0:00:04 > 0:00:08A land of spectacular contrast,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11vast prairies and dense forests,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14bounded by three oceans,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20You could fit the whole of Northern Ireland
0:00:20 > 0:00:22inside one of its national parks.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Yet people from Ulster have had a remarkable influence
0:00:28 > 0:00:32on the history and geography of this vast nation,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35spanning two centuries and across 5,000 miles.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Today, 4.5 million Canadians
0:00:42 > 0:00:45can trace their roots back to Ireland.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47But there was a time when the Irish
0:00:47 > 0:00:49made up a quarter of the population here...
0:00:52 > 0:00:55..and the majority came from the nine counties of Ulster.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01English-speaking Canada had a noticeable Ulster accent.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08This is the story of people from Ulster who, from the 18th century
0:01:08 > 0:01:12to the present day, have made this country their home,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16of how they came here in such large numbers that they didn't merely adapt
0:01:16 > 0:01:20to the Canadian way of life, they helped to shape its culture,
0:01:20 > 0:01:24its society, its politics and its economy.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I'm starting my Canadian journey in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54at Pier 21, Canada's Museum Of Immigration.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Once known as the Gateway to Canada, over a million immigrants
0:02:00 > 0:02:04passed through its doors between 1928 and 1971.
0:02:10 > 0:02:17Today, one in five Canadians can trace their roots through Pier 21.
0:02:17 > 0:02:2170 or 80 years ago, this place would have been packed with people
0:02:21 > 0:02:24who had literally just stepped off the boat.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26After an arduous journey at sea,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30this is where they first set foot on Canadian soil.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Young men and women seeking work,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37families fleeing religious persecution and poverty,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39evacuees and refugees.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Whatever the reason for leaving their homeland, for all of them,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Canada represented a second chance,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50an opportunity for a better life.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Here they were processed through immigration and customs,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57before taking the train to their final destination,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Montreal, Quebec or Toronto, the prairie provinces or
0:03:00 > 0:03:04the pacific coast of British Columbia.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Among the Germans, Dutch, English and Scots,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11there were people from Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Down.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16This is the Monteith family, who passed through Pier 21 in 1929.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20The photograph was taken by a photographer
0:03:20 > 0:03:22working for the Derry Standard
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and it shows the family on board the Seamore,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29the paddle steamer that took immigrants from Londonderry to
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Moville, where they connected with the transatlantic liner
0:03:31 > 0:03:33that would bring them to Canada.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And you can see here, marked on their luggage, their destination...
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Halifax.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44The Monteiths came from near Castlederg in County Tyrone
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and it's thought that they were travelling west to Ontario
0:03:47 > 0:03:50to join relatives or begin farming there.
0:03:54 > 0:04:00What's really poignant about this photograph is the date - 1929.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Just as the Monteiths were beginning their new life in Canada,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08the world's economy was plunged into a great depression
0:04:08 > 0:04:12in the Wall Street crash and within just a couple of years,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16severe dust storms in the prairies of Canada and America
0:04:16 > 0:04:20forced tens of thousands of families to abandon their farms.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31The story of Ulster migration to Canada began in Nova Scotia
0:04:31 > 0:04:36long before Pier 21 opened its doors to families like the Monteiths.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40BAGPIPES PLAY
0:04:49 > 0:04:52If the kilts and bagpipes aren't enough of a clue,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55the name Nova Scotia gives it away.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Latin for New Scotland,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01this province wears its Scottish heritage as a badge of honour.
0:05:04 > 0:05:0930% of Nova Scotians have Scottish ancestry and many are descended from
0:05:09 > 0:05:14the thousands of Scots who came here in the 19th century, whole villages
0:05:14 > 0:05:18and entire clans evicted from the land during the Highland Clearances.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25What's less well known is that, before the mass immigration
0:05:25 > 0:05:29of the Scots, there had been a small but significant settlement
0:05:29 > 0:05:31here of people from Ulster.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Like much of Eastern Canada, the maritime provinces were
0:05:42 > 0:05:45originally a French colony, known as Acadia,
0:05:45 > 0:05:50but when, in 1713, the British took control, they expelled the French
0:05:50 > 0:05:54colonists and set about planting the region with loyal British subjects.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58To find suitable candidates,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02they just have to look across the border to New England
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and you can see here just how close New England is to Eastern Canada.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08For all intents and purposes,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12this was all British North America back then.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15And the people in New England had already proven themselves
0:06:15 > 0:06:21successful pioneers, so in 1759, the Governor of Nova Scotia
0:06:21 > 0:06:26placed an ad in the Boston Gazette, offering land in the new colony.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36One of those who read the advertisement with interest
0:06:36 > 0:06:38was an immigrant from the north of Ireland,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41an army officer called Alexander McNutt.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Sensing a business opportunity, he struck a deal with
0:06:44 > 0:06:46the Governor of Nova Scotia -
0:06:46 > 0:06:51he would provide suitable settlers in return for land for himself.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54And in April 1761, 50 families
0:06:54 > 0:06:58arrived in Halifax from Londonderry, New Hampshire.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Among those first planter families were the Archibalds,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07who had emigrated to New Hampshire from County Londonderry, Ireland,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09just 50 years before.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13To find out more about them and the remarkable success they had
0:07:13 > 0:07:16in Canada, I'm meeting one of their descendants, Allan Marble.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22What persuaded the Archibald family to leave New Hampshire
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and move to Canada?
