Wilson Ruffin Abbott | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | c. 1801 |
Died | 1876 (aged 74–75)
Toronto, Ontario |
Resting place |
Necropolis Cemetery 43°40′06″N 79°21′37″W / 43.668282°N 79.360259°W |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse | Ellen Toyer |
Wilson Ruffin Abbott (c. 1801 – 1876) was an American-born Black Canadian and successful businessman and landowner in Toronto, Ontario. He was the father of Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada's first Black physician.
Born to a Scotch-Irish father and a free West African mother in Richmond, Virginia, Wilson Ruffin Abbott left home when he was aged 15 to work as a steward on a Mississippi River steamer. [1]
He married Ellen Toyer, and moved to Akron, Ohio, where he opened a general grocery store, but left in 1834 after receiving a warning that his store was to be pillaged. [1] In late 1835 or early 1836, he moved to Toronto, Upper Canada, where he prospered as a businessman. [1] He served in the militia that protected Toronto from the rebels in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion and was elected to Toronto city council in 1840. [2]
His son Anderson Ruffin Abbott in 1861 became the first African Canadian to practise medicine. [3]
Wilson Ruffin Abbott died in Toronto, aged 74 or 75.[ citation needed]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)Wilson Ruffin Abbott | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | c. 1801 |
Died | 1876 (aged 74–75)
Toronto, Ontario |
Resting place |
Necropolis Cemetery 43°40′06″N 79°21′37″W / 43.668282°N 79.360259°W |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse | Ellen Toyer |
Wilson Ruffin Abbott (c. 1801 – 1876) was an American-born Black Canadian and successful businessman and landowner in Toronto, Ontario. He was the father of Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada's first Black physician.
Born to a Scotch-Irish father and a free West African mother in Richmond, Virginia, Wilson Ruffin Abbott left home when he was aged 15 to work as a steward on a Mississippi River steamer. [1]
He married Ellen Toyer, and moved to Akron, Ohio, where he opened a general grocery store, but left in 1834 after receiving a warning that his store was to be pillaged. [1] In late 1835 or early 1836, he moved to Toronto, Upper Canada, where he prospered as a businessman. [1] He served in the militia that protected Toronto from the rebels in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion and was elected to Toronto city council in 1840. [2]
His son Anderson Ruffin Abbott in 1861 became the first African Canadian to practise medicine. [3]
Wilson Ruffin Abbott died in Toronto, aged 74 or 75.[ citation needed]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)