, 1868) was an original founder of the Africville community in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His original purchase along with that of William Arnold in 1848 marked the establishment of the settlement. For many years, the Browns were the principal land holders in Africville, Nova Scotia. Brown's father, Perry Brown, moved to Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia from Chesapeake Bay following the war of 1812.
Biography[edit]
William Brown, Sr. was born in the early 1800s to Perry Brown and an unknown mother.
Brown's father, Perry, came from Chesapeake Bay to Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia following the war of 1812.[1] Following the War of 1812, he was among the first group of Blacks to arrive in Nova Scotia as refugees from the United States. These people were originally allocated property near Hammonds Plains and Preston, but poor soil conditions made farming impossible, and a desire to work on the Waterfront drew some of them to Halifax, Nova Scotia.[2]
On the 1835 census, William Brown is listed as living on a Hammonds Plains lot owned by someone else. In a later census done in 1838, William and Perry Brown are not mentioned in Hammonds Plains, but rather in Halifax. Unfortunately, the actual location of the home was not specified in the survey.[3]
William Brown Sr. would be among the first documented to purchase land on the southern shore of the Bedford Basin, on the outskirts of Halifax. On January 3, 1848, William Brown Sr. and William Arnold purchased approximately six acres from the estate of James Fullerton. Africville was situated on Campbell Road, which is now Barrington Street. The land at Africville was no more arable than that at Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia and Preston, Nova Scotia. Although, being situated on the shores of the Bedford Basin allowed for fishing and other economic opportunities.
Property[edit]
The Browns, for years, were the principal land holders in Africville, Nova Scotia. William Brown, with the exception of lands sold to Allen Dixon during the 1840's and Bailey in 1862, kept his purchase intact until his death when he willed his property to his six children. He specified in his will how the property was to be divided: therefore, the heirs had the land surveyed and the boundaries defined.
Family[edit]
William Brown Sr. had six children with his wife Priscilla Brown.
Death[edit]
William Brown Sr. passed on April 1, 1868 at the age of 64.[4]
Notable Descendants[edit]
Brown is a common ancestor of the following people:
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/about-the-city/archives/971.6225.P66%201975.pdf
- ↑ https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/about-the-city/archives/ClairmontReport_102-5-1-44.pdf
- ↑ https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/about-the-city/archives/971.6225.P66%201975.pdf
- ↑ https://htns.ca/pdf_Griffin/2014/Griffin-Vol39.1-Mar2014.pdf
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