The
2013 Toronto History Lecture, titled Mary Mink: The Making of a Myth, will
explore the sometimes blurred line between historical fact and historical
fiction. James Mink was a successful Black businessman in Toronto in the 1840s
and 1850s. His story is one of the best known tales of Black Torontonians in
the 19th century, told and retold many times in newspapers and books.
In
the 1990s, his story was made into a TV movie, Captive Heart: the James Mink
Story, which was broadcast in Canada and the United States. In the screen version
of events, Mink arranges for a white man to marry his daughter Mary and then
stages a daring rescue when her husband whisks her off to the American South
and sells her into slavery. The movie is said to be “based on historical
records”, but as Guylaine Pétrin found out through her research, records can
lie.
Admission
is free, but reservation is required.
Please
join us again this year in spreading the word about the Toronto History
Lecture. It will be held on August 7th at 7:30 pm at the City of Toronto
Archives and is presented jointly by the Archives and the Toronto Branch of the
Ontario Genealogical Society.
For
further details, including a map and driving directions to the Archives at 255
Spadina Road, visit http://conta.cc/187ZUcY. Questions may be directed to
info@torontofamilyhistory.org or Paul
Sharkey (City of Toronto Archives) at 416-392-5561.
We
look forward to unravelling the true story of Mary Mink with you on August 7th.
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