Man reconnects with birth family, uncovers long, rich history in Canada

When Alex Proctor reunited with his birth family, he was overjoyed to be welcomed with open arms, but was even more flabbergasted when he began to understand the long history connected to that same family.

A new VeraCity documentary explores how Proctor reconnected with his birth parents after taking a genetic genealogy test and discovered he is a member of the Sharpe family. The Sharp family are descendants of the Holland Family, one of the first family of freed slaves to settle in Canada.

Proctor recently visited the Amherstburg Freedom Museum alongside his birth family to learn more about his ancestry. The museum is dedicated to freed slaves from the 1800s and how they made their way into Canada.

“I am related to the Holland family, and they were one of the first settlers to get here. And through marriage they became well, our family tree branched off to the Sharp family,” said Proctor.

The museum currently has an exhibit dedicated to the Holland Family.

“I didn’t even know I had a family and especially a family of hundreds and hundreds of people and such rich history.”

This all started back in the 1850s when two brothers escaped brutality on a plantation in Maryland via the Underground Railroad. Their escape left the family split in two – the Howards, who remained in slavery until emancipation, and the Canadian side, the Hollands, who were free.

William Henson Holland along with his brother Thomas John escaped enslavement.

“There’s two versions of the story that I’ve heard. One version that they came together. Another version is that William Henson, he came to Canada in 1857 and his brother came in 1860,” said Dr. Lorene Bridgen-Lennie, assistant curator with the Amherstburg Museum.

“They started off in St. Catharines. They took refuge in a church and then it went to Hamilton, Toronto, and then they ended up settling in Bronte and Thomas John ended up staying in Bronte. He had a grain and feed store that he started.”

William Henson ended up leaving the area and married a woman named Margaret Felson, with whom he had a daughter named Hattie.

“And Hattie is the mother of Betty Simpson, the museum’s founder. There’s actually a really sweet story behind how she met her husband,” added Bridgen-Lennie.

Their last name is believed to have been changed from Howard to Holland when William Henson and Thomas John escaped enslavement.

“I think [this] is a really significant moment because it’s kind of like a self-emancipation you’re taking here, you’re renaming yourself in freedom.”

The museum also has information about slavery in Canada that was abolished in 1834.

“We always look to the U.S. to talk about our own history when it comes to enslavement. But it existed here independently on its own as well,” explained Bridgen-Lennie. “Of course, it wasn’t as high of a number as it would have been in the United States … But it could be just as harsh of an institution.

Proctor said he was surprised to know slavery existed in Canada at the time as well. Bridgen-Lennie said he’s not alone.

“A lot of people are very surprised to hear that slavery existed in Canada. We’re not taught it in schools. That’s a huge problem. That’s why I’m so happy that places like this museum exist,” shared Bridgen-Lennie. “And there’s other amazing museums that exist in this area as well, too, because I always say you’re not going to get the entire experience by just coming to this museum. You need to go to other locations as well because someone’s experience and atmosphere is going to be completely different from someone who settled in the Buxton settlement.”

“I always thought it was actually, you know, we were this was our safe haven. You know, we came across the border and you were okay. Well, guess what? Yeah, not so fast. There were a lot of slave owners, so learning that was amazing because I had no idea,” said Proctor.

Bridgen-Lennie added these museums also allow people to learn about the lesser-known figures and celebrate the people within their own community.

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Proctor said he felt very blessed to be able to visit alongside his family to learn about their shared history.

“Anything I do with my family is very special. And I don’t take it these little times [with] my family for granted. It’s just that they’re all special,” said Proctor. “People ask me, ‘What’s it like? It must be like winning the lottery.’ And I just sit there, and I go, ‘No, much, much better.’ There’s no amount of money that can substitute what this is all about. I’m on cloud nine.

Finding out more about his linage is something Proctor dreamt of for years.

“There are times where you’re sitting down, you’re like, ‘I wonder who I am. Where did I come from? Who is my family? Where are my roots?’ … To know that there was so much rich history right in my own backyard is amazing,” said Proctor. “It’s amazing how I just keep learning about more and more of the history of this family. It’s massive. It’s just amazing.”

Now, six generations of the Howard-Holland family gather every two years for a multi-generational reunion to celebrate their family ties and hold on to their roots.

“The crowd there, it was huge. It was over 500 people attended over the weekend. And it was really special because I would say half the people had never met before,” said Larry Sharpe, Proctor’s biological father about his first family reunion.

“[When] Alex goes to his first reunion which would be in the States, he will be absolutely amazed,” said Sharpe.

“I can’t wait to go to the next get together because I just want to learn as much as I can about my family. And it’s just such a gift, right? It’s such a blessing. I am part of an actually huge family,” said Proctor.

“The transition between lone wolf, not having really any sense of family, to having this massive family is amazing. And I relish being the oldest brother and just being part of this family. Why wouldn’t I? Who wouldn’t love this as a person who had absolutely no family and a fragmented, adopted family to this family that’s just loving and warm.”

“VeraCity: The Long Road Home” airs Sunday Feb. 26 at 10 p.m. only on Citytv.