0:07:24 > 0:07:28The good land in around Londonderry, in New Hampshire
0:07:28 > 0:07:30and along the Merrimack River,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33all that land has now been used up or taken up.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39So when they hear that there is excellent land in Nova Scotia
0:07:39 > 0:07:43that they're going to be given free, and not only that,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47but a large amount of land, 1,200 acres, they decide,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49"OK, let's leave, let's go and do it."
0:07:49 > 0:07:51So they come to Nova Scotia.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58The instigator of the family's move from New Hampshire to Truro,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01in Nova Scotia, was David Archibald.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05He appears to have been a leader, because when he arrived,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08he was immediately made the Justice of the Peace,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10the Major of the Militia.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15He became very important for Truro because he was responsible
0:08:15 > 0:08:19for building the first school, for bringing in the first minister.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Archibalds are very, very focused on education
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and that all comes from David.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33When you think of the 18th century, you know, I hate to say it,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37but it was true that very few women could write, OK?
0:08:37 > 0:08:39And his daughters could write.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43I have evidence that they could write
0:08:43 > 0:08:48and that's an indication that he did not just want to promote
0:08:48 > 0:08:51education among his sons, but among his daughters.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56With a strong work ethic and a good education behind them,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00the Archibalds became influential citizens of the new colony.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04When you look at the first election in Nova Scotia
0:09:04 > 0:09:07for the House of Assembly, I mean, David Archibald is elected
0:09:07 > 0:09:09to represent that area.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13His son was elected to represent the area, his grandson becomes the
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Attorney General of Nova Scotia and the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22It just goes on and on, so that they're very involved in politics,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25in anything to do with leadership.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31David's great grandson, Adams George Archibald, made a huge contribution
0:09:31 > 0:09:37to Canadian history when, in 1867, as Attorney General of Nova Scotia,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41he was one of the signatories that united the colonies of New Brunswick,
0:09:41 > 0:09:48Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario, creating the Confederation of Canada.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Archibald just was one of those people who was considered to be one
0:09:53 > 0:09:59of the leaders to contribute to this creating of a country.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05How successful do you think the Archibald family
0:10:05 > 0:10:07has been in the history of Canada?
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I would say the most successful family in Canada.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14One of the leading opera singers in the world now
0:10:14 > 0:10:17is one of the Archibalds from Truro.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20One of the leading players in the National Hockey League
0:10:20 > 0:10:23is an Archibald.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28The golfing champion for Germany during Hitler's time
0:10:28 > 0:10:31was an Archibald.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34And Hitler refused to give him the medal.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's like a family of Forrest Gumps! They keep showing up.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44That's right! And an amazing family and...
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I think the...
0:10:46 > 0:10:51the idea that David, and his brothers, because he wasn't alone,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53they instilled this idea of,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55you can do anything with your life, you know.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56You just have to do it.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Those first settler families like the Archibalds
0:11:03 > 0:11:06were exactly what the new colony wanted.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07They were loyal to the Crown,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Protestant and financially independent.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19And the man who brought them here, Alexander McNutt,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22was already drawing up plans to bring up to 10,000 more
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Protestant Irish to Nova Scotia.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30In the end, his plans were thwarted by the Privy Council,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34who were alarmed at the prospect of mass immigration
0:11:34 > 0:11:36from the Protestant districts of Ireland.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39They thought that could have dangerous consequences.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42But had McNutt realised his dream
0:11:42 > 0:11:45of Ulster Protestant colonization in Nova Scotia,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49we might today have a Red Hand of Ulster
0:11:49 > 0:11:52rather than a saltire on the Nova Scotian flag.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59McNutt had helped lay the foundations for emigration from the north
0:11:59 > 0:12:03of Ireland to Canada and, within a generation, tens of thousands
0:12:03 > 0:12:07of Irish men and women were making their way to the new colony.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I'm travelling northwest from Halifax to the province of New Brunswick,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29for it was here in the 1820s
0:12:29 > 0:12:32that many of those Irish immigrants settled.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41Driven by poor economic conditions at home and the prospect of land
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and job opportunities in Canada,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47many, perhaps most of those migrants, came from the North,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49because Armagh, Antrim and Down
0:12:49 > 0:12:53were the most densely populated counties in Ireland.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03I've come to Gagetown in the Saint John River Valley
0:13:03 > 0:13:07to meet historian Bradford Gaunce, who has been studying
0:13:07 > 0:13:12the settlement of this area by people originally from Fermanagh.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14You've done a lot of research into this area.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16What have you discovered about the settlers who came here?
