When Cornelius Sparrow and his wife arrived in Saint John in 1851, the young black couple were fleeing for their lives. Sparrow, born a slave in Virginia, would become one of the most prominent black Saint Johners of the late 19th century. They arrived in Saint John in 1851. A lasting memorialSparrow is buried in Fernhill Cemetery in east Saint John beside his mother-in-law, Nancy Whitehead. He sees Sparrow's unlikely career in Saint John as proof that "black people can be successful, whether it's in the 1800s or 2018."

Source: CBC News February 03, 2018 12:00 UTC