Richard Pierpoint

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Richard Pierpoint (Senegal 1744 - Canada 1838), also known as Black Dick and Captain Dick, was born about 1744 in Bondou, Senegal. When he was about sixteen he was captured and sold as a slave. He survived the crossing of the Atlantic and was sold in New York to a British officer named Pierpoint. ^[1] It was common for the slaves to take the last name of their owner. The officer owned a vast amount of land on the Hudson River and Richard Pierpoint acted as his personal servant. ^[2]

Contents 1 Butler's Rangers 2 The Pierpoint Settlement 3 Petition 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Butler's Rangers

In 1776, with the outbreak of the American Revolution, many African American slaves were offered freedom on the condition that they fought on the side of the British. By at least 1780 Pierpoint was one of about a dozen Africans fighting with the Butler's Rangers regiment. Some members of the regiment were former black slaves, which enlisted blacks only as non-combatant labourers or sappers. The total number of black soldiers in Butler's Rangers is unknown, although Pierpoint is the only one who enters into the historical record.

[edit] The Pierpoint Settlement

Following the British defeat the Rangers settled in Niagara. ^[3] Blacks were entitled to the same proportion of land as their fellow Loyalists. In 1788 Pierpoint was located on 200 acres (0.81 km²) of land near present-day St. Catharines. In 1794 Pierpont signed the Petition of Free Negroes to Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe. The Petition was read by the Executive Council of Upper Canada Government on July 8, 1794 and dismissed. ^[4]

Among the Loyalists who came to Upper Canada over two hundred years ago were several hundred Blacks. Blacks represented about 10% of the total Loyalist emigration. ^[5] There were some who had fought on the British side during the American Revolution. Communities such as the Pierpoint Settlement and the Queen's Bush Settlement were examples of how Blacks created communities and helped develop many of the communities in Southern Ontario.

Following the outbreak of the War of 1812, Pierpoint proposed to organize a Corps of Men of Colour on the Niagara frontier. His offer was refused, but a small Black corps was raised locally by a white officer. Pierpoint volunteered immediately, although he was at least 60 years old. The corps saw action at the Battle of Queenston Heights and the siege of Fort George. For the remainder of the war the corps was used for labour and garrison duty. ^[6] He would later form the Company of Coloured Men, an all-black militia unit that served with distinction at the battles of Fort George, Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane during the War of 1812. In 1821 Pierpoint would found the Garafraxa Settlement, a black farming community near Fergus, Ontario, Canada, and a terminus of the Underground Railroad.

[edit] Petition

In 1821 Pierpoint petitioned Lieutenant Governor Simcoe for passage back to his homeland in Senegal. A certificate from the Adjutant General Nathaniel Coffin was attached. ^[7]

The Petition of Richard Pierpoint, now of the Town of Niagara, a Man of Colour, a native of Africa, and an inhabitant of this Province since the year 1780.

Most humbly showeth,

That Your Excellency's Petitioner is a native of Bondu in Africa; that at the age of Sixteen Years he was made a Prisoner and sold as a Slave; that he was conveyed [transported] to America about the year 1760, and sold to a British officer; that he served his Majesty [George III, the king of England] during the American Revolutionary War in the Corps called Butler's Rangers; and again during the late American War in a Corps of Colour raised on the Niagara Frontier.

That Your Excellency's Petitioner is now old and without property; that he finds it difficult to obtain a livelihood by his labour; that he is above all things desirous to return to his native Country; that His Majesty's Government be graciously pleased to grant him any relief, he wishes it may be by affording him the means to proceed to England and from thence to a Settlement near the Gambia or Senegal Rivers, from whence he could return to Bondu...

York Upper Canada
21st July 1821 ^[8]

His request was denied and instead Pierpoint and approximately 8 to 10 other black families, including other 1812 veterans, were given land grants in Garafraxa, just outside present day Fergus.

"Grant to Richard Pierpoint of the Township of Grantham in the County of Lincoln in the Niagara District, farmer -- as a private in the Coloured Corps under Captain Runchey and Lieutenant Robertson -- the easterly half of Lot No. 6 in the 1st Concession of the Township of Garafraxa -- containing one hundred acres."^[9]

A "land ticket" was issued to him on July 30, 1822. Pierpoint would only get full ownership of the plot once he had cleared at least five acres of trees, cleared a road to the plot and built a house: ^[10]

Location Ticket grant on fulfilment of settling duties req'd by Order in Council of 20 Oct. 1818: to clear and fence 5 acres for every 100 acres (0.40 km²) granted; to erect a dwelling house of 16 by 20 feet (6.1 m); to clear one half of the Road in front of each lot. The whole to be performed within two years from the date of the ticket. Note The Settlement duty performed as attested & admitted. 15 Sept. 1826. Sig. T. Ridout. ^[11]

The farm became a settlement with a number of blacks living there, but the exact number is unknown. Very few records were left and even orally transmitted history is limited.

Pierpoint died in 1838 and many believe that when he died the strong leadership that held the community together also died. Some Scottish families purchased the settlement land and the black community dispersed, possibly to Glen Allan, Priceville, and Collingwood. ^[12]

A book about his life was written titled A Stolen Life: Searching for Richard Pierpoint. It was published by Natural Heritage Books in November 1999 and the ISBN number is 1896219551. The authors were David and Peter Meyler. ^[13]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online