1A - Book of Negroes

The Book of Negros is a leger of Black loyalists, refugees, and slaves who were evacuated from New York City to Nova Scotia in 1783. The impending victory at the end of the American Revolution threatened re-enslavement for those who escaped their slave owners and managed to get behind British lines. The last British hold out was New York and many slaves and former slaves had arrived there throughout the war. The British government realized that if New York City would be taken over with escaped slaves still inside, the freedom that they achieved would be taken away. Realizing this, the British Government promised land in Nova Scotia and an evacuation opportunity to the escaped slaves. The promise of freedom in British North America, however, was only available to former slaves of Americans. Slaves of loyal British subjects were not offered land or freedom. They would be brought to Nova Scotia (and New Brunswick, which was not independent yet) and put to work clearing land, and cultivating farms. 

In the Book of Negroes are listed both free and enslaved men, women, and children. The destination of each vessel is listed along with a physical description and remarks on their status of freedom. Among the places listed as destinations are the River St. John’s (or Saint John’s River) and St. John’s. Upwards of 130 people were sent to the River St. John which could mean they ended up anywhere between Woodstock and the City of Saint John. Some of these people settled in the York-Sunbury counties in communities such as Kingsclear, Fredericton, and Maugerville. The 1785 land petition from the Blacks of Maugerville is signed by twelve men, six who are listed in the Book of Negroes and three who were on the same ship. This demonstrates how people in the Book of Negros stuck together when they arrived in the new unknown land and created new communities to survive together. Unfortunately, like the case of the Maugerville Blacks, many who were promised land were never given it, or were not given the correct provisions to thrive. The evacuation of New York gave promise of land and hope for freedom, which some received but others did not.