Greenville & Yarmouth South

By:

Leotra Jarvis & Vanessa Fells

Greenville was settled in the late 1700's. The first person to live there was a Kelly. The first records show that she may have come from Birchtown ( a loyalist community in Shelburne). Greenville was originally known as the Salmon River Settlement afterwards it was known as the Dyes Road Settlement. As they moved on it was known as present day Greenville. The most prominent people to come from Greenville were Alfreda and Reverend Anderson. Reverend Anderson was born in Upper Hammond's Plain and married in 1919. Mrs. Anderson taught in a one room school house from grades primary to grade 8 for almost 30 years.

The church in Greenville was build in 1893. There are three graveyards: -one next to the church -one at the bottom of the road -one by Dyes road.

Families that still live in Greenville are:

THE LAWRENCE'S

Sherry, Oscar, Marge, Lorenzo( wife of Elly)

Sherry L. Sr. wife is Yvonne, and son Sherry Jr.
Oscar's wife, Angie Lawrence
Leroy, and wife Suey
All of the children's parents were Albert and Mabel Lawrence.

MILLER'S

Edward, Mert Miller
their children were Diana and Roy who are our 2nd cousin's
There is Sherrance and Jolicia who are also our cousin's.

JOHNSON'S

George and Belle Johnson's children were Calvin, Donna, Junior, Peter, Colin.

Mary and Clarence Johnson, Lou, Arthur, Sherron, Derald, and Jenny children of parents were Jake and Cass Johnson.

FALLS

Glenn, and Vera ( parents of Dorothy and Clarence and have a daughter named Shavonne.

Rudy, grandson, Gary, husband, Clarence, grand-daughter; Seron.

In this picture of the Brothers Club starting from left standing is my great uncle Freeman Berry, Timmy Parkes, Buster Johnson, Albert Johnson, My mother's good friend Alan Forbes (father Bruton Forbes,) Alfred Parkes, last two unknown. Sitting on the bench is the pharmacist Bruce Johnson's father, Earnest Johnson, Basketball coach Chuck Smith's, father Charles Smiths, my great grandfather George Fells, next person unknown, and last is my great-uncle Sebert Kelly . This group of men are part of the Brother's Club of Yarmouth.

Greenville is a small village out side the town of Yarmouth. This is were most of my family grew up. My grand-mother Ada Fells and her 12 brothers and sister lived in Greenville. Most of her brothers and sister's that are still alive still live in Greenville. Now a days, alot of my family is divided some of us live in town or around the town limit and the rest of the family live in Greenville. None of my mothers family lived in Greenville they lived in Yarmouth and spread out down in the United States. Most of my family, when they were younger went to the same church (Shariton Assembly) were my mother, father, my Grandfather P.A. Best was the minister, and they all went to the same Bible Camp every year. The Bethal Bible Camp, in Wolfville.

My grandfather, brother, twin sister and me

My family had lived in Greenville for the last one hundred years and some of them still do but a lot of them about half have moved to Yarmouth and 95% of my family that lives in Yarmouth, live in Southend. My grandfather Reverend P.A. Best which the P.A. Best center is named after lived in south end with his wife my grandmother and his daughter (my mother) and had alot of ties with the people of Greenville. Both of my grandfather's were good friends and did a lot of things together like: went to Bible camp, went to the same church had outings like picnic's together and other sorts of different things. All in all both sides of my family go way back, even before my mother and father knew each other their families have been friends.

Black History

In 1850,a few Blacks left Halifax and sailed to Sierra Leone, which is found in Africa. Due to this, the Black population diminished extremely. To follow in the footsteps of the Maroons, many more came to NS and disperset province wide. Since they arrived, the Revolutionary War started. Men young and old wanted to enlist in the Army so that they can do pride for their beloved country and queen only many were rejected due to the basic fact of their race. Some went to Sussex, NB to enlist there but the administration officer plainly said that they did not want to recruit them because that they did not want to have a "checker board army". These men were not about to give up, and that was when the No.1 Black Battalion was formed in Pictou, NS.

There are alot of people from Greenville that I've learned are related to me and my cousin that is doing this project with me. Charles Smith is the grandfather of the boys basketball coach, Chuck Smith. George Fells is the great grandfather of Vanessa Fells. Albert Johnson is my great cousin. These are members of the Brothers Club.

There also were a lot of famous black people in Nova Scotia believe it or not. Here are some of them.
- Sam Langford seventh ranked heavy weight champion of all times. Internationally hailed the " the uncrowned champion " of the world. Born in Weymouth, N.S. March 4, 1883. He died in Boston Massachusetts
Jan.12/1956. A gentlemen of proven skill and courage in the ring, he maintained the courage during his later years of adversity. Erected by the Weymouth Falls community council and friends in Nova Scotia June 1972.

