Richard Pierpoint had lived a full life by 1821 when he saw his 100 acres in West Garafraxa on the Grand River for the first time.
His resilience, at 77 years of age, to begin to clear the land was one more example of a life nurtured by a commitment to thriving despite daunting circumstances and overt racism.
Pierpoint was born in the Bundu region of present-day Senegal in 1744. Richard Pierpoint was not his birthname, but rather the name given to him by the slave owner who purchased him.
At age 16, Pierpoint was captured by slave traders in Africa and transported to America, where he was purchased by a military officer needing a personal servant.
The Seven Years War (also known as the French-Indian War), 1756-1763, was underway and while Pierpoint would not have seen actual combat, he was involved behind the lines in military operations.
With the war’s end, the officer no longer needed an aide, nor did he have the money to feed and clothe a slave. Richard Pierpoint, therefore, was sold to another slave owner in the northern colonies.
During the American Revolution (1776-1783), the British offered freedom to all slaves who left American slave owners and joined the side of the British crown. Pierpoint obtained his freedom in this way.
With his military experience he joined Butler’s Rangers, an elite group of British and Canadian soldiers who created havoc and fear among Americans in the northern States. Pierpoint served his commanding officers well, becoming one of a handful of Blacks who actively fought alongside white soldiers.
At the end of the war the British government gave Pierpoint 200 acres of land in Grantham Township (St. Catharines today) in recognition of his military service. His receiving 200 acres is noteworthy, since privates only received 100 acres.
Was Pierpoint regarded as a non-commissioned officer?
If this were the case, a Black serving as a non-commissioned officer would have been highly unusual at the time, and an indication of Pierpoint’s ability.
Whatever the case, Pierpoint settled down and became a respected member of the community.
Being Black in Upper Canada in the late 18th century was not easy. Anti-Black prejudice was frequently expressed.
A group of 19 African men living in the Niagara Peninsula sent a request to Governor Simcoe in 1794 asking to be allowed, together with other Blacks, to have their land grants adjacent to each other so they would “be enabled to give assistance to those amongst them who may most want it.”
The petitioners, who self-identified with the term “Negroes”, believed that having a tract of land separate from “the white settlers” would allow the petitioners to demonstrate “that Negroes are capable of being industrious, and in loyalty to the Crown they are not deficient.”
Clearly some persons in the white community thought otherwise, speaking of and treating the Black community of the Niagara Region with disrespect. Pierpoint was likely the author of the petition; he had some formal education.
The governor rejected the request so Pierpoint farmed his 200 acres in Grantham Township. The story might have ended there except for the War of 1812.
In 1812, Pierpoint, now 68 years old, signed up again to fight. This time the British established The Coloured Corps of Upper Canada. Again, Pierpoint served well. For a third time he was involved in a military conflict, always in support of the British Crown.
In 1821, Pierpoint travelled to York (Toronto) to ask the Governor of Upper Canada to arrange for his passage back to Bundu so he could go home for his last days. Pierpoint was now 76 years old. He made the claim because he had not received compensation for his service during the 1812-1814 conflict.
Instead of paying Pierpoint’s passage back to Senegal, the Crown gave him 100 acres in West Garafraxa township along the Grand River. Land was cheaper than paying for the passage to Senegal.
Assigning the 100 acres to Pierpoint was laden with bitter irony. First, now he had two pieces of property to manage: one at St. Catharines and a second on the edge of the yet-to-be-born community of Fergus. Commuting between the two was difficult in 1821.
Second, white veterans of the 1812-1814 conflict received 200 acres of land each, while Pierpoint and other veterans of the Coloured Corps of Upper Canada received only 100 acres.
Third, 10km on either side of the Grand River, from its source to Lake Erie had been given to the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) in 1784 in recognition of their service to the Crown during the American Revolution (1776-1783). This is the Haldimand Tract.
The Crown was taking land it had given to one group of loyal racialized veterans and giving it to another.
Using the 100 acres of land in West Garafraxa, Pierpoint sought to create a community of Blacks like the one that had been envisioned in the 1794 petition.
The legislature of Upper Canada had passed anti-slavery legislation leading to a steady flow of Blacks coming north to Canada from the United States.
Pierpoint’s reputation drew a number of newly-arrived Blacks to West Garafraxa between 1821 and Pierpoint’s death in 1837 or 1838.
The place of Richard Pierpoint’s death is uncertain as is the place of his burial. What is certain is a story of resilience and internal fortitude in the face of extraordinary challenges.
(Sources: A Stolen Life: Searching for Richard Pierpoint (Toronto, 1999) and To Stand and Fight Together: Richard Pierpoint and The Coloured Corps of Upper Canada (Toronto, 2008).
Submitted by Peter Bush