When I say "rare," I mean both that the postcard is not numerous—the Civic Museum copy is the only one I've seen—and that postcards of Black Canadians are unusual as a genre. Gifford (2013) pointed out that postcards were not used by Black Americans with as much frequency as white ones, and the same seems to be true north of the border. So, the card is rare as a piece of Black Canadiana.
Relatively little is known of Harriet Miller. Besides describing her as "one of Guelph's most picturesque characters," a short obituary in the Hamilton Spectator (29 January 1932) adds:
She is believed to have lived more than a century, and to have been a native of Peel county, although her origin is something of a mystery. She came here so long ago that there is no record of the date. Every citizen knew of her, and she was a great friend of the children.Another in the Waterloo Record adds that she was a "devotee of her pipe, which she smoked until a short time before her death." (The Guelph Mercury at the time of her death, 28 January 1932, is missing from the archives, which is a shame as it was undoubtly the source of these other versions and contained more information.) Curiously, versions of this obituary were carried by newspapers as far away as Vancouver. It seems there was something about the idea of a centenarian, pipe-smoking, Black lady that had broad appeal.
Later recountings add more details. For example, in his "Pictorial Flashback" column (Mercury, 4 September 1958), local historian Findlay Weaver reproduced the same photo and expanded on her lore:
Little was known of Harriet's childhood or the actual date she took up residence in Guelph. She spent a great part of her life in this city and was a familar figure as she gathered wood and other articles, and accepted alms from citizens while making daily rounds about the streets. Her surname was "Miller" but to Guelphites she was known only as "Old Harriet."In his short article for the Guelph Historical Society, Harold Koch (1973) says that "Aunt Harriet" was likely a formerly enslaved person who arrived in Guelph after the American Civil War, impecunious and peripatetic, who was known for her ready smile, a soft spot for young people (when they weren't annoying her), and singing of hymns and spirituals.
From these accounts one gets the sense that people writing about Harriet Miller were going on faded recollections and second-hand common knowledge, with a dash of speculation and infilling with ideas taken from stereotypes of people like her. The nickname "Aunt Harriet," for example, likely reflects the tendency of Americans and Canadians to refer to Black women as "Aunt ...," originally a reference to Black women assigned to domestic and childcare duties in the antebellum South. (Readers of a certain vintage may recall the "Aunt Jemima" brand of table syrup and pancake mix, with its depiction of a smiling Black woman dressed for kitchen duties.)
Nor was Miller the first eccentric, elderly Black woman in Guelph. One Mrs. Fisher, presumably a widow, was described in the pages of the Mercury (20 December 1907) as "a well-known character" who had "no means to earn a living." She was the object of charity for her neighbours on Durham street and was a regular recipient of relief money given out by the city. She supported herself as much as she could, catching fish for herself in the Speed in summer and gathering fallen wood for heating in the winter. City relief money was used to pay her rent. Nonetheless, she sought to pay as much rent as she could herself from whatever cash she obtained. Her landlord, the City Treasurer George Scroggie, was accused of pocketing the cash that Mrs. Fisher gave him, though an inquiry exonerated him.
In any event, the figure of a single, older, Black woman struggling to get by was not a new one in Guelph. But, the public figure of Harriet Miller was one formed by much presupposition on the part of folks who didn't know her background and made few inquiries.
With the ready availability of archival records online, there is an opportunity, if not to know Harriet Miller, then at least to get a better sense of the context in which she lived.
Harriet first appears in the 1861 census of Canada West (Ontario), nine years old and resident in the township of Nichol. Subsequent census records provide different birthdates for her but something like 1853 seems secure. Already, it's clear that the story that Miller was 100 years old when she died in 1932 was not accurate.
Harriet was the daughter of William and Mary Ann (née Harrington) Miller. William, it appears, was from Pennsylvania, while Mary Ann was born in Ontario. They seem to have married in the early 1830s, as their first child, Elizabeth Lucinda, was born in Toronto in 1833. The couple was nomadic, with subsequent children being born in Cobourg (Thomas Henry, 1836), Freelton (Sarah Ann, 1839), Whitby (James Francis, 1844), and St. Catherines, (Caroline Elizabeth, 1843). William was a farm laborer, so these peregrinations were likely to due to his movements looking for work as a hired hand on farms where work was available.
