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May 6, 2021 · Today, Thornton and Lucie Blackburn rest under a beautiful red granite obelisk in the Toronto Necropolis. Their plot is beside the grave of Globe publisher, abolitionist and Father of Confederation George Brown. Buried with them are Thornton’s mother and brother, Sibby and Alfred, along with lifelong family friend Ann Maria Jackson and her ...
It was at this time that she met and fell in love with her husband, Thornton Blackburn, who was 19. The two got married and were almost separated shortly after when Lucie's slave owners died and she was sold off to a merchant who intended to trade her off in the Deep South.
Thornton and Lucie Blackburn were freedom seekers who fled enslavement in Kentucky and established the first taxi business in Upper Canada. The Blackburns, whose story was lost and only re-discovered in 1985, were born enslaved in the United States.
Today, Thornton and Lucie Blackburn are recognized as Persons of National Historic Significance in Canada, with a federal heritage plaque located in Toronto. Other commemorations include but are not limited to the Thornton and Lucie Blackburn Conference Centre at George Brown College.
Thornton Blackburn (c. 1812–1890) was a self-emancipated formerly enslaved man whose case established the principle that Canada would not return slaves to their masters in the United States and thus established Canada as a safe terminus for the Underground Railroad.
Separated from his mother at a young age, Blackburn was forced to work as a child, including driving carriages and working as a porter. As a teenager, Thornton met “Ruthie” (later known as Lucie), an enslaved, Caribbean-born woman who was working as a nursemaid.
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Feb 10, 2021 · Thornton and Lucie Blackburn gave shelter to other fugitive slaves near their Toronto home, which no longer exists today. In its place stands the Inglenook Community School. Photo by: Mansoor Tanweer.
