Black History Month - The Life of Emily Colley

In honour of Black History Month the Amaranth Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee would like to highlight the life of Emily Colley, one of the early settlers in The Township.
 
Emily (aka Emma or Emeline) Clarkson was born in 1824 in a shanty in Vaughan. Her mother is noted on the 1851 census as Black, born in Canada, although later records indicate she was born in the United States. Little is known of the name or background of her father. Emily married William Colley, a recent immigrant from England who was 25 years her senior, in 1854. William and Emily took up 50-acres of land in Amaranth Township at Lot 5, Con 9, just north-west of Waldemar Village, during the infancy of the Township sometime prior to 1861 but formally purchased it from the Canada Company in March 1869. Emily and William raised their family of 13 children at this location until William’s death in 1889 resulted in Emily losing the farm to under power of sale a couple years later. 
 
Emily and her children remained in Dufferin County, eventually relocating to a 100-acre farm at Lot 15, con 5 NE of the Toronto-Sydenham Road (Highway #10) in Melancthon Township. Emily rented and ran the farm until her son, Alfred took over operations 1905. Emily and her children Bessie, Jane and Alfred continued to live with together until Emily’s death on August 17, 1914, at the Melancthon farm, at the age of 80 years.
 
No known photos of Emily Colley exist but the photo provided in the post shows one of Emily and William’s daughters (Mary Ann (Colley) Walls) who was born and raised on the Amaranth Township property, and her family.