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| William King | |
William King was a Canadian pioneer who
established the Elgin community, Buxton,
Ontario, Canada, in 1849, as a haven for
African-Americans escaping slavery in the
United States.
A missionary of the Presbyterian Church,
Reverend William King was recognized as one
of the foremost leaders of the antislavery
movement in Canada. The thousands of acres of
land he purchased near Chatham, enabled former
slaves to become self-sufficient farmers,
landowners and successful business people,
despite the fact settlers were given no money,
charity, or handouts. His African-American
settlement thrived and saw its population soar
from the original 14 former slaves, to over 2,000.
The school he established in Elgin became so
renowned for its accelerated learning, that
neighboring white settlers began sending their
children there, making it one of the first
integrated schools in North America.
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| | Biographical fast facts | |
Date and place of birth: November 11, 1812,
near Newton-Limavady, Londonderry, Ireland
Date, time, place and cause of death: January 5, 1895,
at approximately 10:00 p.m., Chatham, Ontario, Canada
(Heart failure/Malaria)
Marriage #1
Spouse: Mary Phares (m. 1841 - February 25, 1846) (her death)
Marriage #2
Spouse: Jemima N. Baxter (m. 1853 - November 6, 1887) (her death)
Children
Son: Theophilus King
Daughter: Mary Elizabeth Chalmers King* (b. 1845, Edinburgh, Scotland -
d. May 9, 1846, of hydrocephalus)
Note: Both children were by his first wife Mary,
and both died in infancy.
Parents
Father: William King, Sr. (a farmer)
Mother: Elizabeth (Torrance) King
Burial site: Maple Leaf Cemetery, Chatham, Ontario, Canada
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| | Error corrections or clarifications | |
* NOTE: William King reported his daughter's name was Mary Elizabeth,
not "Johanna Elizabeth" as the biography, William King:
Friend and Champion of Slaves claims.
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| | Sources | |
The most in-depth of our sources was the
1925 biography, William King: Friend and Champion of Slaves,
by Annie Straith Jamieson.
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