The African-American Canaan Neighborhood of West Florence

Subject

Community

Description

A series of documents and newspaper articles on the Canaan neighborhood of west Florence.
The Canaan neighborhood of west Florence was named after early resident and former slave brick mason Cain Leach.

Before the Civil War Cain Leach was a slave brick-mason of a “Mr. Leah” [Leach?] before becoming the slave of Lauderdale resident John S. Morrow (1809-1887) sometime after 1852. In 1860 Morrow’s real estate was valued at $16,000 and his personal property at $29, 428. Morrow’s plantation was located just outside Florence.

According to the 1860 slave census schedule, John S. Morrow had ten slaves, five men and six women, ranging in age from five to forty-six. The forty year-old black male enumerated as one of Morrow’s slaves is probably Cain.

Cain's first wife Patsy was the slave of Mrs. Kirkman and in 1863 and 1864 Cain rented bottom land from the Kirkmans, who testified in his Southern Claims petition that Leach "appeared to be a free Negro and appeared to have control of his own time.” For his part, testifying in February of 1873, John Morrow said of his former slave that “His only interest in the claims is to do Cain justice as an old faithful servant. Claimant . . . is and was a trusty [sic] man, and a provident one.”

Morrow was apparently a Unionist, willing to sacrifice slavery in order to preserve the Union. When war broke out and Confederate regiments were being raised in the neighborhood, Cain "hollered for Mr. Lincoln . . . hollered hurraugh."

According to his Southern Claims Commission petition, supporting Lincoln almost got Cain lynched but calmer heads prevailed and after 24 hours incarceration and a trial before Judge Hawkins he was released with only a whipping, the argument basically being that as an ignorant slave Leach had no idea what he was talking about. Fearing for his slave, John Morrow hired Leach out to a Confederate company as a cook, then, after Morrow’s son Edward joined the Confederate Army, sent Cain with Edward as his body-servant or camp slave. After the war Cain and Edward worked together farming Jackson Island in the Tennessee River for a few years.

Cain’s first wife’s name was Patsy (ca. 1812-1896). Cain worked as a farmer and a plasterer. He lived on West Tennessee Street after the war. Patsy Leach died in January of 1896. Her Florence Times death notice said of her: “Old Aunt Patsey [sic] Leach, one of our most worthy colored women, living in the Western part of the city, died Thursday morning, aged about 78 years.”

In March of 1897 Cain married a woman named Mary Herman (1865-1929), some thirty years younger than him. Mary Herman Leach died December 7, 1929 and was buried, presumably in the City Cemetery two days later.

Cain Leach died Monday, February 22, 1903. He was buried, presumably in the black section of the Florence City Cemetery (there is no marker) the next day after funeral services conducted at St. Paul AME Church; both the Florence Times and Florence Herald published death notices for him. In its Friday, February 27, 1903 issue the Times wrote:

“Old Uncle Cain Leach, one of our most venerable and worthy colored citizens, died on Monday afternoon, last aged 79 [sic] years. He had lived many years in Florence and always had the respect and good will of the people. He was one of the first settlers in the part of the city in which he lived and its location, Canaan, took its name from him.”

The Carpenter High School was founded in the Canaan neighborhood in 1876 by the American Missionary Association and originally the pastors of First Congregational Church (ca. 1875-ca. 1939) at 115 N Seminary Street were principals of the school. In November of 1894 Prof. Young A. Wallace had taken a hiatus from his job as principal and teacher of Florence's District School for Negroes and was teaching the Carpenter High School. By June of 1895 Miss Mary L. Corpier, a graduate of Fisk University, was the assistant to the principal, Rev. William L. Johnson and by April of 1897 was in charge of the school and it's teacher. By 1897 the school had 60 pupils who paid .50 per month tuition.

By 1894 the school was meeting at Leach's Hall on West College Street. See the page on the Carpenter High School in the School collection here for more information on the school.

