Bill Canada
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Full Name
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Bill Canada
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Biography
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Bill Canada (Attempted) Circa, 1866 – Unknown Elmore County, AL On April 23, 1890, Bill Canada, 54, was nearly lynched in Elmore County, Alabama, in the city of Dadeville by Fannie Howle after being accused of stealing chickens from her chicken coop. Howle shot Bill with a shotgun. He was wounded, but managed to leave the scene safe and alive. Bill Canada is originally from Tunica, Mississippi. He lived his life farming and taking care of his family. Though, originally from Mississippi, it is to be likely that his reasons for being in Alabama, was either to visit relatives or to find additional work for higher wages. His father and mother are also from Mississippi, however their individual names are unknown. Bill and his family were last reported in the 1920’s census record. Bill was married to a woman named Emma Canada, they shared an eleven-year-old son, named Evans Canada. Bill Canada throughout his life constantly stayed under scrutiny and harassment from the law. Through white newspaper articles, he was falsely accused of committing crimes throughout Mississippi and Alabama frequently. There was reporting that he was indicted of murder in Mississippi of a Spencer Evans, but nothing came of it, he kept his life. Based off federal census records and no further reports of accused crimes in white based newspapers, he likely continued living his life in peace and eventually passed away of old age while being with his family.
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Documented or Attempted
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Attempted
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Birth Date
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Circa 1866
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County of Birth; County of Death
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Tunica County; N/A
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Death Date
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N/A
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Date of Attempted Lynching
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April 23, 1890
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Race
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Black
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Sex
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Male
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Researchers
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Joshua Hamby, Jana Venable
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Case Number
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ALM135-18900423-000
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Identified by:
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Alabama Memory Project
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Spouse or Partner
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Emma Canada
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Child
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Evans Canada
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Occupation
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Farmer
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Education Level
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Yes; Yes