Black History - Maine

Blacks came to Maine a number of different ways. They came from the underground railroad, they came because they were sold, to one person, to another person. Pepperell Mills down in Biddeford had a number of slaves working for them. Maine didnt have any slave legislation, but they did have slaves. And they came in boats, they came as far as Thomaston. In Thomaston they came because they were sold. A number of them were sold to ministers because the ministers were elderly and they needed someone to take care of their belongings and they did that kind of work. They came from the British West Indies, they came from the south and they came from Canada. Now let me tell you about that. Because the underground railroad came up through Maine up through Portland up through Brunswick, and went right up the coastline to Canada. They also came up through Augusta, Vassalboro, and up to Jackman and up to Montreal, Quebec and that country. Blacks did all there traveling through the state of Maine into Canada. And most of them found their way into Canada but some of them thought it was safe and moved back to Maine. Now you will also understand that if you look at the population of the state of Maine, you will see that in the Bangor neighborhood most of those people are from Canada. If you look at the Portland area, most of them are from the south. And theres two or three families in the Lewiston area or Augusta area.
I can remember as a young kid, I can remember my aunts and uncles going back and forth to Canada. I heard names but I never had gone back
I found out that most of my ancestors are from Harlem. Harlem, Maine. I couldnt figure it out until I started looking. Harlem Maine is just outside of Augusta. It was called Black and Burrells Plantation that was changed to Harlem. Then in 1822 they change the district to read China, Maine. If you looked at an old map of Maine youll see Harlem.
I was doing research on black history and I got an article from a young man. It had been done by a paper up in Augusta, by Mary Grow. Mary Grow had done an article on a cemetery in Harlem, which I knew. And it was Talbot. I called her up, met her up in Augusta. She said Nobody knows about this except hunters or something. So we met Mary Grow and went up there. And we go down an old cow path. We went down about a hundred yards. We walked fifty yards deeper in the woods. There was a huge grave stone from my great great great great grandmother.
While I was going through black history and family history, I said, Gee the best thing for me to do is, because I dont know where to go around here, is to go to Canada and find out. Cause my mother is from Canada. I have her old papers and all that. I have some other relatives in Canada. So Im going to Canada and I talked my brother and sister to go with me.
My mothers a lot darker than I am and my sister is in between there somewhere... continue