Category: BME Church

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The Forgotten History of Wellington County: Queen’s Bush Settlers and their Legacies

By Raphaela Pavlakos

The archives are full of ghosts—or at least that is what it felt like wading through dusty files and wrinkled tomes in the Wellington County Museum and Archives in Fergus, Ontario. One of fifteen Black settlements in Ontario, Queen’s Bush was established in the 1830s and dispersed by the 1860s. Over 1,500 Black people lived in the Queen’s Bush. The first group of settlers, both formerly-enslaved and free Black people from the United States, arrived in 1833 and began dividing up the land and clearing it. They knew they were squatting illegally on the land, but it was not yet surveyed, so they could not purchase it. The land was finally surveyed in 1843. An influx of immigration spurred the government to open up the Clergy reserves of land they had sectioned off for settlers to purchase. About 66,000 acres of the Queen’s Bush were surveyed and mapped. The government planned on giving the settlers of the Queen’s Bush priority, offering the land to them first before opening up to other settlers, but the land that was made profitable by the hard work of the Queen’s Bush residents was being sold to them for exorbitant prices—very few could afford to keep living there, even with the instalment payment plan, and most left for places like Guelph, Owen Sound, and Hamilton.

Since the 1860s, the site of the Queen’s Bush settlement has been divided into different regions within Wellington County, like Fergus, Yatton, and Glenallen, and comprised of many commercial farms and Mennonite residences (Krassoc). Like other historical Black communities in Canada, evidence of this once thriving Black community of over 1,500 residents is thin or destroyed. For Black life and Black history, the archive is a tabula rasa, another colonized space erased and replaced with Black shadows. My task, here, is to catch a glimpse of Black life from the past in the long-forgotten Black settlement in the Queen’s Bush, Wellington County through attending to the ways that “landscaping blackness out of this country,” as Katherine McKittrick notes, “coincides with intentions to put blackness out of sight” (96). If the archives were not where I would find the information I needed about the Queen’s Bush, I would have to use some other archive—the archive of the land.

Historical site plaque, African British Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery

About a twenty-minute drive from the Wellington County Museum and Archives, there is a cemetery; a small  square of yellowed  grass  bordered by a  copse  of dense trees  was  inlaid  within another farm. A small blue plaque marks this resting place as the African British Methodist-Episcopal Cemetery. It consisted of a neat row of about a dozen Cemetery disintegrating headstones. Some stones were in pieces, and over the years restoration attempts were made. While the intention was well-meaning, in practice these attempts did more harm. Iron bars bolted to some stones held them together, but the bolts obscurred the names, overlayed with orange blooms of rust.

African BME Church cemetery with roughly fourteen headstones in varying stages of deterioration

This was once the site of the American Methodist-Episcopal church which later became the African British Methodist Episcopal church. The land originally belonged to Reverend Samuel H. Brown, a resident of the Queen’s Bush who donated his property to build the church, and was also the past of the church. The African BME Church was an important facet of the Queen’s Bush. It was a place to congregate, learn, commune, and create both fellowship and friendship. At one point, the African BME had a parish size of over 50 families (Voice of the Fugitive). The last service was held around 1918, but the building was left abandoned for several decades before it was torn down. 

“The ‘Colored’ Church on the 4th of Peel Township, Wellington Country.” (Wellington County Museum and Archives)

Because information is so sparse on the Queen’s Bush, there is only one book about the settlement by Linda Brown-Kubisch, called The Queen’s Bush Settlement: Black Pioneers, 1839-1865. Parsing through this book was helpful in putting events into context. I examined the cover: a neat cemetery in front of a mottled blue and white sky. It was the cemetery I visited and payed my respects at, but it was not the cemetery of Black settlers, the cemetery on Reverend Brown’s land where the African BME church once stood. Brown-Kubisch’s book on “Black pioneers” that settled and built the Queen’s Bush had another cemetery on its cover, one that was about a kilometer away from the African BME. cemetery. This cemetery was also from the time of the Queen’s Bush settlement, but it was a cemetery for white, American Missionaries.

Photo of the American Missionary Cemetery pictured beside Brown-Kubisch’s book

If the African B.M.E. cemetery only has about a dozen headstones, where are the rest of the residents of the Queen’s Bush laid to rest? According to Brown-Kubisch, the Black pioneers who shaped and transformed this region are probably in unmarked graves under what are now commercial farms. There is no blue plaque or collective memorial to remember the vibrant Black community in the Queen’s Bush, their courage, sacrifices, and hard work, but ultimately, to remind us of their contributions to the past, present, and future of Wellington County. If we do not remember the Queen’s Bush settlement and all its Black residents, who will?