The 1851 census puts the family in a rural log house in Garafraxa, so it is likely that Harriet was born there, or perhaps their location in Nichol given in the 1861 census. Harriet was far from the couple's only child: William and Mary had ten sons and five daughters!
In the 1871 census, the Miller family is Maryborough, today the western half of Mapleton township in Wellington County. This locale is interesting in part because it was central to the Queen's Bush settlement. In brief, this was a large tract of land spreading from what is now western Wellington County towards Lake Huron and north towards Georgian Bay, obtained by Upper Canada resulting from the Manitoulin Island Treaty of 1836 for the purpose of settlement. The townships of Maryborough and Peel (now Mapleton) in Wellington County and Wellesley township (Waterloo Region) became the focus for settlement of Black migrants, both Canadian and American, who set up informal farms there. Usually living on limited means, these migrants could not afford to purchase the land and instead squatted there.
By 1850, the land was surveyed and the government prepared to sell of the lots. The Governor General, Earl Elgin, offered squatters a deal to purchase the lots their farms were situated on but most could not afford it. As a result, many moved on. However, several Black families remained and this fact may have attracted the Miller family to the area.
Unfortunately, William Miller died not long afterward the family's arrival. In 1874, Mary Ann Miller married Jacob Peterson, a widower and resident of Howick township in north Huron County. He had earlier been resident in Peel township, which is likely where he and Mary Ann got acquainted. Having been born in 1798, Peterson was not a young man and died in his turn early in 1881. Thus, the 1881 Ontario census finds Mary Ann Peterson as a widow in Howick, living with "Hariot" Peterson and Eliza Boid. "Hariot" is, of course, Harriet Miller, who had taken Jacob's surname, at least for official purposes. "Eliza" was Harriet's older sister Elizabeth Lucinda Miller, who had married Esau Boyd in 1858. It seems this marriage did not stick, as Esau is listed in the 1861 census as a saddler in Elora living by himself. Eliza had rejoined her parents. She eventually did remarry, hitching up with Caleb Gant, found in Normanby township, Grey County, in the 1891 census.
Subsequently, Mary and Harriet made their way to Guelph, where they are found, still with surname "Peterson," in the 1891 census. That census does not provide their address but they are listed next to another Black family, James and Lucinda Richards, whose address was 86 Essex Street. As their neighbours, Mary and Harriet would also be resident right across Essex Street from the British Methodist Episcopal (BME) church, now the headquarters of the Guelph Black Heritage Society.
At the age of 78, Mary Peterson passed away on 13 October 1893. The Mercury provides an account of her funeral at the BME church (16 October):
The funeral services of Mrs. Mary Ann Peterson (colored) at the B.M.E. church, yesterday afternoon, were largely attended, the church being filled to its utmost capacity. After the coffin had been brought in and placed near the communion railing, and the choir had sung the well known hymn, “And am I born to die,” Mr. Chown offered a short impressive prayer. Rev. Mr. Oliver, pastor, then spoke a few words of encouragement. The deceased was the mother of a family of ten sons and five daughters, and had some sixty grandchildren. Appropriate music was rendered as the audience took the last look at the aged face. Rev. Mr. Oliver also conducted the service at the grave.A couple of questions occur: Why did Mary Ann and Harriet relocate to Guelph, and what did Harriet do after her mother died?
The Miller family did have some previous connection with the Royal City. Harriot's sister Elizabeth resided in Guelph at the time of the 1871 census, between husbands, boarding with the Smith family. Harriet's older brother James Francis ("Frank"), resident of Harriston in 1891, had moved his family to Guelph by the 1901 census. He died of pneumonia in 1907. His obituary provides some relevant background (Mercury, 20 January 1907):
The late Frank Miller, whose funeral took place on Monday afternoon from his residence on Albert street to the Union Cemetery, was in his 63rd year, and was born at Norval. While a child he moved to Guelph with his parents, where he has remained until his death, with the exception of some years spent at Harriston. Deceased was well known to almost every resident of the Royal City, and was generally respected. He leaves two brothers and four sisters, as well as six daughters and four sons to mourn his death.The "two brothers and four sisters" may have been the only ones known to the obituary writer. Nonetheless, the article suggests that the Miller family had stronger connections to Guelph than the census data itself would indicate.
