 |
|
Mariah Dyke was born
into slavery in 1830 in the state of Virginia.
She
was a mixture of Cherokee and African
blood and had four children by her
master George Dyke a Dutch shipbuilder
who was a descendant of Dutch pirates.
In
1852 George Dyke brought Mariah and her
children to the Elgin Settlement more
commonly known as the Buxton Settlement.
There
he purchased a 50 acre parcel of land in
trust to Mariah and her children, gave
them their freedom and he returned
south. Mariah Dyke died
Sept. 22, 1879, age 49 years,
5 months and 23 days.
She
is buried in the North Buxton
Community
Church
Cemetery in North Buxton
Ontario.
photo courtesy of
Spencer Alexander,
Assistant Curator,
Buxton National Historic Site & Museum
|
|
|
 What
if I know very little about my family history?
There are thousands of people in Ontario who only
know that they have an aboriginal ancestor. They
might know if it was on their mother’s or father’s side
of the family but know nothing else. That doesn’t
give them much to start a search with. However, if
that little bit of information from thousands of people
is put in a database patterns emerge that can point at
probable aboriginals. More intensive, targeted
research can then be done. So, even if you decide
not to become a member, please consider sharing
whatever knowledge you have with us. You might
hold the key not only to your own ancestor but the
ancestor of thousands of other people.
What does a search cost?
The fee is $100. If you were to hire a
genealogist to search for your aboriginal ancestors it
could cost you thousands of dollars.
What are the benefits of
joining?
You gain access to our large and unique collection of
records. We are the only organization that has taken our
particular approach to aboriginal research. If you have
forty years to spare you might catch up to us.
Otherwise, you can access what we have already done.
What does the search include?
The search includes all of our own records as well as
archives and other similar collections.
Where do you get your
information?
We gather our information from a vast
variety of sources including government records, census
records, land grants, local histories, genealogies,
church records, military records, and many, many other
places.
|
How far back do your records
go?
Our records date back to the early
1400s. Most are in the last two to three hundred
years.
What is unique about your
service?
There are many organizations that
deal with different aspects of aboriginal history.
What makes us unique is that we are dedicated to
documenting all the genealogical information from all
sources into one place. Our methods are unique as
well. We are working backwards from living individuals
to find their ancestors. At the same time we are
starting in the past with historical records and
documenting aboriginal descendants.
Do you only have records for
Ontario?
Our records include all of Canada and
the United States. Originally we started with
records and individuals from Ontario and followed the
information wherever it lead us. Individuals often
moved between provinces and back and forth between
Canada and the United States. We recorded the
information we found in both countries.
Do you have any additional
questions?
You can contact us at:
Email address:
omfrcinfo@gmail.com
Mailing address:
Ontario Metis Family Records
Center
1314 Hybla Road
RR5
Bancroft, ON
K0L 1C0
Phone: 1-613-332-4789
toll free: 1-877-737-0770
|
Volunteer
