The Elgin Settlement and the Buxton Mission

By Ed Schroeter

c 1991

Based on the book Look To The North Star by Victor Ullman. Permission is granted to educators and students to electronically reproduce and to photocopy this article for classroom use and research purposes.

The Elgin settlement was founded in 1849 by a white missionary, Rev. William King, whose parents had immigrated to a farm in Ohio from Glasgow, Scotland. King had firsthand experience with the plight of slaves when he took a job running a school in Louisiana for the children of wealthy plantation owners. While there, he met and married the daughter of one of the plantation owners.

In 1846, after become a minister and missionary of the Presbyterian Church, King accepted a missionary job in Canada West, now Ontario, working with fugitive slaves. Then, in an odd twist of fate, King's father-in-law died, leaving King all his property, including 14 slaves. King gave the slaves the choice of staying in Ohio as hi        s on his parents' farm or helping him in Canada to found a new settlement. They all chose to join King.

Located in the township of Raleigh on a fertile tract of land 160 kilometres from London to the east and 65 km from Windsor to the west, the Elgin Settlement and the Buxton Mission, the land was purchased by the Elgin Association through the Presbyterian Synod for the purpose of creating a settlement. The land lay 12 miles south of Chatham.

The Elgin Settlement was the last of four communal black settlements to come into existence in 19th Century Ontario in the same region. Two of the other settlements located in the same general area were the Dawn Settlement and the Wilberforce Settlement. The black population of Canada West and Chatham was already high because of the area's proximity to the United States of America.

As part of his plan, King and the 14 former slaves studied carpentry, current farming methods, blacksmithing, milling, and shoemaking. His idea was to ensure that the blacks were self-sufficient. The settlement would include a church, which offered worship in the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist faiths, a school, and land for all residents.

When news of the Elgin settlement spread, white settlers became worried, and attempted to block its development with a petition. Regardless of sentiment, plans for the settlement went ahead and many of Buxton's settlers feared for the life of William King due to the resistance of whites.

William King believed that blacks could function successfully in a working society if given the same educational opportunities as white children. "Blacks are intellectually capable of absorbing classical and abstract matters." Being a reverend and teacher, the building of a school and church in the settlement was found necessary by him. The settlement also was home to the logging industry. George Brown, who later became one of the Fathers of Confederation was a supporter of William King and helped build the settlement.

The settlement was made of 9,000 acres of land, six miles in length, three miles wide, and situated between the Great Western Railway and Lake Erie. The land was divided into farms of 50 acres each. Certain standards had to be maintained in the settlement regarding property conditions. Land had to be purchased by the settlers at the price of $2.50 per acre. The payments could be made in ten equal installments with six per cent interest. Ten years was allowed for the settlers to pay for their farms, most settlers would have had a deed in possession by then. The settlers were given no money, no grants of land, no farming tools. The only thing given was protection and advice.

King and his first settlers began clearing land, building roads, draining land, and building homes on November 28, 1849. These original settlers in turn taught new arrivals all the skills which they would need to settle. The rules for the settlement included:

       No liquor allowed on the settlement

Land could only be sold to blacks and had to remain in their hands for ten years

Land had to be purchased not leased

Each house had to be built at least 24x18x12 feet with a porch across the front

Each house had to be built 33 feet from the road, with a picket fence and flower garden in front. Prizes were given for the most attractive home

Each house was made from the logs cut down from the thick bush surrounding the area

William King clearly articulated his reasons for these strict rules. He  wanted a stable settlement for the black settlers. By requiring the inhabitants to pay for their own property and possessions, he hoped to instill a sense of pride in the community. The settlers also had to live on the land for ten years, which made many stay a reasonable length of time in Buxton.

King's rules appear to have paid off  Buxton is hailed the only successful black settlement in Canada.

By 1850 there was a post office and a church/school so well known for its high standards that many whites from Ontario and the United States applied to attend.

By 1852, the day school had 78 on the roll, 26 of which were children of white parents. King was mainly paid by the Home Mission Committee of the Presbyterian Free Church of Canada, which always worked against the evils of slavery.

As of August 1, 1852, there were 400 settlers here. Twenty-five families had purchased land close together, furthering the community atmosphere. There were about 100 families in the entire district. Of the 350 acres of land cleared at this time, 204 of those were under crop. The land had been adapted to grow corn, tobacco and hemp. The rule of no alcohol was working well and no cases of drunkenness had been reported. A court of arbitration was set up to encourage peace among the settlers.

By 1853, 130 families had settled on Elgin Association land. There were a total population of 520. Meanwhile, 500 acres had been cleared and were under fence, 135 were partially cleared, 263 acres were planted with corn, 60 acres with wheat, 29 with oats and 90 with various other crops. There were 112 students enrolled in the day school.

In 1854 more houses were built in the settlement. One person even constructed a brick home. There were approximately 150 families settled in Elgin. By this time 726 acres were cleared and under fence, 174 were cut down and ready for clearing. Meanwhile, 334 acres were planted with corn, 95 with wheat, 48 with oats and 100 with other assorted crops. The day school had 147 students registered.

By 1856 there were close to 800 people living in the Elgin Settlement. The settlement now had a school and mission's church. The Buxton mission was named after the Earl of Buxton (British Parliament) who passed the Emancipation Act of 1833. During 1856 the Elgin settlement had a post office, store, a two-storey hotel, a blacksmith, a carpenter, shoe shops, factories and a savings bank. Six men had finished their education at King's school.

By the 1860s, the settlement boasted two mills, a country store, a pearl-ash factory, and a brick factory and a population of about 2,000. From the settlement came distinguished residents such as a judge of the Mississippi circuit court, a member of the United States House of Representatives, a U.S. Senator, and one of the few black officers in the Union Army, Abraham Shadd.

The outbreak of the American Civil in 1861 changed the fortunes of the Elgin Settlement forever. Approximately 70 men from Elgin enlisted in the Union army. Although the community continued to exist, it never regained its former vigor.

By 1873 the Board of Directors of the Elgin Association disbanded leaving Elgin on its own.

King served Elgin till his death in Chatham on January 5, 1895. He is buried in Maple Leaf Cemetery.

The End.