Another Miller with a Guelph connection is Harriet's older sister Susan Jane. In 1874, Susan married Joseph Cromwell. Cromwell was originally from Nova Scotia and had moved to the Queen's Bush in 1846, along with the family of Jacob Peterson (who later married Eliza Miller as his second wife, as noted above). The Cromwells remained in Maryborough for some time, although the 1891 census finds them in Howick, at the same time as the Mary Ann and Herriot Peterson (Miller). Coincidence? Well, the family is located in Guelph in 1901. It seems as though the Millers, Petersons, and Cromwells were moving in sync at this time!
(It may not have lasted long for the Cromwell family. Susan Cromwell is listed as a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1910 US Census. Joseph died and Susan moved to Cleveland to live with a daughter and son-in-law there. Oddly, the census form gives her year of US immigration as 1892. Perhaps this date is a typo.)
Yet another Miller adds to this trend. Harriet's older sister Matilda married James Malott of Peel Township in 1867. They resided and raised a family there but the 1901 Ontario census finds them in—you guessed it—Guelph! James's father Joseph had been born in Alabama and worked as a cook on a Mississippi steamboat. He was able to purchase his freedom and moved to Ohio and then on to the Colbornesburg Settlement, a predominantly Black settlment near what is now Winterbourne in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region. The Malott family moved to Peel township in the Queen's Bush in 1841. James worked as a labourer on the same farm as his father but, by the 1901 census, had relocated with Matilda and their family to Guelph.
For present purposes, the crucial thing about the Malott family's move to the Royal City is that Harriet Miller appears as a resident of their house at 133 York Road in the 1911 census, along with three of her sister's children and two grandchildren. This record is significant in that Harriot is not to be found in the 1901 census. We cannot be sure where Harriet lived between her mother's death in 1893 and the census of 1911 but it seems likely that she remained in the community, perhaps living with relatives as circumstances allowed. This conclusion also gibes with the remark in her obituary that "she came here [Guelph] so long ago..." Had she left the community in this interval, it seems unlikely she would have given people the impression that she was a long-time resident after her return.
The 1931 census locates Harriet Miller as an "inmate" of the House of Providence, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Guelph. In this case, "inmate" means that she was a resident there and does not necessarily imply confinement. The record states that her age is 100, which shows that this part of her legend had already taken root. Another annotation states briefly, "memory gone." In other words, it seems she had experienced a signficant cognitive decline and was unable to speak for herself.
The question naturally arises: Why was Miller placed in the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph? Why not remain with family members? It is impossible to know. However, her connection with the Malotts may have weakened after 1911. Her sister Matilda Malott died in 1913 and her brother-in-law James in 1919. So, the opportunities to live with siblings may have dried up.
Even so, several of the Malott children did live in the same neighbourhood. For example, James Malott junior had married Mary Elizabeth Palmer and lived at 151 Grove Street in 1921, where they had four children and a lodger.
However, James Jr. had a number of run-ins with the law, mainly regarding theft, so that housing his aunt might not have seemed like a good idea. In any event, James Jr. died in 1924, so his family may not have been in a position to take care of an elderly relative.
Of course, it's also possible that Harriet simply decided that such a situation did not suit her. Or, given the cognitive decline that she appears to have experienced by 1931, someone may have decided that the House of Providence was the best option for her care.
In any event, although we have learned relatively little about Harriet Miller from these records, they do leave us with a different impression than the one handed down by Findlay Weaver and Harold Koch. Rather than a lonely, ancient, formerly enslaved woman, Harriet Miller turns out to have been part of a large and well-connected family with significant roots in southwestern Ontario in general and Guelph in particular.
It also seems clear that Harriet Miller never married, unlike most of her siblings. Whether she was uninterested in marriage or never met the right partner, she seems instead to have taken on the role of spinster caregiver, an unmarried daughter who remained with and cared for her parents. This role was not an uncommon one. Perhaps this role agreed with her. But, it had a clear downside, which is that it left her somewhat adrift after her parents' deaths. It may be after her mother's death in 1893 that Harriet became the "character" that so many Guelphites were later acquainted with.
At the time of Harriet's death, it was mostly this acquaintance and stereotypes about the kind of woman that Harriet was that became the basis of subsequent public writings about her. These made better copy than would be gleaned by consulting remaining family, and so they were printed. Happily, it is possible to get a better sense of Harriet's life and times, although she remains essentially the enigma that appears in the postcard of her taken about 100 years ago.
