Library and Archives Canada
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional links
ARCHIVED - Under a Northern Star
Archived Content
This archived Web page remains online for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. This page will not be altered or updated. Web pages that are archived on the Internet are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats of this page on the Contact Us page.
Black Loyalists: Nova Scotia
After Britain lost the American Revolutionary War in 1783, hundreds of Loyalist families calling themselves the Port Roseway Associates migrated to Canada and resettled in Port Roseway, Nova Scotia (a town today known as Shelburne). The free Blacks among them founded a separate enclave known as Birchtown, which became the largest free Black settlement in North America. Under Search you will find a digitized muster roll of the Birchtown settlers, which dates from 1784 and is searchable by name. Under History you will find a short overview of the Birchtown Black Loyalists, written by Debra Hill from the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.
