1791–1861 - Richard Preston

Born into slavery in Virginia; purchased his freedom and settled in Nova Scotia. Studied for ministry in England and founded the African Baptist Association in 1854. Established several churches for Black communities, including Cornwallis Street Baptist Church in Halifax and the First Preston Baptist Church (now the East Preston United Baptist Church). Preston worked tirelessly to strengthen spiritual life and advocate for civil rights.

Grant, Keith S. “‘He Is Sent to This Place, and Good Will Result to the Cause of God’: Young Richard Preston, Race, and Religion in Early-19th-Century Nova Scotia.” Acadiensis: Journal of the History of the Atlantic Region / Revue d’histoire de La Region Atlantique 53, no. 1 (2024): 8–36. https://doi.org/10.1353/aca.2024.a947469.