Looking Back, Moving Forward: Documenting the Heritage of African Nova Scotians

This return shows 684 black refugees living in the Halifax region, including the town of Halifax, Windsor Road, Dartmouth, Preston, and Porters Lake. The majority were in the town of Halifax, because the government had not yet decided where the refugees should be settled. The number of refugees increased significantly over the next several months, thus forcing the government to develop a land settlement program.

Date: 6 March 1815

Reference: Commissioner of Public Records Nova Scotia Archives RG 1 volume 411 number 78