In the initial stages of this church, Blacks and whites met in homes for prayer meetings. On May 3, 1876, 15 people, including Black pioneers Fielding and Julia Spotts, Thomas W. Pierre and Augustus Christopher, met to organize the First Baptist Church. This was the...
Emily Arabella (Emma) Stark was the daughter of Louis and Sylvia Stark. She was appointed the first teacher in the new North Cedar School in August 1874, becoming the first Black teacher on Vancouver Island. Emma grew up on Salt Spring Island, arriving with her...
Pompey Jackson is thought to be the oldest person buried at Ross Bay Cemetery (Site No. G42 W18). On October 3,1873 the British Daily Colonist carried a brief notice of his death “Old Jackson, a colored man, aged 111 years, died near the Royal Oak yesterday (October...
When the township of Salt Spring was incorporated in Spring 1873, John Craven Jones, the island school teacher, and Henry William Robinson, originally from Bermuda, were elected to the seven-member council. Robinson served as the council secretary. Salt Spring Island...
Although Peter Lester sat as a juror in February 1860, Black men were not on the “official list of jurors maintained by the Sheriff’s office” as had been promised by Governor Douglas. In March 1872, Black residents presented a petition to the Legislative Assembly...
