This week in Christian history: Mayflower Compact signed; Wright brothers’ father born; John Marrant arrives in Canada

John Marrant arrives in Nova Scotia – Nov. 20, 1785

This week marks the anniversary of when John Marrant, a black author and Methodist missionary, arrived in Nova Scotia to minister to the black loyalist community.

After the American Revolution, many African Americans who supported the British Empire were resettled in Nova Scotia. Marrant, who served in the British Army, was among them.

Once he arrived in the region from England, Marrant launched a ministry in Birchtown, which centered on 40 families. He also taught at a local school, at one point having around 100 pupils.

“By late November of 1786, he had become exhausted with his schedule and relinquished control of the school and his congregation to his successors,” noted Equiano’s World.

“In 1787 he travelled to Boston, shortly after returning to Nova Scotia to marry black loyalist, Elizabeth Herries, at the Birchtown Chapel on August 15, 1788. In 1789, he believed his mission in Nova Scotia to be fulfilled and returned to England.”