The City of Hamilton has welcomed a Canadian PhD student who is working to uncover the history of the Enterprise and Bermuda’s Friendly Societies.

Sarah Hannon, of the University of Toronto, arrived on the island this week to conduct a series of interviews to create an oral history of post-emancipation Bermuda.

Dennis Tucker, the Acting Mayor of Hamilton, welcomed Ms Hannon to the city yesterday.

He said that her work could help bring to light important aspects of Bermuda’s history, such as the role played by Friendly Societies, that might otherwise be lost to time.

“The research Ms Hannon is undertaking to bring forward the stories of these societies, stories too often absent from official records, gives voice to the resilience, resourcefulness and vision of our people,” he noted.

“Friendly Societies built schools, funded education and supported one another through life’s challenges when Black Bermudians had little access to such support.

“They played a vital role in shaping the Bermuda we know today.

“By collecting oral histories and weaving them together with archival research, Ms Hannon is helping us form a fuller, more human record of our past — one that resonates not just in academia but in the lived history of our citizens.”

Dwayne Caines, the chief executive of the City, said that the Corporation of Hamilton had worked to acknowledge the City’s history and become a place where people can tell their stories.

“We don’t want to whitewash history,” he said. “We believe we have an opportunity to highlight things that in the past have been forgotten.”

Mr Caines added: “In order for everyone to be appreciated, we first must understand the contributions that have been made.”

In addition to studying the important role played by Friendly Societies, Ms Hannon will interview descendants of those who came to Bermuda in 1835 on the Enterprise — a US merchant vessel that sailed to the island with 78 enslaved people on board.

The ship’s arrival in post-emancipation Bermuda resulted in an international dispute that resulted in 72 choosing to stay on the island and gain their freedom.

Michael Bradshaw, the president of the Bermuda Friendly Society Association, said Ms Hannon’s work is important because it sheds light on a history that is rarely discussed and uniquely Bermudian.

He said that much like when a storm hits the island’s shores, Bermudians came together when the Enterprise arrived in Bermuda.

“Black, White, lodge members and non-lodge members all came together,” he said.

“The legal people collaborated with the laypersons and everybody worked together, and it happened right here in the City.

“I think that sometimes we forget the things that we should celebrate, things that made us successful.

“This was not taught in my day, and we all suffered from that because we didn’t know about some of this.

“When we find out, we can celebrate it, we can commemorate it and we can have fewer issues about division.”

Ms Hannon said that she has had a wonderful time so far on the island speaking to Bermudians and hearing their stories.

“I am so grateful to everyone for sharing their histories and their lived experiences with me,” she said. “It has been incredible and I have learnt so much.

“There is another person every day that I am delighted to get the chance to speak with.

“I’m speaking with an Enterprise descendant tomorrow and possibly another, with Dr Bradshaw.”