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Black settlers ... who were they? The lure of free land attracted Black settlers to the Queen's Bush Settlement. The community developed in the Clergy Reserve known as the Queen's Bush, which extended from Waterloo County to Lake Huron. The majority settled in the southern half of Peel Township in Wellington County but the Queen's Bush Settlement also included the northern half of Wellesley Township and the western portion of Woolwich Township in Waterloo County. This area, eight by twelve miles in size, had a population of approximately 2,500 by 1840. Of these about 1,500 were Black settlers. Black settlers arrived in the Queen's Bush for different reasons and by various routes. The following histories describe how some Blacks came to be residents there. These histories involve a fugitive slave, a freed slave, a man who purchased his freedom, and a man born free. Joseph Armstrong, born in Maryland on June 28, 1819, was a fugitive slave. At age eighteen Armstrong ran away from his owner, Jacob Baer, and slave catchers tracked him as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Fearful of being captured and returned to slavery, he eventually moved to Upper Canada in 1837. He settled initially in Brantford, but later moved to Peel Township where he established a farm. Sophia Burthen Pooley lived under British rule and gained freedom in 1834 when the British Parliament abolished slavery. She was a native of Fishkill, New York, and daughter of slaves Oliver and Dinah Burthen. While still a young child, her owner's sons-in-law, Daniel Outwaters and Simon Knox, kidnapped Sophia and her sister and took them to Upper Canada. Joseph Brant, chief of the Mohawks, bought Sophia and she subsequently worked for the Brant family, travelling with them as they divided their time between Mohawk, Ancaster and Preston. Sophia remained with Brant for twelve or thirteen years until he sold her to Samuel Hatt in Ancaster for one hundred dollars. After gaining her freedom in 1834, she married Robert Pooley and the couple resided in Waterloo. In her old age Sophia boarded with various families in the Queen's Bush Settlement. Joseph Mallott, born a slave in Alabama around 1799, worked as a cook on a Mississippi river boat. By saving tips from passengers, he eventually was able to purchase his freedom and move to Upper Canada. Mallott initially settled in Bloomingdale in Woolwich Township with his family. After the birth of his son, Joseph Jr., in 1835, the family relocated to Peel Township. Joseph Jr. remained in the community during his entire life and worked as a farm laborer on neighbouring farms. Thomas Elwood Knox, a free-born African-American, had emigrated to Upper Canada in 1844 to escape the discrimination he had encountered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1847 he established a farm in the Queen's Bush Settlement. Knox acknowledged that there was less racism in Upper Canada, but he admitted that he "...would rather have remained in [his] native country."
The Missionary Schools
In 1843, Peel Township residents erected an 18 foot by 14 foot log cabin which the new missionary teacher, Fidelia Coburn, called the Mount Pleasant Mission. Although the school had been established for the benefit of fugitive slaves, it attracted White students as well. It was not only a school, but Miss Coburn's home: a wood stove stood in the middle of the room and rough-hewn desks lined the walls. Moveable log benches filled the centre of the room around the stove, while Coburn's bed and personal items occupied one corner of the cabin. Despite the limited space, Coburn's students ranged in age from very young children to adults. In 1846, another school in Peel Township was opened, named the Mount Hope Mission. During the 1845-46 school year, the two schools had a combined attendance of 225 pupils. At times, the relationship between the missionaries and the Black residents was under considerable strain. Tensions existed over the control of funds and clothing sent from the United States. By 1853, both schools were closed due to the departure of Black settlers from the Queen's Bush. In the early 1840s, land surveyors entered the Queen's Bush to prepare it for sale to the increasing number of immigrants. As squatters without any legal right to the land, Black and White settlers risked losing their homes. After uniting and sending a letter to Parliament, the squatters were permitted by the government to purchase lots of one hundred acres on an installment plan, with annual cash installments at ten percent interest and any remainder to be paid in full after ten years. This was still too expensive for most. Many squatters, both Black and White, abandoned their homes. The settlers who could purchase their farms were often forced to use their savings or to borrow money from more prosperous farmers. The land agents worked on commission and were eager to sell lots. They often unscrupulously harassed Black squatters, especially those who were illiterate and had little business experience. A major relocation of Black settlers began taking place in the late 1840s, mostly to Owen Sound, but also to towns and cities surrounding the Queen's Bush Settlement and to other Black settlements. In spite of this depopulation of Queen's Bush, Blacks could still claim that, just like Whites, they were able to establish communities in the wilderness, communities that had the same kinds of social, religious and business institutions. In 1850, the Common Schools Act of the colonial government provided for the creation of separate schools for Blacks. Black schools frequently suffered from a lack of financial support. Black students often found themselves barred from other schools. The 1850s marked the height of Black settlement in Upper Canada. In the 35 years following the American Civil War, 60-75% of Blacks left Canada. Some left to fight on the Union side during the War. Others were attracted by the benefits of the Reconstruction that followed the War and seemed to promise greater equality. Others sought reunification with families. With the creation of the new Dominion of Canada in 1867, the policy of open immigration for Blacks ended. The new immigration policy promoted White European immigration. By 1901, there were about 18,000 Blacks left. Before the American Civil War, the Black population had stood at approximately 60,000.
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Creating
a new life on the Canadian frontier was not an easy undertaking. It
involved the usual tasks of clearing land, planting and harvesting
crops, building a cabin and facing the elements, especially the
ferocious winters. Slowly, as the number of settlers increased, the
settlement began to resemble a rural community, especially as
churches, businesses, and schools were established. In 1841, the Black
residents of Peel Township erected a church just south of the
Conestogo River. The first known ordained Black minister in the
community was Jacob Libertus.
Several denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal (AME),
Wesleyan Methodist and Baptist Churches, established congregations in
the Queen's Bush Settlement. Because of the early influence of several
Wesleyan Methodist ministers, the Wesleyan Methodist church attracted
the largest membership. By the mid-1840s, several businesses had been
established, including a grist mill, sawmill, store, and hotel. As the
villages, such as Hawksville, Glen Allan, and Yatton expanded, their
names began to replace the older Queen's Bush title. 
Beginning
in the 1830s, several American ministers and teachers arrived in the
Queen's Bush Settlement and established schools for the residents.
Education was given great emphasis as it would provide the skills for
self improvement. Most fugitives had been kept illiterate by the
Southern slave system which sought to restrict knowledge of anything
beyond the plantation.