As previously mentioned, William Hamilton Merritt, MP, was key in setting the tone in St. Catharines. He was born in Bedford, West Chester County, New York, on July 3, 1793. Merritt’s father was a United Empire Loyalist and a military man who served with a unit commanded by Colonel John Graves Simcoe. Upon learning of Simcoe’s new appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), he visited his old friend in Niagara and moved his family to Canada when William was three years old. Merritt’s father was appointed sheriff of the Niagara district and purchased land on Twelve Mile Creek — the area that became known as Merriton. His father was also credited with promoting the healthful qualities of the springs in St. Catharines.
As a young man, William Merritt fought in the War of 1812 and following the war he opened a general store, sawmill, and flour mill on the site of present-day St. Catharines. He also purchased some three hundred acres of land nearby. He promoted the transportation system to enhance commerce between Ontario and New York, including construction of the Welland Canal, which saw the first boats through the canal on October 24, 1829.
By 1832 he was elected to the legislature of Upper Canada and continued his interest in transportation facilities between the two countries. In the 1840s, he developed the concept of the Niagara Suspension Bridge, which was completed by 1849 and used by escaping enslaved Africans in the following years. He died on July 5, 1864.
The idea for a land connection between southern Ontario and Upper New York came from Merritt’s success in building the Welland Canal and his interest in improving trade between the two countries. He felt that a land route would allow carriages access to the markets of St. Catharines, encourage more business on both sides of the border, and attract tourists for the mineral spring spas. Merritt used his experience as a financial agent for the Welland Canal Company to start the project.
A community called Suspension Bridge grew up near Drummondville at the north end of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and a similar settlement on the American side had the same name. Later the community referred to as Suspension Bridge became known as Niagara Falls, and today Bridge Street marks the location of the centre of this community in Ontario. In 1849 the building of the suspension bridge was complete, with two levels combining a train bridge with a motor way, one over the other.
It was ideal for freedom seekers — perhaps there would be no guard posted at the entrance, or the guard would just look the other way. It is known that on at least one occasion, Harriet Tubman took an actual train ride across the suspension bridge with her human “cargo,” before making their way into St. Catharines.
8
Taking the Railroad into Canada
William Hamilton Merritt was called “the Father of Canadian Transportation” for his work on the Welland Canal, and he was also a member of the Refugee Slaves’ Friends Society (RSFS) formed in 1852. This organization offered financial, employment, and housing assistance to fugitives, and many local blacks, including Harriet Tubman, were involved with this organization. The first mayor of St. Catharines, Elias Smith Adams, was one of the founders of the RSFS.
In addition to providing immediate relief to “fugitives,” the RSFS worked to send the now free blacks on to Toronto. Many of the surnames of African Canadians who settled for a time in St. Catharines as reflected in the 1861 census, spread throughout the area and continue among contemporary blacks in Ontario today. Names like Ball, Hollingsworth, Miles, and Jackson exist among Toronto families which have long roots in Canada. Other families documented in the 1861 census, such as Johnson, Jones, Miller, Sheffield, and Stewart, have descendants living in St. Catharines, Hamilton, Brantford, Cayuga, Collingwood, Owen Sound, Windsor, and London, Ontario. The following is an 1899 death notice about a black man who settled in Brantford, Ontario. Note his surname and the surnames of his pallbearers — more survivors of the UGRR.
Ex Slave Dead
Peter Johnson Passed Away — Attacked with Blood-Hounds
Peter Johnson aged 78 died Saturday at the hospital. He was born in slavery on a southern plantation, and after reaching maturity made a dash for liberty. He was tracked with blood-hounds, but succeeded in effecting his escape and finally reaching British soil by way of “the underground railroad.”
Johnson lived in Brantford since 1857 and was respected as a hardworking capable citizen. He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Pallbearers were Messrs. John S. Jones, Thomas Snowden, Nocholas MGormas, Charles Walker, Joseph Purly and Stephen Brown.
— The Brantford Expositor, June 26, 1899
From the entry point at Niagara and their stay in St. Catharines, many travelled further from the border in search of jobs, their own land, or family members. Hamilton was attractive at the time since people could get their start in the ship-building industry there. The need to fell the forests of black walnut, oak, and ash provided employment for black people in “Little Africa” — what towns heavily populated with fugitive slaves were called — until the wood reserves were exhausted.
Harriet Tubman remained in St. Catharines and was one of the black people who was an active member of the interracial RSFS. She was also an executive of the Fugitive Aid Society (FAS) in 1861. She is credited with being the reason for the success of the FAS. Harriet’s work in conducting people from the land of bondage to the land of freedom contributed to the role St. Catharines’ importance with the UGRR. She was obviously interested in making sure that all of “her people” were going to get the start-up or ad hoc assistance they would need.
Harriet’s fourth trip on the Underground Railroad was a turning point for her. She had to travel further than she was used to, so she came to Canada first and began to work with other Underground Railroad “staff” to ensure the safety of her passengers. Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, orator, and a self-emancipated man, gave freedom seekers shelter in his Rochester home; William Still kept records of blacks who needed assistance in order to potentially reunite families, including his own, in Philadelphia; Thomas Garrett routinely escorted passengers across the Christiana River.
Both Still and Garrett documented the work of Harriet Tubman, indicating that she made four trips by 1851 and at least eight more trips by 1856. Harriet claimed to have made nineteen or more trips before the Civil War, probably eleven of those trips beginning and ending in St. Catharines. On one rescue mission, Harriet stopped at what had been the home of a free black to obtain food, shelter, and other assistance. Instead, the home was now occupied by a white man who told Harriet that the previous resident had to leave because he was harbouring runaway slaves. Harriet quickly joined her hidden passengers and moved them to a swamp to avoid detection. She prayed all day, and by dusk a Quaker walked to the edge of the swamp and said that his barn had a wagon with provisions that they could use. This showed the effectiveness of the Underground Railroad communications. Abolitionists were watching for her party, which reinforced Harriet’s faith. By 1854, a formal connection with Garrett ensured that other freedom seekers would not get stranded at this point in their flight.
Harriet felt that something was wrong in Bucktown, and this was confirmed through Underground Railroad communication. Someone who was secretly working with the Underground Railroad passed a message on to someone who could give it to Harriet. Harriet learned that her brothers, Benjamin, Henry, and Robert, were to be sold on December 26, 1854. She arranged for a coded letter to be sent to a literate free black named Jacob Jackson who knew her family. Jackson was under suspicion of helping slaves escape, so to protect the letter writer and the family she wished to rescue, Harriet needed to find an indirect method of communicating her intentions. The letter was “signed” by Jacob Jackson’s adopted free son, who lived in the north, William Henry Jackson. Jackson’s letter was first read by his employer (even free blacks could not expect privacy or respect for their mail) who did not understand the meaning of the letter, even after he consulted others in the community. Finally, Jackson himself was summoned and given his own mail to read. It stated in part:
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