the Slavery Abolition Act only became law on August 1, 1834, it would be interesting to know how many unrecorded sales of slaves there were. Slaves may have been brought to Nova Scotia as early as 1713, and while some sales were recorded, others were not. One hundred million dollars was appropriated by the British Parliament to compensate those slave owners who had lost their slaves through emancipation. There is no record of any monies being granted to the slaves to give them a new lease on life or to atone for more than four hundred years of bondage.
CHAPTER 3 Racism Beyond the Grave
Today, Sweeny’s Funeral Home is one of Yarmouth’s most respected establishments for seeing to the needs of the families of the dearly departed. The men who own and operate Sweeny’s today, and in recent years, have shown us the true meaning of compassion. Their dedication and sincerity toward the bereaved is unquestionable.
Unfortunately, this was not always the case. Jacob Sweeny purchased the business from his old boss, Mr. Allan, in 1867. Jacob, a manufacturer and dealer of chestnut, ash, antique oak, and painted chamber furniture, was also an undertaker, embalmer, and funeral director. His furniture store was in the front of the building and the funeral parlour in the back.
When Jacob’s building caught fire and burned, he was forced to relocate to another area. It was at this time that his furniture business ceased to exist, allowing him to concentrate wholly on his duties as funeral director. He kept excellent records, so good in fact, that some of the entries, (it is not known for certain who made them) were not always complimentary. From 1891 to the early 1900s several ledger entries show blatant racism on the part of someone in Sweeny’s establishment. Eventually, as they came of age, Jacob Sweeny’s sons began to express an interest in the business. It was shortly after his oldest son Vern Sweeny joined the family business that the derogatory entries ceased.
In the following ledger entries1 it will be noticed how often the “N” word is used, even when referring to the minister who, for the bookkeeper’s purpose, had no other name (typical of the day).
ABOVE: Sweeny’s Funeral Ledger, 1899.
FACING PAGE: Sweeny’s Funeral Ledger, 1903.
When researching the cemeteries in Greenville, the first and only reference source I used was the transcribed ledgers of Sweeny’s Funeral Home covering the period from 1891 to 1997. It was brought to my attention that the woman and her husband who transcribed them were upset by certain early entries and refused to put them in the binders they had set up. The original Sweeny ledgers are from the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives. Copies were made of the pages containing derogatory entries. These ledgers are in the public domain and available to the public at the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives.
Several years ago the owners of Sweeny’s Funeral Home added a chapel to the existing building. With a vaulted ceiling, carpeted floors, and comfortable seating for the bereaved and their friends, this new addition brings comfort to those who have lost loved ones. Sweeny’s dedicated owners will do anything and everything within their power to make the families and friends of the deceased as comfortable as possible, whether it be talking to them or simply filling out the necessary forms to relieve the family of the burden of having to do so themselves. Compassion is their business and they do it extremely well. The ledgers of former years are no more.
CHAPTER 4 Community of Greenville: Earliest Black Settlement in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
The name Greenville is one of three once given to this community, earlier names being Salmon River and Riverdale. The names of some of the people who lived in the community between Porcupine Lake and Jebogue Lake are shown on the map1 that was created in 1864. This tiny village, totally populated by Blacks, was known as Greenville as early as October 23, 1869, as is recorded on a land deed issued by George Gideon Dies to the trustees of the then-called African Church in Greenville. Today, the church is the Greenville United Baptist Church. Another deed dated February 4, 1911, states that Greenville was formerly known as Riverdale. The eastern limit of Greenville was defined by Salmon River Lake (sometimes known as Pleasant Lake), Salmon River, and Porcupine Lake.
Greenville was appropriately named more than one hundred years ago for the appearance of the surrounding vegetation of the time. The roughly built log houses with rags covering glassless windows were completely enshrouded in lush, thick trees, low-growing green bushes, and wild berry bushes. The community of Greenville was a pastoral, peaceful Eden for those who struggled to make a home for their families there. The gravel road into and out of this haven was no more than a horse-and-buggy trail. Although the road was widened somewhat with the invention of the motor car, there was scarcely enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, if indeed they could achieve even that.
Recorded history has Greenville first settled around 1820, the year David Dize was freed from his indenture to Nehemiah Porter. David Dize (Dyes, Dise) was a Black man originally from Kingston, Jamaica.2 Born in 1798, he was the son of James Dize and Lydia Dize, also of Jamaica. Young David arrived in Yarmouth at the age of fourteen after having been placed on a man-of-war ship in Kingston.
A.F. Church was commissioned to create this very large map, approximately four feet by four feet, in March 1864. It is hanging on a wall in the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives. The names of the people who lived in the different communities of Yarmouth County and the town of Yarmouth appear on the map. According to the museum curator emeritus, Eric Ruff, the printing was completed in 1867.
Just over seventeen years of age in 1815, he signed an indenture placing himself apprentice to Nehemiah Porter Sr., the coroner for the town of Yarmouth. This indenture was for a little over four years, after which time David would be released from his servitude. As shown in the following document, among other stifling stipulations, the man was not even allowed to marry or have any close relationships whatsoever with a woman during the full four years of his indenture:
WITNESSETH, That DAVID DIZE (Black Man) Foreign Born, now residing in the Township of Yarmouth in the County of Shelburne Province of Nova Scotia, Freeman, Hath put, himself and by these Presents, Doth voluntarily, and of his own free will and accord, put himself APPRENTICE to NEHEMIAH PORTER, Senr. of the Township of Yarmouth County of Shelburne & province of Nova Scotia
To learn the Art, Trade and Mystery of as Menial Servent or the usual Nova Scotia occupations of an Husbandman as Common in Yarmouth and after the manner of an Apprentice, to serve from the day of the Date hereof, for and during and until the full End and Term of Four years Seven Months and Nine days or till he is 22 years old which will be on the 2d Jany 1820 next ensuing. During all which time, the said Apprentice his said master faithfully shall serve, his secrets keep, his lawful Commands every where readily obey; he shall do no damage to his said master, nor see it done by others, without letting or giving notice thereof to his said Master, he shall not waste his said Master’s Goods nor lend them unlawfully to any; shall not commit Fornication, or Matrimony contract, within the said Term; at Cards, Dice, or any other unlawful Game he shall not play whereby his said Master may have damage; With his own goods nor the Goods of others, without License from his said Master, shall he neither buy nor sell he shall not absent himself Day nor Night from his Master’s service, without his Leave, nor haunt Ale-houses, Taverns, or Play-houses; but in all things behave himself as a faithful Apprentice ought to do during the said Term. And the said Master
