John Frederick Augustus Sykes Fayette & The Wellington Institute

In earlier posts about local black settlement history of Waterloo County, I have noted that some were ex-slaves who came here with the hope and prospect of a better life that would free them from the chains of enslavement. Theirs is a powerful story that encompasses the hardship of their journey here (as well as their previous life) and the humanity of those neighbours who helped them. Of those who lent aid to the newcomers, Mennonites, such as local merchant (and later Reeve) Henry Sauder Huber offered bags of seed and tools for farming since those who arrived as ex-slaves often were lacking in both money and material necessities that would enable them to survive the difficult task of clearing bush and planting crops. In other cases, Mennonites also provided employment opportunities for their black neighbours especially during the busy season of harvesting.

                                             (Reeve) Henry Sauder Huber (1819-1872)

I have also documented here in this blog some of the early schools and churches that were established in the Queen's Bush area during the first half of the 19th century but it is another school, established by a man of colour, that I am writing about today. This school was in operation for only a short period of time but its impact was significant, as were several of its locally renowned students (one of whom became mayor of Berlin. Another became the town treasurer and county clerk. More on this in a moment).....

Education per se was an important value in early Waterloo County (for both boys and girls) and schools were established early on in conjunction with the ongoing development of the growing community. Thomas Pearce, veteran school inspector for Waterloo County, gave this historical account of early schools for the 1914 Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume:

"That desire to have their children receive a good, practical education, which is a marked characteristic of the inhabitants of this county today, manifested itself just as strongly in the pioneers in the early part of the last century. Prior to 1842 all schools were voluntary. They were kept in private houses, meeting houses, abandoned dwellings, unused shops or under any available and convenient shelter. On in the 20’s and 30’s an occasional small log schoolhouse was built and paid for by private subscription. Schools were kept open during the winter months only. The teachers were mostly itinerants—ex—soldiers or unsuccessful tradesmen—who were engaged in other occupations the rest of the year. Their scholarship was unknown, examinations and certificates being unheard of." 

At first glance, these few sentences tell us a number of things but perhaps, for the purpose of this particular post, we are interested in the portions that I have underlined: that is, prior to 1842, schools in Waterloo County (incidentally similar in other areas) were voluntary and that the teachers who taught in them were most often ex-soldiers or..... and I really like this (not!) that they were "unsuccessful" tradesmen--yikes! Yup, your business isn't doing so well so why not teach? Not exactly a sterling endorsement by a long shot... Better still is the "their scholarship was unknown." Presumably, we can take from this description that teaching credentials were somewhat, shall I say, subjective?  (We can have no doubt that at least some of the teachers were excellent and learned such as Bishop Benjamin Eby who wrote numerous teaching booklets and materials for the Berlin Central School as well as others such as what we know today as the 1820 Log Schoolhouse in Waterloo, Ontario). Another case in point is that teaching, or rather the curriculum as it was taught then, consisted mostly of teaching children to read (often using the Bible), to write and to do "sums" ie add, subtract, multiply and divide. Pretty basic stuff. No standardized curriculum or coursework offerings like Geography or Grammar--only what was considered to be the most important for literacy and survival. The basics.

Around 1840, Ohio "Western Reserve College" theology graduate, John Frederick Augustus Sykes Fayette was working as a missionary and travelling throughout southern Ontario when he came to Waterloo County. It is here that he established a private school in Berlin, ON. The school was located in a building that was behind the Red Lion Hotel (which was located on King Street East). This would have been very significant to the citizens of this area for several reasons, none the least of which is that its scope was to elevate the non-regulated curriculum by offering instruction in map-reading (Geography) and the first of its kind locally to formally teach English Grammar.  In fact, Fayette was heads above many of the other teachers simply by education. He was a university graduate at a time when most students ended school sometime around the Grade 8 level! What is also significant is that, as a man of colour, he came here of his own volition and was not a slave. Pearce describes him specifically as being " a well-educated mulatto."**
**An ancestry search revealed an early marriage record for Fayette in Ohio where he is described as being "white." In fact, it was not uncommon for black folks whose features were light to live as or self- identify publicly as white.

The Wellington Institute school opened in December of 1840 and charged what was then a reasonable rate for tuition: $2.00/student as well as a personal provision for fuel**

**Tuition rates always included the requirement that a student provide his or her portion of fuel (wood or coal, as indicated) to be used collectively to heat the classroom in addition to financial remuneration most often for teacher's salaries.

Although many of Berlin's merchant class could afford the fees for the school, there were those who could not and Fayette eventually ran out of money (and into debt). The school closed and Fayette left the area. Further investigation revealed that he went to the Hamilton area where he served as a minister for the Barton Stone United Church from 1845 to 1850. The article attached to this link describes Fayette as being a friend and sympathizer of John Brown the famous abolitionist. For a time, Fayette served as an Ontario School Superintendent before retiring in London, ON where he died in 1876. Here is a copy of the marriage record for his daughter, Elizabeth, from 1869:

As I mentioned earlier, two of his students had notable contributions to the local history of Waterloo Region, as well. The first of these was Jacob Yost Schantz who grew up to be a number of things: a businessman, mayor and later, a supporter of Mennonite resettlement from Russia into Manitoba. I have a personal interest in this man as he also was locally known for his herbal concoctions and cancer treatments, not unlike another man who I have researched extensively-Christian Eby (grandson of Bishop Benjamin Eby). More on both of these men and the practise of local folk medicine in another post. When he attended Fayette's Wellington Institute he was 18yrs old.