Questions that always arise in considering photographs like Harriet's are: Who took them, and why? As expected, we have no definite answers. The quality of the photography suggests that it was taken by an amateur rather than a professional photographer. Like many real photo postcards, it may have been taken by a relative to share with friends and family members, maybe at Harriet's request. It may have been a member of the public who wanted a shot of Harriet the Guelph "character." It may have been taken by the Sisters of St. Joseph as a way to amuse the people in their care.
Without further information, its hard to say.
Although Harriet Miller is gone, the postcard image of her remains evocative of her memory. In 2024, Guelph Artist in Residence HAUI screened a video recreating the character of Harriet Miller, portrayed by ahdri zhina mandiela. Screening was accompanied by a panel discussion at St. Joseph's Health Centre in Guelph.
The video is currently on tour but more local screenings are planned for 2026. See HAUI's Aunt Harriet video webpage for more information.
The trailer is available on YouTube!
A couple of further family connections with Harriet Miller are worth mentioning. First, Joseph Harrington Miller, a son of Harriet Miller's older brother, Thomas Henry, moved to Guelph with his family in time to be recorded in 1911 census. So, he was a nephew of Harriet and, I suppose, would have known her. Unfortunately, he died in 1918 of influenza during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
As it happens, there is a picture of one of Joseph's sons, Joseph Melvin, with his wife Annabelle, possibly at their home in Palmerston, ca. 1930. So, he would have been a great nephew of Harriet's.
Secondly, another interesting connection comes in the form of Jehu Sylvester Miller, Harriet's younger brother by a couple of years. He spent his life in northern Wellington County, where he was born. He did well for himself, moving from being a farm labourer to owning his own farm, ultimately settling on a farm near Palmerston.
For present purposes, the connection of interest is that Jehu married Amanda Adalia Cromwell in Clifford in 1879. Yes, those Cromwells! In fact, Amanda was a daughter of Joseph Cromwell, the former Queen's Bush resident and husband of Jehu's older sister Susan. Of course, Amanda was a daughter of Joseph's first wife Elizabeth, so the familial relation was not too close. Nonetheless, this connection does suggest how interwined the lives of Black settlers, including the Millers, were in the region at the time.
Last, but not least, Harriet's older sister Caroline married John Malott, a brother of James Malott, whom Matilda Miller had married (as noted above). (Is there a term for the relationship of being married to a brother- or sister-in-law? It would apply to a few Millers.) John and Caroline lived in Peel township, where John worked as a labourer and then carpenter. One of their sons, Daniel Sylvester, moved to Guelph around 1905, took up residence on Alice Street (#170 in the 1915 city directory), and worked as a labourer and perhaps teamster for the Guelph Cartage Company, like his cousins James and Joseph Miller.
Unfortunately, Daniel appears to have run into some difficulties. He disappears from the Guelph city directory around 1915 and is found as a patient of the Ontario Hospital in Hamilton, AKA the Hamilton Asylum for the Insane, in the 1921 and 1931 censuses. His wife Sophia and children remained in Guelph. Whatever contact they may have had with aunt Harriet Miller is unclear.
Sophia is listed as Daniel's widow in the Guelph directories on and after 1925. However, Daniel's obituary (Brantford Expositor, 5 July 1955) suggests that he was released from the Asylum in 1937 and subsequently lived with siblings Joseph, John, and Alexander in Brantford.
Perhaps it is relevant to note the fact that another of Harriet's relations was institutionalized around the same time that she was. Besides her nephew Daniel, Daniel's sister, Ella Victoria Malott, was institutionalized at the Ontario Hospital in Cobourg, AKA the Cobourg Asylum, in 1912. There she remained until her death in 1949.
It's hard to know what, if anything, this information suggests about Harriet Miller. It does suggest that institutionalization was a familiar process to her Malott relations in Guelph, perhaps elevating the risk of this outcome for her.
Works consulted for this post include:
- Brown-Kubisch, L. (2004). The Queen's Bush Settlement: Black Pioneers 1839–1865. Dundurn.
- Gifford, D. (2013). American holiday postcards, 1905-1915: imagery and context. McFarland.
- Koch, H. (1973). "Aunt Harriet," Historic Guelph, v. 13, n. 9.