Works Cited

“A.M.E. Conference for the Canada District.” The Voice of the Fugitive. 12 August 1852, pp. 1.

“Provincial Address—Of the Colored Inhabitants of Hamilton to His Excellency, the Earl of Elgin.” Guelph Herald, 2 November 1847.

Brown-Kubisch, Linda. The Queen’s Bush Settlement : Black Pioneers, 1839-1865. Dundurn Press, 2004.

Krassoc. “Queen’s Bush Settlement.” Fadedgenes: A Chronicle of the People of the Methodist Church in Canada, https://krassoc.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/queens-bush-settlement/

McKittrick, Katherine. “Nothing’s Shocking: Black Canada.” Demonic Grounds: Black Women and the Cartographies of Struggle, U of Minnesota P, 2006, pp. 91–119.

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How the History of the BME Church Brings Guelph’s Black Community Together 130 Years Later

By Amanda Conibear, Katarina Furundzic, Alexandra Nigh, and Rocky Su 

Introduction to the BME Church

Guelph’s British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church has a long history that traces back to 1880 when a thriving Black community once resided in Guelph. The church was not only a community hub for events and gatherings of all kinds, but also housed a school for students ranging from grades one to eight. Although made by and for the Black community on Essex St, all were welcome. This post delves into the history of the BME church in Guelph, telling the story of the Black community that the church nurtured and brought together and still brings together to this day. The role that the BME church played on Essex St in Guelph was so important and impactful for the everyday life of Guelph’s historic Black community that even now, the church’s original congregants come together every Black History Month to celebrate the heritage, accomplishments, and cultural institutions of Guelph’s Black community.

BME church, 83 Essex Street 

History

The construction of the BME church on 83 Essex Street embodies a history of black suffering and struggle and is a symbol of hope and freedom. The root of this BME church is an AME church located in Peel Township built by pioneer fugitive slaves reaching Canada through the Underground Railroad (Wells). In 1856, the name AME was shifted to BME because those settlers associated the British territory in Canada with freedom from slavery and slave hunters (Wright). Thus, it became a means of protection for the slaves as British subjects could not be brought back to the US. However, their dreams of freedom did not come easily. In the second half of the 19th century, the Canadian government evicted Blacks from their lands and sold their land to white settlers (Kawano).

Members of the Peel Township church dispersed to Guelph, but they were not able to build a church of their own, due to the hardship of survival and the limited scale of community. It was not until 1869 that the Black community became large enough to start making arrangements and sought public donation for the purchase of land onto which they could erect a place of worship. Eventually, the BME church was built on 83 Essex Street at a cost of $2000, with a seating capacity of 300 in 1880. One noteworthy discovery from the archives is that the church was addressed as 79 instead of 83 Essex Street from 1916 to 1947 according to the textual account. It might indicate a temporary relocation of the church or a slight reorder of the street number. Unfortunately, no valid evidence from the existing account has been found to support our hypothesis, this interesting question might require further exploration.

The church was addressed as 79 instead of 83 Essex Street from 1916 to 1947
BME church pamphlet, from Guelph  Civic Museum

Notable Members

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Addie Aylestock,
Canada’s first ordained black woman minister

The BME church on 83 Essex St. was not only a place of worship, but also a social hub that was served the people who attended the church and the community that arose in the surrounding neighbourhood. Some notable people were essential to the history of Canada and Black settlements in Canada. The people of the BME church were vital to the running and creation of the “underground railroad” that helped Black slaves escape to freedom (Montgomery). Although the people of this Church were important in the various ways that they formed and maintained a Black community in Guelph, some of the members’ contributions had such a significant impact on the community that it is important to remember them in talking about the history of the Church.

One of these people was Addie Aylestock, Canada’s first ordained Black woman minister, who fought to follow her calling by working hard and staying strong even when she was faced with the overwhelming number of men in the profession (Baglole). Another prominent character in the creation of the BME church was S. D. Smith; the community brought this pastor in when the church first opened, and he succeeded to fill the pews of the church and teach the people of this small community (“British Methodist Episcopal”). Although these two people are well written about, there’s something to be said about every person who helped to create the BME church into what history knows it as. This community helped support each other, helped support other people, and helped to support the ideas and dreams of Black men, women, and children in Guelph.

