On Tuesday, March 9, 2004, at 05:13 AM, Dutch Thompson wrote: > Stephen- > I work backstage at Confederation Centre theatre in Ch'town & > last > week I > had a chat w/ the singer/actor Tom Jackson, prob best known for his > "Huron > Xmas Carole" . He's Cree and we chatted about his roots, but he didn't > mention any Orkney influences. > > cheers Dutch > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "stephen davie" <stephen.davie@sympatico.ca> > To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 12:37 PM > Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] HBC > > >> Thank you, Dutch, for the offer: >> >> Your note is the first encounter I have had to indicate that music was >> a part of the Orcadian existence here with the HBC. I always felt the >> highland Scots and the English in charge of the larger forts would >> impose their own style. But then there were all those inland trips and >> posts dominated by Orcadians. It would be interesting to hear some of >> it, played by our Orkney/Cree relatives in the Athabaska. >> >> When I first discovered that the HBC might have records about oury >> relatives service with the company, I contacted them in Winnipeg, and >> was astounded with what they came up with. Oddly, whereas our >> relatives >> here all know where the old farm is in Orkney, and many have visited, >> nobody ever thought to contact the HBC. The first file the lady sent >> was the employment of William Davie, one of ours for sure. He was a >> clerk with the company when the Constitution was signed in Canada in >> 1867. On the bottom of the file was a note that said, "His >> Grandfather >> Also Served." Then they gave us the grandfather's file as well as many >> others dating well back to the 1700's. The first Governor of the >> company in the North West at Fort York was an Isbister, a common >> Orkney >> name, and one intermingled with our family and many others in the >> 1700's. >> >> One of the amazing stories was the John Gunn story, the chap who >> travelled by water and land and on snow to get to Fort York. He >> collapsed in the factor's house in the freezing night. When he began >> to >> scream, his coat was removed and it was discovered by his incredible >> chest configuration that John Gunn was a woman, Isobel (I think) in >> fact. She was looking for her boyfriend, and the screaming was an >> announcement of labour pains. She was a determined lady. She remained >> in the fort for years. >> >> Dutch, I have flown several times over that Hudson's Bay area east of >> Churchill, in a small floatplane. and the very thought of trying to >> squeak through the Hudson Strait pack ice in August in a wooden >> sailboat with no escape option is frightening to me. The shoreline is >> very inhospitable, and there is very little shelter from the wind and >> water, save as to river mouths. You sense an overwhelming feeling of >> being exposed to the elements in that country. I can't imagine how it >> would have imprinted on the mind and heart of a young teenager from >> Orkney. Once they boarded those boats, there was no turning back. They >> (HBC) have records of the boats that sank. Some of the boat names >> appear year after year for decades, sailing back and forth from home. >> >> I am familiar with Beaver and see it on the bookshelf still. Another >> good one in Up Here. How did you find a 1988 Beaver? >> >> Stephen- >>> The article I'm quoting from was written by Dr Glyndwr Williams >>> Head of >>> Dept & Prof of History Queen Mary College, Univ of London & former >>> general >>> editor of the Hudson's bay Record Society. The Beaver Magazine dates >>> from >>> autumn 1983. >>> Hearne's ( plus Isham & Graham) journals are primary sources for the >>> long >>> article-in fact the entire magazine is this article -in this special >>> issue >>> which I'm more than willing to pass along to you if you wish. >>> I have no HBC connections- my Thomsons & Burgars ( & Pottingers I >>> think) >>> emigrated to Nova Scotia only (as far as I can figure-although >>> there's >>> a 20 >>> year blank spot from around 1800-1820 when I have found written >>> records from >>> NS) >>> Life wasn't much better in NS at that time- lots of trees & bears, >>> but >>> no >>> factors barking out orders ! >>> I have 2 letters sent from family in Papa W & Kirkwall from 1823 & >>> 1832 >>> describing "this vast & howling wilderness" left behind-Orkney- which >>> might >>> well describe the weather there in the past 24-48 hrs ! >>> >>> cheers Thompson >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "stephen davie" <stephen.davie@sympatico.ca> >>> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> >>> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 10:31 PM >>> Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] HBC >>> >>> >>>> Interesting About the Orcadian HBC Employee Stature >>>> >>>> At dinner a relative said our Orkneymen explorer