Jacob Yost Schantz (1822-1909) 

Another student of distinction was Israel David Bowman who attended the school at the tender age of 11. Bowman's later career included becoming the Reeve for the village of Berlin in 1858 and in 1861 he was appointed as the County Clerk as well as the Clerk for the village of Berlin. It is in this capacity that Bowman is arguably best known. You may recall an earlier photo that I posted of the 1820 Log Schoolhouse reunion that took place in West Side Park (today Waterloo Park) in 1895? Well, Bowman was also an alumni of that school and also appears in that photo (see below)

Israel D. Bowman (1830-1896)

The story of John Frederick Augustus Sykes Fayette, I think, is an important one with regard to local black history but perhaps, more so as an account of early education and how one man attempted to upgrade the quality of it at a time when standardization of the curriculum was in its infancy. Although the Wellington Institute school was short-lived, the desire for quality education was something that never left this community and in addition to the area's elementary, middle and secondary schools the region is home to 2 universities--Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo as well as one community college--Conestoga College Institute of Technology. I think Fayette would be proud to know he played a part in it all.....

Tales of Humanity and Hardship

I am often asked how I became involved with local history research. Recently, this question has been expanded to include, how did you get interested in local black history?

As with many researchers, I began with what was familiar to me: my own family history. As a native of Kitchener, I was aware that my ancestors had settled here in 1802. I knew that they had come from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Starting in 1800, most of the settlers to this area were from various counties in Pennsylvania and most were Mennonite. My ancestors were Quaker but within a generation or two had either converted to or married into the Mennonite faith. You could say that although I knew very little about my own family history when I started, I was “proud” of my heritage (or at least my perception of what I thought my heritage was). Now, the term “heritage” is a funny thing...the word heritage, as we are told means “something inherited from the past; a legacy.” Hmmm.  A legacy. Ok. What does “legacy” mean? Well, one definition states that it is “a bequest or an inheritance that is passed on from one generation to another.”  Ok, I think that sounds pretty accurate.

To further illustrate my point, I found a lovely quote from a woman by the name of Susan V. Bosak who is herself an educator and chair of “the Legacy Project.” She tells us that “Legacy is about life and living. It's about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future. “[The creation of a...] Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human. Research shows that without a sense of working to create a legacy, adults lose meaning in their life. Exploring the idea of legacy offers a glimpse not only into human relationships and building strong communities, but also the human spirit.”

To me this seems very important. I mean, isn’t this why we study history in the first place? Simply put “don’t we want to know where we came from?”  I also like the notion of legacy as building strong communities and allowing us to glimpse into the human spirit. Now, these are the themes I would like you to keep in mind as you read through the posts in this blog, now and in the future: “legacy”, the building of strong communities and most important of all...the human spirit—something that ties us together, regardless of race, colour or creed.

So here’s the thing...as I began to read more about my own ancestors, I found out that there was more to the story. The “story” as I knew it was that white Pennsylvania Germans had settled here as farmers and brought with them a strong sense of community or “Freundschaft” which basically meant that they looked out for each other and lent aid where it was needed. In other words, if you needed a house or a barn built, then the whole community came out to build it. If your crops had failed, the community shared what it had with you and you would do the same, in kind.  I knew, too, that aboriginal peoples were already here and that in the early years, the Mennonites and First Nations peoples had enjoyed a relatively harmonious existence, trading goods and knowledge, etc. The story I didn’t know, was, I discovered, that very early on, there were historical accounts that mentioned persons of African descent that had arrived here when the Mennonites did. Some of whom had been brought here by the Mennonites—and, they were not slaves.

Take the example of “Isaac Jones.”

Remember Abraham Erb, “Father of the city of Waterloo,” and the impetus behind the construction of the 1820 log schoolhouse? If not, here is a quick refresher: Abraham Erb, originally from Franklin County, Pennsylvania (and a Mennonite) is generally accepted as the father of the city of Waterloo, having settled in Waterloo in 1806. Erb was a community builder who constructed mills and donated land for a school, church and graveyard. The school was indeed constructed and we know it today as the 1820 log schoolhouse in Waterloo Park. Well, in the latter part of the 19^th century, Ezra Eby (himself a descendant of Benjamin Eby) began to collect stories and information about the early settlers to Waterloo Township. Published in 1895, researchers have acknowledged a number of mistakes in the work (misspellings, dates, etc.) BUT the importance of this work is nonetheless crucial to our understanding of local history AND most certainly forms an integral nexus from which we, as researchers in the 21^st century, can tie the past to the present. Arguably, Ezra Eby is the “father” of local history for the Waterloo Region.... 