Black History Month at the BME Church

For the past 28 years, the BME church in Guelph has been hosting Black History month celebrations (Carter). Celebrating in Guelph’s BME church is important due to the integral role that the Black community has had in the city since they settled in the 1800s (Carter).  The celebrations include Caribbean and African food, singing, music–using  instruments brought by slaves long ago–, and motivational speeches for the hundreds of guests that attend the event. Plays also take place to teach audiences about Canada’s Black history and recall stories of the past that honour the bravery and courage of the Black settlers. Many of those who attend the celebrations have long ties to Guelph’s Black community and the BME Church, such as Ernie Crawford, who comes to Guelph from Brantford to remember and honour the memories they have growing up on Essex St and being part of the church’s community (Stead).

Celebration of Black History Month
Photograph taken in Feb. 1995, from Guelph Civic Museum

A Gathering of Community

Many gather for Black History Month: it is a homecoming for those connected to Guelph’s Black community who have spread to new areas over the years. The limestone walls of the BME Church are a sight of warmth against the bleak winter sky. The tall, lean door that is hugged between the tall, lean windows calls a welcoming and return for many. As people walk through the entrance, they inhale the breath of community and history that exhales from the body of the building. Faces familiar or new light up the room, and music and laughter ring. The smell of food brings the comfort of a home; people chatter with excitement for the entertainment that will come to life shortly. Musicians, a guest speaker, and a children’s recital embrace the values of culture, heritage, and history. The children’s recital is about a generation escaping the United States to Canada via the Underground Railroad, just as those who laid the stones of the BME’s foundation had. As people start to disperse back out to beyond the church walls, there is an understanding that the BME Church was more than just a building, it was and still remains a social and spiritual home for Black people in Guelph and beyond.

A strong sense of community and belongingness
Photograph taken in Feb. 1995, from Guelph Civic Museum


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Revelation: The Story of the British Methodist Episcopal Church

Emilie Gauthier Black, Andrew Scrofano, Charlotte Edwards, Loraine Weir

Introduction 

The British Methodist Episcopal Church. A building. A community. A forgotten relic of the past. A monument to a history of blackness in a city that is unaware it exists. A site where bishops, female ministers, and settlers established a symbol of black identity. This place, known familiarly as the BME church, embodies the spirit of Guelph’s black community. 

History and Formation of the BME Church 

The story of the BME church did not begin from a unified community. Fragmented by racial segregation, black settlers came to Guelph in the mid-19th century as a result of limited employment and housing opportunities throughout Ontario. Driven to establish a sense of community, these early settlers aimed to create a new identity for black individuals that had been racially oppressed. John S. Brooks, an early settler of the Queen’s Bush Settlement, contributed to the cultivation of black identity in Guelph through his efforts to organize populations and churches scattered throughout the province. Brooks realized that organization of donations was necessary in order to sustain the funding for black churches throughout Ontario. His piecing together of various black populations in the province illustrates a unification of a black community that had been fragmented by racial segregation. Through their efforts to oppose racial division, these early settlers contributed to an identity of black presence that allowed for the development of the BME church.

Overcoming racially-imposed hardship was a challenge the early Guelph settlers were well familiar with.  Members of the Queen’s Bush Settlement – the community from which the church was established – had previously experienced difficulties in obtaining property ownership in predominantly white Ontarian cities. Despite their limited resources and restricted ownership opportunities, however, the Guelph settlers succeeded in obtaining a legal land claim. This claim, lot 383, would become the home of the BME church when it was formed on 83 Essex St in 1880.  The group’s achievement represents not only the success of a unified black Guelph community, but also a legally recognized claim to the BME church. The congregation’s influence within the city of Guelph embodied the church’s objective, which aimed to overcome racial barriers and assert black presence. 

