Who Was The Curse Of Oak Island’s Samuel Ball?

There are certain details that are known for sure. Born in 1764 or 1765 in South Carolina, Samuel Ball spent the first 11 years of his life in captivity and forced labor on a rice plantation. Given that Ball was born at a time when the slave trade was still very much legal and active in the 13 colonies, and wouldn’t be legally or practically abolished in America for close to another century, this is not particularly surprising.

It’s also not particularly surprising –- though certainly impressive –- that Ball escaped captivity at the age of 11. As the rebellions that would become the American Revolution began to stir, British military commanders offered enslaved people their freedom in return for fighting on the side of the crown. Ball was one of them.

After the war ended in America’s victory, he relocated northwards, settling in Nova Scotia. This was a common destination for the people now known as Black Loyalists, former slaves who fought for the British during the American Revolution. Because what is now Canada was still under control of the British, it was a safe haven for the Black Loyalists, and tens of thousands arrived on ships after the war (via NovaScotia.ca).