Richard Pierpoint c. 1744 - c. 1838

One of the first Black settlers in this region, Pierpoint was born in Senegal. At the age of about 16, he was imprisoned and shipped to America where he became the slave of a British officer. During the American Revolution, he enlisted in the British forces, thereby gaining his freedom, and served with Butler’s Rangers. Disbanded at Niagara, “Captain Dick” settled near here. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, he joined the Coloured Corps and, in 1821, recalling his militia service, he petitioned the government for passage home to Africa. Although his request was denied, the aged Pierpoint was granted land in present-day Fergus. Remarkably, he fulfilled the required settlement duties when over 80 and then apparently returned to this area.

Pierpoint, un des premiers colons noire de cette région, naquit au Sénégal. Capturé vers l’âge de seize ans, il devint l’esclave d’un officier britannique aux Etats-Unis. Durant la révolution américaine, il s’enrôla dans l’armée britannique, recouvrant ainsi sa liberté, et servit dans le Rangers de Butler. Démobilisé à Niagara, “Captain Dick” s’installa près d’ici. Au début de la Guerre de 1812, il rejoingnit le Coloured Corps. En 1821, rappelant son service dans la milice au gouvernement, il demanda que son passage en Afrique lui soit payé. Le gouvernement refusa, mais lui concéda un lot à l’emplacement actuel de Fergus. Âgé de plus de 80 ans, il s’acquitta, chose étonnante, des exigences de la colonisation et, apparemment, il revint s’installer ici.