The BME Church and the Guelph Community 

A photograph of Mabel Adeline (Addie) Aylestock, who became the first female minister to be ordained at the British Methodist Episcopal Church in 1951, as well as the first black woman to be ordained in Canada. Retreived from The Canadian Encyclopedia.
A photograph of Mabel Adeline (Addie) Aylestock, who became the first female minister to be ordained at the British Methodist Episcopal Church in 1951, as well as the first black woman to be ordained in Canada. Retreived from The Canadian Encyclopedia.
In the unifying process cultivated by the BME church, several iconic leaders emerged that would further demonstrate the group’s ability to thrive within Guelph. Just as the church overcame racial obstacles to land ownership, individuals such as Addie Aylestock and Walter Hawkins overcame racist attitudes to achieve significant process for black development in Canada. Aylestock and Hawkins exemplified models of excellence by challenging racist conventions that posited peoples of black culture as incapable of achievements. Hawkins, a preacher who rose to the rank of bishop in the late-19th century, dedicated himself to furthering his status within the BME church. Similarly, Aylestock dedicated her life in servitude to the church, becoming the first black woman ordained in Canada as well as a deaconess in 1959. In achieving their positions, Hawkins and Aylestock demonstrated that black individuals living in Ontario could pursue achievements despite racist attitudes that attempted to deprive them of opportunities. Together, their body of work championed the liberation of black people, united the black community, and gave shape to the BME church.  

A photograph of Walter Hawkins,a bishop who preached at the British Methodist Episcopal Church in Guelph during the 19th century. Source: From Slavery to a Bishopric, Or, The Life of Bishop Walter Hawkins of the British Methodist Episcopal Church, Canada by S. J. Celestine Edwards, 1891
A photograph of Walter Hawkins,a bishop who preached at the British Methodist Episcopal Church in Guelph during the 19th century. Source: From Slavery to a Bishopric, Or, The Life of Bishop Walter Hawkins of the British Methodist Episcopal Church, Canada by S. J. Celestine Edwards, 1891

The developing black identity modeled by the BME church led to its increasing role within the Guelph community. Because individuals such as Hawkins and Aylestock forged a stronger black presence within the city of Guelph, the church was able to engage in citywide events such as Tag Day.

A letter from the city of Guelph, dated April 18, 1961, granting permission to the British Methodist Episcopal Church to host a Tag Day. It is archived at the Guelph Civic Museum.
A letter from the city of Guelph, dated April 18, 1961, granting permission to the British Methodist Episcopal Church to host a Tag Day. It is archived at the Guelph Civic Museum.
Tag Day, an event where citizens would provide the church with a donation in exchange for a tag to wear, allowed the organization to sustain itself through funding. The event integrated the BME church with the greater population of Guelph, and was officially recognized by city officials. As an occasion where the church utilized its influence to obtain a larger community outreach, Tag Day illustrates the growing significance of the church. The city of Guelph’s official acknowledgment of the church not only signifies its importance to the history of Ontario, but also situates the BME church as a monument unique to the municipality of Guelph.  

A document from the Ontario Land Registry, which documents proof of ownership of land for the British Methodist Church in 1880. It is archived at the Guelph Civic Museum.
A document from the Ontario Land Registry, which documents proof of ownership of land for the British Methodist Church in 1880. It is archived at the Guelph Civic Museum.

Conclusion 

The British Methodist Episcopal Church did not achieve its position without struggle. Its members came from communities fragmented by segregation and oppressed by racial discrimination. It is out of this separation, however, that a unified black identity was formed. Leaders such as Aylestock and Hawkins surfaced, challenging racial stereotypes that had existed in Ontario for years. Settlers like John S. Brooks obtained legally-recognized land ownership, an accomplishment that was previously unimaginable for black Canadians. Moreover, an integration with the city was achieved when segregation of black cultures had made such a feat impossible. These achievements undeniably position the BME church as one of the most important historical sites in the city of Guelph. 

Works Cited

“Addie Aylestock.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, October 4, 2016.            www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/addie-aylestock. Accessed 8 November         2018.

Brown-Kubisch, Linda. The Queen’s Bush Settlement. Dundurn, 2004. Print.

“History – Local.” Guelph Black Heritage Society. www.guelphblackheritage.ca/in-the-news/.     Accessed 8 November 2018. 

Montgomery, Marc. “Underground Railroad church in Ontario named heritage site.” Radio Canada International, 13 Aug. 2013, http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2013/08/13/underground-railroad-church-in-ontario-named-heritage-site/. Accessed 7 November 2018.

“Underground Railroad church becomes Guelph heritage site.” CBC News, 9 Aug. 2013,            https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/underground-railroad-church becomes-guelph-heritage-site-1.1370700. Accessed 8 November 2018.

Williams, Dawn. Who’s Who in Black Canada 2: Black Success and Black Excellence in Canada. University of Toronto Press Inc., 2006. Print.