"Legacy To Buxton" by Arlie C Robbins

I am always looking in the book section when I go to yard sales and flea markets. I have found quite a few books about Canadian history, and family history books including some interesting local history books. I must admit, that since I was a child and I first went to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Dresden, Ontario, I have been interested in the black history of the area. This book is the history of North Buxton, the Elgin Settlement, about where the people came from, a history of Africa, colonial America and slavery, the difficulties and life before coming to Canada and after. She tells of the history of the settlement , the families that settled there, where the individual families came from, and stories of their lives.

Here is an excerpt about the first settlers:

"The first people to become permanent citizens of the Elgin Settlement were Isaac Riley and his family of four. Three more children would be born in the settlement. He had come from Missouri, first to live among the French in Essex County, then to St. Catherine's and finally upon hearing of the new Settlement, to arrive here in November of 1849. On December 2nd, he became the first settler to purchase land. While here her took an active interest in Settlement affairs, becoming an elder in the Presbyterian Church. As mentioned before, his son Jerome became a doctor and helped establish the Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C. in 1863 while another son, John, became a minister in Kentucky. He and his family would leave the Settlement in March of 1880 and move to Nebraska, where many of his descendants can be found today."

"Arlie C. Robbins lived all of her life in North Buxton, Kent County, Ontario." "Mrs. Robbin's efforts to preserve the history of blacks in the Kent County, Ontario area was recognized by the Canadian Government with the awarding of the Centennial Medal "in recognition of valuable service to the nation" in 1968. She has worked on several research projects in an effort to uncover the history of the people of the Elgin Settlement and North Buxton and their descendants. Mrs. Robbins has acted as assistant curator and curator of the Raleigh Township Centennial Museum in North Buxton for a total of four years. She has been the secretary of the R.T.C.M. Board since it's formation in 1970."

related topics: Buxton National Historic Site & Museum