0:13:16 > 0:13:20There was a concentrated chain migration beginning in 1815
0:13:20 > 0:13:25from the town land of Ederney in County Fermanagh to Gagetown.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Family members, cousins, uncles, they were all arriving.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39You can envision them crossing the Atlantic, looking for opportunity,
0:13:39 > 0:13:45leaving the Ulster that was essentially devastated economically.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48The settlers in general that came from Ulster to this region
0:13:48 > 0:13:51and much of New Brunswick probably had some resources
0:13:51 > 0:13:54when they arrived, they weren't the poorest of the poor.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58They were able to set themselves up nicely within probably a generation.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04And once the hard work of clearing the land for farming was done,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08these immigrants built churches and schools and many Protestant
0:14:08 > 0:14:13settlements, such as Gagetown, also established an Orange Lodge.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19But Bradford has discovered something about the people who came here
0:14:19 > 0:14:23from County Fermanagh that is both unusual and unexpected.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27I discovered something unique.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Upon researching the 1901 Census, there was a question on line 33
0:14:30 > 0:14:32which asked, "Mother tongue?"
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Some of these individuals were recorded as
0:14:34 > 0:14:36"Mother tongue - Irish speakers."
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Now, that goes against the grain, considering we normally
0:14:39 > 0:14:44associate Catholics with speaking the Irish language.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48So, we have this community from Ederney
0:14:48 > 0:14:50that was carrying the language over with them.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53And so in the Orange Hall that we have here in the village,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56you would've had some members of the Orange Hall who speak Irish?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Yeah, I've found in total 22 members who were recorded as
0:14:59 > 0:15:02mother tongue or ancestors of those recorded as mother tongue.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Did you discover any of your own personal story
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- in the historical research you've done?- I did.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I found, through the research, that my family was involved in this
0:15:11 > 0:15:15chain migration from Ederney and, being a historian, it was exciting
0:15:15 > 0:15:21to find you're involved in this unusual mix of circumstances.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25You kind of appreciate the historical significance.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Like the network of Orange Lodges and memories of townlands back home,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36the Irish language was all but forgotten, as those who spoke it
0:15:36 > 0:15:40ceased to be Ulster immigrants and became new Canadians.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I've come 400 miles west to Quebec,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56the most distinctly French of all Canadian cities.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06A Unesco World Heritage Site,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Quebec is the last remaining walled city in North America,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13but these walls would not be here today if it wasn't for a man
0:16:13 > 0:16:18from County Down, one of the British Empire's most successful diplomats.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24In 1872, Frederick Temple Blackwood,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27the first Marquees of Dufferin and Ava,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31became the third Governor General of Canada and one of its most popular.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35There's scarcely a town or city in the province that doesn't have
0:16:35 > 0:16:38a Dufferin Street or a Dufferin Avenue.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42When Lord Dufferin came to Canada,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46he immediately set about raising the profile of the Governor General,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50taking a much more proactive role than any of his predecessors.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54He believed that, by getting to know the country and its people,
0:16:54 > 0:16:59he would not only help unify the new Canadian Confederation, he would
0:16:59 > 0:17:03also help boost the position of the British Empire in North America.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11To this aim, Lord Dufferin and his family toured parts of the new nation
0:17:11 > 0:17:14no Governor General had visited before.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17They threw grand parties in their residence in Ottawa
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and opened a public ice rink in its grounds.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The Dufferins genuinely enjoyed exploring Canada.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Lady Dufferin, who was a prolific letter writer,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32often wrote home about their adventures river rafting,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35fishing and camping with the children
0:17:35 > 0:17:38and about how easy she found Canadian society to get on with.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44But it was in Quebec where they felt most at home.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Lady Dufferin wrote, "If only we can find a house at Quebec,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51"we shall go there - for the more we see of that place,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53"the more we like it."