Creator

1. Sandra Sockwell
2. Sandra Sockwell

Source

1. The Place Names of Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, Alabama
2. The Place Names of Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, Alabama
3. Florence (AL) Times
4. Florence (AL) Herald
5. Florence (AL) Times
6. Florence (AL) Herald
7. Florence (AL) Herald
8. Lauderdale (Co AL) News
9. Lauderdale (Co AL) News
10. Florence (AL) Herald
11. Florence (AL) Banner
12. Florence Gazette
13. Florence (AL) Herald
14. Florence (AL) Herald
15. Florence (AL) Herald
16. Florence (AL) Herald
17. Florence (AL) Herald
18. Florence (AL) Herald
19. Florence (AL) Herald
20. Florence (AL) Herald
21. Florence (AL) Herald
22. Florence (AL) Herald
23. Florence (AL) Herald
24. Florence (AL) Herald

Publisher

1. UMI Dissertation Information Service
2. UMI Dissertation Information Service
3. Bell & Howell Micro Photo Division
4. Newspapers.com
5. Bell & Howell Micro Photo Division
6. Newspapers.com
7. Newspapers.com
8. Newspapers.com
9. Newspapers.com
10. Newspapers.com
11. Newspapers.com
12. Newspapers.com
13. Newspapers.com
14. Newspapers.com
15. Newspapers.com
16. Newspapers.com
17. Newspapers.com
18. Newspapers.com
19. Newspapers.com
20. Newspapers.com
21. Newspapers.com
22. Newspapers.com
23. Newspapers.com
24. Newspapers.com

Contributor

Lee Freeman

Rights

Images are available for educational and research purposes. This image may not be reproduced for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the interested party to identify the copyright holder and receive permission.

Files

Sockwell Canaan 1.jpg
Sockwell Canaan 2.jpg
Cain Leach Obit FT Fri Feb 27 1903 Short Local News Items (2).jpg
Cain Leach Obit The_Florence_Herald_Fri__Feb_27__1903_.jpg
Patsy Leach FT Sat Jan 25 1898 p 3 Short Local Items (2).jpg
Wash Herman Obit The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Aug_13__1896_.jpg
Bessie Foster Obit The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Jan_17__1963_.jpg
City Tax Collector's Sale Lauderdale_News_Wed__Feb_7__1883_p 2.jpg
City Tax Collector's Sale Cropped Lauderdale_News_Wed__Feb_7__1883_p 2.jpg
Delinquent Tax Notice Canaan 1 The_Florence_Herald_Sat__Apr_19__1890_.jpg
Delinquent Tax Notice 2 The_Florence_Herald_Sat__Apr_19__1890_.jpg
Bitten by a Mad Dog The_Florence_Herald_Wed__Oct_15__1890_p 3.jpg
Small Negro Child Bitten by Mad Dog The_Florence_Gazette_Thu__Oct_16__1890_p 3.jpg
City Council Florence_Gazette_Thu__Jun_7__1894_p 3.jpg
Rebecca Davis Delinquent Tax Sale Canaan 1 The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Oct_24__1895_ (1).jpg
Rebecca Davis Delinquent Tax Sale Canaan The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Oct_24__1895_p 2 (2).jpg
Will Corpier Child Burned to Death The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Jan_16__1896_.jpg
City Council Meeting FT Fri May 6 1898 p 5.jpg
Mortgage Foreclosure Notice The_Florence_Herald_Fri__Jul_30__1926_p 7.jpg
Mortgage Sale 1 The_Florence_Herald_Fri__Jul_20__1928_p 7.jpg
Mortgage Sale 2 The_Florence_Herald_Fri__Jul_20__1928_ (1) p 1.jpg
Mortgage Sale The_Florence_Herald_Fri__Apr_13__1934_.jpg
Low Rent Housing for Negroes to be Erected The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Jul_26__1951_.jpg
Many Entries in Naming Contest The_Florence_Herald_Thu__Aug_23__1951_.jpg
Street Work FH Thu__Jun_9__1898 p 1.jpg
Street Work FH Thu__Jun_9__1898 p 1.jpg
Street Work FH Thu__Jun_9__1898 p 1.jpg

Collection

Community

Citation

1. Sandra Sockwell and 2. Sandra Sockwell, “The African-American Canaan Neighborhood of West Florence,” Shoals Black History, accessed April 28, 2024, https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/1275.