CROMWELL
Cromwell family that settled in and around Southville, Nova Scotia, starting in 1783 when the first black loyalist and slaves came to Nova Scotia. Also included in this family tree are the Brights, Langfords, Jarvis's
and Hatfields
- Joseph and Jane Cromwell-1783
-Children of Joseph and Jane Cromwell
William Cromwell ; Hannah Cromwell ; Elizabeth Cromwell
- Son of Jane Cromwell
Jerome Cromwell 1786-1886
- Children of Jerome Lawrence Cromwell and Maria Caroline Francis
-Charles Joseph M. Cromwell
-Helene Cromwell
-Elizabeth Cromwell
-Maria Anne Cromwell
-Genevieve Cromwell
-Caroline Cromwell
-Sophie Cromwell
-Marie Henriette Cromwell
The history of the Cromwell's still goes on and on throughout each
children's , children's , children's families.

Black communities in Nova Scotia

- Greenville -Yarmouth -Jordan town -Conway -Weymouth	Digby -LeQuille -Birchtown Middleton Halifax
Monasery Africville New Waterford Truro Glacebay	Dartmouth Spring hill Sydney Bridgetown Three mile Plains
Maroon hill Aldershot North Preston East Preston Lincolnville	Beechville Sunnyville Hammonds Plains Lake loon Liverpool Cherry Brook

How blacks got to Nova Scotia

1749 - Halifax
Some black people also enslaved in the province prior to and after the founding of Halifax in 1749 by Lord Cornwallis, who had slaves of his own. Documents indicate servants and runaways were in the area; "Slave
Sale" advertisements and "Wanted Slave" posters are evidence of this.

Black refugees
1812-1816
In 1812, the war between Britain and the United States of America began. After the war ended in 1814, approximately 2,000 Black refugees, loyal to Britain, were evacuated via Washington (Chesapeake Bay), to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This arrival had a number of complications and eventually they were left to provide for their own existence after much of the land distribution was unfairly divided. However, through it all they survived and prospered. The largest settlements were established in Preston, Hammonds Plains, Beechville, Africville, Lucasville and Sackville areas. The majority of African-Nova Scotians today are descendants from this group. Some popular Nova Scotian family names include Carvery, Smith, Crawley,
Diggs, Wyse, Grant, Cromwell, Bunny, Johnson, Saunders, Sparks, Boyds, Beals and Downey.

Black Pioneers

Black pioneers came to Nova Scotia in two major migrations, 1783 and 1813, from the Thirteen British Colonies which became the United States of America. Most Black Pioneers came to Nova Scotia by ship. 1500 Black Pioneers landed at Port Roseway, now Shelburne. Black Pioneers arriving in 1813 landed at the busy port of Halifax and at Annapolis Royal.

Black Cultural Center

In Nova Scotia we also have a Black Cultural Center. In this center black students or even white students can learn more about the slavery and there culture. They can become more aware of what happened in the 18th century and even in the forties, fifties and sixties. The cultural center was opened in 1983. The center also has plays, music, actives, and exhibitions.

Community Events

- In Yarmouth we also do some special occasions for the Black community. At Christmas time we always get together at the Hubert Brush Centre and bring in a black Santa Claus for the children. He gives out treats and asks them what they want for Christmas. Then after that we usually have cake and juice for the kids to go along with there treat bags.

-In the summer time there usually is a bible school that goes on in the Hubert Brush center. When I use to go they use to bring us to Liverpool. We use to go up for a week and stay in what we would call the" Crudy Shack". My cousins and I use to call it that because it looked like a big tin can and we weren't aloud to shower no longer than 5 min. The Christian camp was fun but I was only little so I wanted to go home. We did lots of crafts and
learned about our heritage and about Jesus Christ. We came back in a week and the camp leader told my mother that I had the devil in me . She laughed and said she would send me to church and back to camp next year.

-Some other occasions we have are some dances out in Greenville for the black community. The dances are supervised by adults and there is a certain age limit that is required. The dances usually last from eight to eleven.

- The other thing we hold for our black community is an black awareness dinner at the Youth Center. At the center Ada Fells hands out awards for some of the black students that have improved in there school work and that have passed the school year to go into another grade or to college. At the dinner there are black students from grades 6 and up. Plus the children get
something so that they don't feel left out. The dinner last about two hours.

- And of course there is February, which is black history month. We don't really celebrate that month. Well you can say we do, we celebrate by learning more about our culture. Some other places they might do more than
we do but we do let everybody know that is Black History Month. We sell T- shirt's and hats, mug and books on Black History.

- That is about all the things I know about that goes on in our town and communities. There is something in Halifax that goes on for their community. There is a basketball tournament that goes on and they call it
the black on black tournament. It is a weekend thing, that means it goes on all weekend. It enters juniors and seniors. There is no age limit.

- There is also an special occasion in Weymouth Falls. There is an reunion that goes on every three years. This reunion is held for the Jarvis family, and the Fells and the Smiths. It is also held for alot more families but it would be impossible to name off all the families. Last year there was over 2000 people and we were all related. That gave us a chance to meet all of our relatives that we never met before. My father, Everett Jarvis had just met his four sisters at the Weymouth Reunion. It was a huge occasion and there was lots of good foods. They held it by my Grandmothers house that just recently just died this past February. There was over one hundred families there.

Town of Yarmouth
Town of Yarmouth History Index

Yarmouth Hub