0:17:54 > 0:17:58But they did find a suitable home in Quebec here at the Citadelle,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01which was built in the early 19th century as a fortress
0:18:01 > 0:18:04to protect the colony from the Americans.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Lady Dufferin described it to her mother,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14"All the books about Canada will tell you how splendid
0:18:14 > 0:18:17"is the situation of the Citadelle.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19"I sit out and look down hundreds of feet upon the town
0:18:19 > 0:18:24"lying below me or at the St Lawrence itself and the blue hills
0:18:24 > 0:18:30"far away - in fact, at one of the most celebrated views of the world!"
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It was in Quebec City that Lord Dufferin made his final
0:18:37 > 0:18:42public appearance as Governor General when he laid the foundation stone
0:18:42 > 0:18:46for Dufferin Terrace, built to his own design.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Dufferin Terrace certainly lives up to its reputation
0:18:51 > 0:18:54as one of the most scenic promenades in the world.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57But it's for his role in saving the city walls
0:18:57 > 0:19:00that Dufferin is himself best remembered here.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Built by the French to protect the city from attack,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Quebec's walls had huge historical significance,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14so when he heard that city officials had begun to tear them down,
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Dufferin stepped in to protect and restore them for future generations.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26In some ways, Lord Dufferin wasn't so very different to any other migrant.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30He hoped Canada would give him an opportunity to further his career,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and it did.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36In 1884, he became the eighth Viceroy of India.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Not all of his countrymen were so fortunate.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Just 20 miles from here, in the middle of the St Lawrence River,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47is Grosse Ile.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51In 1832, the island was set up as a quarantine station to contain
0:19:51 > 0:19:56a cholera epidemic and later to stop the spread of typhus that had been
0:19:56 > 0:20:00contracted by immigrants fleeing the famine in Ireland.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04More than half a million Irish people passed through Grosse Ile
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and thousands died there.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09They came from all social and religious backgrounds
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and from every part of Ireland.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15500 miles west of Quebec,
0:20:15 > 0:20:21Buxton, Ontario, is just an hour from the American border.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25And back in the mid-19th century, if you were a black American,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29that border meant the difference between freedom and slavery.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36I've come here to find out about one extraordinary Ulsterman's journey
0:20:36 > 0:20:40from slave owner to abolitionist and about the role he played
0:20:40 > 0:20:43in what became known as the Underground Railroad.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Set amid fields of flaxseed, corn and rye,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Buxton is a rural community of just 200 people.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Yet 150 years ago, it had ten times that population
0:21:04 > 0:21:09and was making headlines all across North America, for this was
0:21:09 > 0:21:13a settlement of black Americans who had escaped slavery
0:21:13 > 0:21:17and it was the brainchild of the Reverend William King from Limavady.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Born in 1812, William King studied Greek and Latin at university
0:21:25 > 0:21:29in Glasgow, before emigrating to America at the age of 21.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35He took up a job as a teacher in Louisiana, where his students
0:21:35 > 0:21:39were the sons of slave owners, a system that appalled him.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Yet, when he married the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46William King became a slave owner himself.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54To find out more about William King and the Buxton settlement,
0:21:54 > 0:21:59I've come to meet the curator of the Buxton Museum, Shannon Price,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03herself the direct descendent of slaves who came here from Tennessee.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10So, these are some of the artefacts that we have in the museum,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and...they're - again, they're very, very powerful.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17These are original ankle shackles.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23When they boarded the slave ships, they would usually brand them
0:22:23 > 0:22:25so the master would know who you belonged to.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And the men would get it someplace on their face and the women would
0:22:28 > 0:22:30get it on the front of their shoulder
0:22:30 > 0:22:32or the back of their shoulder,
0:22:32 > 0:22:33so you might have numerous brands
0:22:33 > 0:22:37depending on how many times you were bought or sold. Yeah.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41This is a slave collar
0:22:41 > 0:22:43they would put on slaves,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- and it weighs maybe 25 pounds or so.- Yeah.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47But they would put that,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49but they would make it fit everyone's individual neck.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52So, this was punishment if you tried to run away.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00If you were a runner that tried it several times,
0:23:00 > 0:23:01the punishment would be more severe,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03so what they would do, they would take a metal bar
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and they would attach it to the top of your neck harness.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It would come all the way down your back, but they would hinge it at
0:23:09 > 0:23:11your thigh so you could at least bend over to pick your cotton,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- and then attach it to your ankle shackles...- Oh.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16..so you have to work and sleep with this on.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- You wouldn't run very far wearing that.- No, you wouldn't.- Yeah.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20- Very heavy.- No. Between the weight...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- And then even trying to sleep with it on.- Oh!- Yeah.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28How do you feel when you're holding these...?