 (for a further look at his work see: http://ebybook.region.waterloo.on.ca/

But I digress.  Ezra Eby, in 1895, tells us a story about a young black lad named Isaac Jones that took place somewhere around 1806-7. Apparently, Isaac had been brought to Waterloo by Abraham Erb and the gist of the story is that he was out hunting some cattle, in the fall, in the woods. (To us, this might seem strange but in the early days, farm animals were mostly free range so perhaps the cattle in question had themselves gone off into the woods for a walk and Isaac was trying to find them). 

Well, apparently, Isaac accompanied by two dogs, lost his own way in the woods. Eby says that a great many went out to search for him and that the search parties were out for more than a week. Most of the search party then gave up in despair but two continued to search and after hearing the barking of dogs, found little Isaac half-dead from starvation and unable to walk. On their way back, they also lost their way, temporarily, but with great joy managed to get themselves and Isaac home, along with the two dogs who had never left his side. Mr Erb and his wife did not have children of their own and although we do know that they did adopt several children, we do not know, however, whether or not he ever adopted any black children, specifically.  

Over time, the communities of Berlin (or Kitchener, as we know it today), Waterloo and the outlying areas of Heidelberg, St Jacobs and Elmira continued to grow and prosper as more and more land was purchased by the Mennonites and cultivated for farming.  Politically, the Mennonites were pacifists and many of them were strong abolitionists (i.e. those who were opposed to slavery. As I have stated in an earlier post, slavery had officially been outlawed in Canada by 1830 and we know that the “Underground Railroad” delivered many an ex-slave to freedom here in Canada during its years of operation.

As the anti-slavery movement gained political support on both sides of the Canada-US border, some very brave individuals were taking action against slavery--risking everything to help those who searched for their freedom. The impetus for the Underground Railroad had been firmly established and abolitionists were comprised of both black and white activists who helped fugitive slaves. Most of the blacks who were abolitionists were free but some were slaves, themselves. One man who helped the fugitive slaves was William Still. 

William Still was just a boy when he assisted in the escape of his first slave.  He never knew the man's name; only that he was being hunted by slave catchers. In the years ahead, there would be hundreds more that he would help. Using railroad terminology, the abolitionists associated with this complex escape route referred to themselves as “conductors”. In his book “The underground railroad” Still kept meticulous but secret records of the many escapes slaves who passed through the Philadelphia "station." All told, in his fourteen years of work with the “railroad” he helped over 800 to escape to freedom in Canada, particularly southern Ontario.  After the Civil War, Still published the secret notes he’d kept in diaries during those years.  To this day, his book contains some of the best evidence we have of the workings of the Underground Railroad, detailing the freedom seekers who used it, including where they came from, how they escaped and the families they left behind.

For the free e-book of  Still’s “The Underground Railroad” see:  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15263

Most of the earliest black communities in southern Ontario that sprang up were clustered around the Canada--US borders, with Detroit and Buffalo as two of the key termini or destination points for escape that led into Canada.  Many of these folks were assimilated into the local culture, at least for a time, and were contributing citizens. I do want to point out here, though, that not all blacks who settled here in the early days were slaves who came here via the Underground Railroad.

In 1828, a black man by the name of Paola Brown arrived in the town of Niagara and eventually made his way to Hamilton, where he became a leader among his people. He was aware of another black settlement in Oro Township but he and his neighbours felt this was too far away and so they petitioned for land (actually a township) to start a black community. They were unsuccessful but were determined to succeed. Dreaming of independent land ownership, Paola eventually made his way to Woolwich Township. By 1832, (and along with at 9 households totalling 34 people) he settled in Crook’s Tract (near modern day Winterbourne) and named their settlement “Colbornesburg”  where they successfully  established a church and a school. This was not land for which they held title--they were essentially squatters. 

Note: (Incidentally, the Oro township community was the only government sanctioned one of its kind, at the time, having resulted from the government’s attempt to settle Black Loyalist soldiers and their families following the war of 1812).

The land Paola and his people settled in Crook’s Tract needed to be cultivated. None of the settlers owned horses but at least 3 of the families owned oxen— which are better suited to logging and breaking soil, anyway. Life was very hard and by 1837 almost everyone had left the settlement. Paola Brown moved back to Hamilton and some of the settlers moved northeast of Waterloo and settled in Conestoga, while the majority settled along the boundary between Peel Township (Wellington County) and Wellesley Township (Waterloo County) in what became known as part of the Queen’s Bush settlement.

To be continued...

My Upcoming Lecture at Region Of Waterloo Museum, October 15, 2012

                         Tales of Humanity and Hardship:

              An Examination of Early Black Migration in Waterloo-Wellington Counties

Press Release:

Long neglected in local history accounts, Joanna examines relatively unknown stories and community contributions of early black settlers and provides us with a rare insight into the plight of refugee slaves as they forged their way into the unknown in order to build a better life for themselves and their families. Leaving the chains of slavery behind, some were better received than others  but, as you will discover, all were determined to succeed.

For further information:
http://www.therecord.com/living/article/813930--black-history-of-waterloo-region-brought-to-life

(Thank you Valerie Hill for your kind remarks!)

Looking forward to seeing you there.