Background
Rose Fortune was born into slavery in the British colony of Virginia.
Rose Fortune was born into slavery in the British colony of Virginia.
Her family escaped slavery during the American Revolution and settled in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, as part of the Black Loyalist migration when Rose was 10 years old. In 1825, she started her own business, carting luggage between the ferry docks and nearby homes and hotels. She became entrusted with safeguarding property and maintaining order on the wharves and warehouses of Annapolis Royal, acting as the town"s waterfront police officer
Rose Fortune died on February 20, 1864, in the small house she owned at the engineer"s lot near Fort Anne.
Rose Fortune was buried in Annapolis Royal in the Garrison Cemetery. Her grave is unmarked, but a plaque in the Petite Parc on the Annapolis Royal waterfront commemorates her life and contribution to Nova Scotian history.
In May 2015, the name M/V Fundy Rose was given to the ferry that crosses the Bay of Fundy to New Brunswick. Appropriate considering the direct relationship that she had with the ferries in the area.