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Well, you know, to me, it's...
0:23:31 > 0:23:36- They're powerful but then it's a reminder... I'm going to cry.- Yeah.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40..of what our ancestors overcame.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Sometimes it is emotional, like it is now, and other times it's just,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49I'm very blessed to be able to add another chapter to that book that
0:23:49 > 0:23:51my ancestors started,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54so now I can continue that legacy with my family, you know,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56so we don't repeat the past.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58But they are a reminder...
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- Horrible. It's horrible.- ..of what our ancestors had to endure.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11We think of William King today as an abolitionist.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13How did he become a slave owner?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16He married into a slave-holding family,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and because of his views against... toward slavery,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22he felt that even though he married
0:24:22 > 0:24:25into this family, he would be able to do something,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30to liberate them, but was misled that he was not able to do such.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- Because of the laws in...- Because of the laws in the United States, yes.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36He grappled with this idea on what to do,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- and it just tore him apart, you know...- Yeah.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41..dealing with this issue of slavery,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and what he, you know, as a person, a human being, could do.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51King decided he could no longer live in a slave-owning society
0:24:51 > 0:24:56and returned to Scotland to train for the Presbyterian ministry.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59But while he was there, his wife and child tragically died
0:24:59 > 0:25:05and King found himself the sole owner of 15 slaves in Louisiana.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09After he graduated from school,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13his first appointment as a minister was to the Presbyterian Synod
0:25:13 > 0:25:15here in Toronto,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and when they heard that here was this white man coming to
0:25:18 > 0:25:20the land of freedom with slaves,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23they were quite appalled because slavery had been abolished here,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27so, basically, Reverend King turned the tables, if you will,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and asked them if there was some place where he could bring
0:25:30 > 0:25:33his 15 slaves and where other blacks
0:25:33 > 0:25:37could come for the better opportunities of life.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40With the help of the church, King raised enough money to
0:25:40 > 0:25:45purchase 9,000 acres, with plans for housing built to a high standard,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and 50 acres of land for every family,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50to be paid off over ten years.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55So, the plan was to bring them from the United States,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59across the border, and that border meant freedom?
0:25:59 > 0:26:00That border meant freedom.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- What is the Underground Railroad? - The Underground Railroad was
0:26:03 > 0:26:07neither a railroad, it was not underground.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11It was a secret network, comprised of people and places,
0:26:11 > 0:26:12both black and white,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15that were assisting enslaved blacks
0:26:15 > 0:26:17to make it to freedom,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19whether in the northern states or up here to Canada.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27William King used this underground network to smuggle his 15 slaves
0:26:27 > 0:26:31north from Louisiana, and in November 1849,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34they became the first residents of Buxton.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42When he secured the land, he said, you know,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44"I'm founding this land on three principles."
0:26:44 > 0:26:47You know, "One, I have the land. Two, there's going to be that
0:26:47 > 0:26:50"education and, three, there's going to be religion."
0:26:50 > 0:26:53You know, once he had the land, and then he built the schools
0:26:53 > 0:26:54and then the churches.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03When was this school built?
0:27:03 > 0:27:07The school was built right here in 1861, and it was built due to
0:27:07 > 0:27:10the overcrowding at the other end of the settlement.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13- And a fully integrated school? - Fully integrated school.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15What kind of curriculum did they have?
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It was referred to as a classical education,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20so everything, plus Greek, Latin,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24in a Christian-based education was provided for the students,
0:27:24 > 0:27:25because that religious component
0:27:25 > 0:27:28was very, very important to Reverend King.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34- Do you know much about the children who were educated here?- Yes, we do.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36There was... Quite a few went on to
0:27:36 > 0:27:39become, like, the first great, uh, the first black doctor in Canada,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42the first congressman, speaker in the state legislature,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44circuit court judge riders,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47principals of university and high school,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50educated here in Buxton, but went back to the United States.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52So, that tells a lot about why
0:27:52 > 0:27:55people were coming to Canada for freedom,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57but coming to Buxton to educate their children.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05How do you feel about him, personally?
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Well, I admire him because of the path in his life that he chose.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11This would not happen,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14would not have been here because of him, you know.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- Would you have been here? - No, I would not have been here,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22because of what he had chosen in his life, so we, as, you know,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26ancestors and descendants are very, very grateful to him.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35This really is an extraordinary story
0:28:35 > 0:28:39and, at the heart of it, is an Ulsterman with a passion for freedom,
0:28:39 > 0:28:44who wanted to share that freedom with those he met here in the New World.