William Gwinn facts for kids

William Gwinn (born 1755) was an African American man from Boston, Massachusetts. He was one of the first Black Americans to join the Back-to-Africa movement. This movement helped Black Americans move from the United States to Africa. William Gwinn traveled to Sierra Leone in 1815 with Captain Paul Cuffe.

William Gwinn's Early Life

Not much is known about William Gwinn's early life. He was likely once enslaved by a family in Massachusetts. Or, he might have moved from the Southern states after gaining his freedom. By the early 1800s, he was a free Black man living in Massachusetts. Records from 1810 show he lived in Boston. Paul Cuffe described him as a Methodist and "from Boston."

Moving to Sierra Leone

The Journey to a New Home

In 1815, when he was sixty years old, William Gwinn decided to move to Sierra Leone. His wife, Elizabeth (age fifty-six), and their daughter, Nancy (age seventeen), went with him. The Gwinn family was one of eight families to move to Sierra Leone with Captain Paul Cuffe.

Captain Cuffe was part Native American and part African American. He had visited Sierra Leone in 1811 to see if he wanted to live there. His wife did not want to leave her home, so he returned four years later. This time, he brought 38 African Americans with him.

These travelers were the first large group of Black Americans to move directly from the United States to Africa. The Gwinns traveled on Cuffe's ship, the Traveller. They did not have to pay for their trip. They were expected to work on Governor Charles MacCarthy's farm once they arrived. Records show William Gwinn traveled "with his wife and two Children."

Settling in Sierra Leone

The group arrived in Sierra Leone around late January or early February. Captain Cuffe wrote a letter in April 1816. He said that homes and land had been found for the new settlers. William Gwinn worked on a 10-acre farm with five other families from Boston.

About 29 people worked together on this 10-acre farm. They included:

• Thomas Jarvis, his wife, and five children. Jarvis was about 50 years old.
• Peter Wilcox, his wife, and five children. Wilcox was about 40 years old.
• Robert Rigsby, his wife, and one child.
• William Gwinn, his wife, and daughter.

Another person who settled there was David George. He was a Baptist preacher who had escaped slavery. He had lived in Nova Scotia before moving to Sierra Leone.

In the same year, William Gwinn's daughter, Nancy, married George Davis. George was born in Africa. His parents were African American and had moved to Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1792. They had come from Nova Scotia with John Clarkson.

Joining the Older Settlers

Most of the 38 new arrivals joined the original founders of Sierra Leone. These founders were known as the Settlers. They had arrived in 1792.

Later Life and Family

We do not know much about what happened to William Gwinn later. However, a letter from other settlers mentioned that 'Friend Gwinn' had lost a leg after arriving in Sierra Leone. Gwinn likely lived in Settler Town. This was where the first "American emigrants" lived.

The Gwinn family has descendants in Sierra Leone and the United States. This is through the marriage of Nancy Gwinn and George Davis in 1816.