relatives were all >>>> short and squat. I did a little research and discovered that as they >>>> did with our family, the HBC picked clean the Orkney landscape of >>>> young >>>> virile men, often numerous generations off the same farm. Then >>>> apparently rules were set in place to minimize the exodus. One of >>>> these >>>> rules was a height limitation. The result was many boys of twelve >>>> years >>>> or so were signed on. The reason therefore that many were short is >>>> simply that they were still children. >>>> >>>> The HBC have incredible records of Orkneymen. All their records were >>>> moved from London to Winnipeg and the Manitoba Museum does a good >>>> job >>>> of portraying the HBC. >>>> Interestingly enough, the natives respected the Orkney way, and the >>>> natives and Orcadians got on better than the Brits and the Scots. My >>>> relative, Andrew, was captured in Fort Prince of Wales in 1782 by >>>> the >>>> French. The Orkneymen on the post never fired a shot. They were >>>> treated >>>> with respect by their captors and set free. Among them was SAmuel >>>> Hearne.I suppose the alternative was to die for the British? >>>> >>>> Fascinating stuff. >>>> On Wednesday, January 28, 2004, at 05:46 AM, Dutch Thompson wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hello- >>>>> From autumn 1983 The Beaver magazine, an article titled : "The >>>>> HBC >>>>> and the Fur Trade:1670-1870': >>>>> >>>>> " The rations served out to the men consisted of provisions from >>>>> England-salt pork & beef, flour, suet, peas, bacon, cheese, butter, >>>>> and oatmeal- together with geese, ptarmigan, venison, rabbit and >>>>> fish. >>>>> To the modern eye the amounts seem gargantuan. On Christmas Day, >>>>> 1705, >>>>> each mess of four men at Albany was given twenty pounds of flour, 2 >>>>> lb >>>>> of bacon, 8 pints of oatmeal, 2 pints of rice, 2 lb of raisins, 1/2 >>>>> lb >>>>> of currants, 8 lb of mutton, 3 fresh and 2 salted geese, one >>>>> 'piece' >>>>> of salt bread, 12 partridges, 4 lb of biscuit bread, 2 lb of >>>>> cheese, >>>>> 1 >>>>> 1/2 lb of butter, 3 lb of suet, and 60 fish. This was, the factor >>>>> concluded, rather more than usual, but it was matched by the list >>>>> given by Andrew Graham a half-century later of daily rations. >>>>> Graham >>>>> claimed...' the Orkney servants yearly send home to their wives and >>>>> children flour that they store up.' >>>>> If true, this was a bizzare stae of affairs, since the flour had >>>>> been >>>>> expensively shipped from England to the Bay only the previous >>>>> year. " >>>>> >>>>> " The patent unsuitability for hard work of many of those >>>>> prepared >>>>> to sign on for Hudson Bay was one reason for the Company's decision >>>>> to >>>>> hire, first, Lowland Scots, and then Orkneymen, in increasing >>>>> numbers. >>>>> If dour and clannish, the later were hardier and more reliable than >>>>> the general run of urbanized labourers, and by the 1730s most of >>>>> the >>>>> Company's labourers and some of the craftsmen came from the Orkneys >>>>> (sic)-a regular port of call for the Company ships on their voyage >>>>> from the Thames'north about' to the Bay... >>>>> ...the French Wars from 1793 onwards came as a heavy blow. >>>>> European wars had always broght their own difficulties to the >>>>> HBC...above all a shorage of manpower. The British navy's demand >>>>> for >>>>> seamen drew many Orkneymen onto the service, and this hit the >>>>> Company >>>>> hard, for they were now providing 3/4 of the workforce in the >>>>> Bay-390 >>>>> out of 498 officers and men in 1800. If David Thompson is to be >>>>> believed, by about 1796 the Orkneymen reaching York in the annual >>>>> ship >>>>> were few in number and small in stature-so much so that the Indian >>>>> wife of one of the Company servants challenged him with the >>>>> observation: ' have you not always told me, that the people in your >>>>> country are as numerous as the leaves on the trees, how can you >>>>> speak >>>>> such a falsehood, do we not see plainly that the very last of them >>>>> is >>>>> come, if there were any more would these dwarfs have come here.' >>>>> >>>>> cheers Thompson >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== >>>>> To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with >>>>> the >>>>> word >>>>> 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== >>>> To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with >>>> the >>>> word >>>> 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== >>> To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the >>> word >>> 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >>> >> >> >> ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== >> To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the >> word >> 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >> >> > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >