: New Canaan was located outside of the town of Harrow, ON. (now
: officially Essex located in Essex Cty.) The area was settled
: largely by blacks escaping from slavery in the American South.
: Many were from Kentucky due to its proximity to the Ohio River
: which was then the separator between enslavement and freedom.

: The original families can be found in the 1861 Canandian Census.
: Look for them in Canada West, Essex Cty.

: The freedom boundary shifted to the Canadian border on enactment of
: the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. Additonal families seeking refuge
: joined the original black settlers at that time.

: Contact HEIRS in Harrow. They are very helpful.

My Dad grew up in that area, and he knew it as an early black settlement. Not only that, he has told me of "lost" black bural gorunds in that area, down by the river.

e-mail me anytime, I do research on the Underground Railroad here in London, Ontairo