African Nova Scotians in the Age of Slavery and Abolition

The grand jury complains to the magistrates in Queens County about the case of Peter, a young black indentured servant from Shelburne. Peter's services were sold to Zebulon Perkins of Liverpool, who illegally carried him off to the West Indies, claiming that he was "notoriously bad." Perkins then sold the remainder of Peter's time to a shopkeeper in Antigua. The grand jury was concerned that allowing black indentured servants to be treated as if they were slaves could prevent free blacks from "binding out their children in future." The matter was referred to Lieutenant Governor Wentworth, who advised that Perkins be ordered to return Peter to Nova Scotia.

Date: 22 April 1794

Reference: Shelburne County Court of General Sessions of the Peace  Nova Scotia Archives  RG 34-321 J 145