The launch will take place Saturday, January 31st from 2 to 4 pm at 21975 AD Shadd Rd.
North Buxton, which is south of Chatham and the site of a settlement of escaped slaves and free blacks,

A Shadow on the Household
One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom
By Bryan Prince

Hardcover, 296 pages; Publisher: McClelland & Stewart; Price: $32.99

The extraordinary story of one couple’s determination to free themselves and their children from slavery and make a new life in Canada

Prior to abolition in 1865, as many as 40,000 men, women, and children made the perilous trip north from enslavement in the United States to freedom in Canada. Many were aided by the networks that came to be known as the Underground Railroad.

In A Shadow on the Household, Bryan Prince, a descendant of slaves, brings to life the heart-wrenching story of the Weems family and their struggle to liberate themselves from slavery. John Weems, a man who purchased his own freedom, paid the owner of his enslaved wife and eight children an annual fee to keep them together at one plantation. But when that owner died, the Weemses were cruelly separated and scattered throughout the South. Heartbroken and desperate, John resolved to raise the money to buy his family’s freedom and reunite them. Mining newspapers, private letters, diaries, estate records, marriage registries, and abolitionist papers for details of a story cloaked in secrecy, Bryan Prince has rescued the Weems family and their plight from historical oblivion.

An unforgettable story of love and persistence, played out against the backdrop of the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a growing abolitionist movement, and the heroic efforts of the Underground Railroad, the Weems family saga must be read to be believed.

 “A work with the breadth and depth of a historical epic. . . . At times, it’s easy to forget that A Shadow on the Household is a work of history, and not fiction. Often, the text has the heightened drama of a detective narrative, with villains and heroes, and people working against the clock, against unimaginable odds. . . . a gripping and comprehensive historical investigation that will draw you in and make you think.”
– Montreal Gazette

“Prince's concrete details of a desperate time and place bring the family fiercely to life. It is a superb piece of scholarship.” – DONNA BAILEY NURSE, Globe and Mail

Bryan Prince

Bryan Prince is not only an accomplished author, having been awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for his historical work, he also farms with his wife and children and serves as the Vice President of the Buxton Historical Society. 

He has a profound interest in the history of the Underground Railroad – particularly in the Canadian involvement and is a descendant of slaves and free blacks who came to Canada prior to the American Civil War. Among his many projects, he is a director and historian with the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, a partner of York University’s Harriet Tubman Institute, and a consulting editor with the Adam Matthew Publications digital project Slavery, Abolition, and Social Justice in England. He is also the author of I Came As a Stranger - The Underground Railroad, which won the 2005 Children’s Nautilus Book Award for Non-Fiction. He lives in Buxton, Ontario and is the sixth generation of his family to do so.

For close to twenty five years, he has spent countless hours researching, writing, and lecturing on the topic of black history. He is often called upon for his expertise, and has done many interviews and presentations about the Underground Railroad. He has contributed articles and short stories to the Buxton Museum’s publications and the Chatham newspaper. In 2002, Bryan was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for contributions to history.

“Doll Exhibit”

The museum has been anonymously loaned this collection of cloth dolls dating back to the 1800s. In celebration of Black History Month, the Buxton Historical Society will launch this fantastic exhibit on loan from a private collector! To get a sneak peak of the precious vintage dolls which will be on display at the museum click www.buxtonmuseum.com/news/Dolls/index.htm.

To encourage families to join the celebration of Black History Month, the museum will be open on Sundays during February, staffed by volunteers from the Buxton Historical Society between 1-4:30 p.m.