new digital exhibition highlighting the collection<\/a>.<\/p>\nWilliams said that while there is documentation of early Black communities in places such as St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Chatham and Collingwood, knowledge of the community in Bronte Village is only emerging now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe collection tells the story of a family who came to Canada and prospered. It\u2019s clear the Adams, Butler and Hill families were well respected and not only integrated in community, but also contributed a great deal to life in the area,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
The collection centres on Samuel Adams, Newby\u2019s great-great-grandfather, a free Black man who came to Bronte Village from the U.S. in the mid-1850s with his wife, Martha Ellen Hill, and their children. Adams established a successful life in Canada and made significant contributions to economic and social development in the area.<\/p>\n
Adams\u2019 professional work as a blacksmith supported local industries including farming, construction and fishing. He was also involved in the development of innovative \u201cstone hooking\u201d equipment that was used to retrieve stones for building from Lake Ontario.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdams set up a new network of Black families that was significant. Through marriage into the Butler family, the families played a major role in building the Black community, including the establishment of the Turner African Methodist Episcopalian church, a cornerstone in the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The growing Adams and Butler family continued to have great impact, becoming significant land holders and producers of fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel Adams came to Canada and made a life for himself and his family. We are so fortunate at Brock to be trusted with these historical artifacts documenting their significant contribution to the development of the area,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
A physical exhibit of the collection curated by Williams is now on show in the Brock University Library display case in Thistle corridor at Brock\u2019s main campus.<\/p>\n
For Talia Jermyn, an Applied Health Sciences master\u2019s student specializing in community health, discovering the Black history resources available in Archives and Special Collections has been particularly meaningful.<\/p>\n
Jermyn first accessed Archives and Special Collections through her research into the St. Catharines Orioles, an all-Black hockey team in the 1930s. With support from Williams, she found original records of the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was incredible to learn about the rich Black history we have here in St. Catharines, and that history is accessible to everyone through Archives and Special Collections,\u201d Jermyn said.<\/p>\n
Inspired by her research, Jermyn is now part of a Black History Month\/African Heritage Month exhibition \u2014 Black Histories, Black Futures \u2014<\/em> currently on show at St. Catharines City Hall showcasing a stained-glass mixed media piece.<\/p>\nJermyn is excited to dive into the new Adams, Butler and Hill Family Fonds.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning about Black history at Brock has deepened my work and creative projects, and I am eager to learn about the influential lives of these families,\u201d Jermyn said.<\/p>\n
For Newby, knowing students now have access to the history gives her hope for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that history can be erased, but now people can go to Brock and access this information and recognize there is collective history, contributions not just to Ontario, but to Canada,\u201d she says. \u201cNow the history is safe and can flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t
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