Margaret L. Clarke, Editor #29, Evanson Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Thanks to Geoff Burtonshaw, we have information on a new family. He passed on the article about the men at Fort Ellice to a descendant of Jacob Beads' sister, Elizabeth 'Betsy' McIvor (Beads). Thank you, Spencer Field.
I pulled together the information he gave me with that compiled in the HBC Archives as biographies of servants. My thanks to them for access to those records.
The first family members our combined searches uncovered were Charles and John Beads, employed around Kenogomissi / Matawegummi post in the years from 1815-1820 (B/99/a/14, B/99/a/16, B/99/a/20-22). They are both identified in the "Names of Company Servants 1819 (1818-1819)" (A/30/16/p.3) as being from the parish of Hudson's Bay. In the terminology of the day, this indicates that they were probably "Country-born". Their father has not yet been traced, although he may be the other "John Beads, labourer, no parish" in that list. The same list notes that Charles "is a careful excellent canoe man either as bowsman or steersman, is a good traveller and an obedient Servant but is much addicted to drinking Spiritous Liquors." Reading between the lines, this indicates that he was a very competent worker. John is listed as a steersman, with no comments.
The biographies contain a very good biography of John and what appear to be two of his sons. John Senior entered service in 1814, a native of Rupert's Land. He served out of Albany until 1838 when he retired to Red River. He is listed from 1846-51 as boat-builder and guide; 1851-54 as carpenter; and then as freeman.
He married Margaret, born around 1800, and had nine children: Charles (1822-44); John Jr. (1824-1859); Jacob (b. around 1830), Elizabeth who married Allan McIvor of Beaver Creek; Margaret; James; Thomas baptised 31 March 1840; Catharine, baptised 2 May 1843, died 25 October, 1843; Maria, baptised 22 October, 1844, died 7 April, 1845.
There are shorter biographies on John Jr and Thomas. John Jr. married Catherine Robeclair (Robillard) who was born in 1830. They were married at Grand Rapids on February 6, 1845. They had two children: Mary Anne, baptised 23 August, 1846; and John (James) baptised 12 November, 1850, who married Elizabeth Bremner in 1873 at Fort Ellice. Catherine died February 27, 1853, and John married Mary Bird on January 17, 1855. They had one child, Nancy baptised in 1855, and John died in 1859.
Thomas Beads born approximately 1840, is recorded as being a middleman at Swan River from 1860-63, carpenter at Swan River from 1863-67, and carpenter in Red River from 1867-70. He was apparently married at St. Peters in 1860. He died on March 10, 1870, enroute to Migiskan from Waswanipi.
Spencer Field writes that others in the family were mentioned as taking part in expeditions in the mid-nineteenth century. A James is mentioned in the Palliser Expedition by Irene M. Spry, where it says he had been a personal servant of Sir George Simpson, (p. 16). In accounts of John Rae's expedition, John Beads (probably Junior) and Jacob are mentioned. Mr. Field says that the Jacob Beads in Fort Ellice was the same man, son of John Sr.
Information given in Rae's Arctic Correspondence, Hudson's Bay Record Society, Vol. XVI, pg. 352, in the form of a biography of Jacob tells of a career similar to his brother Thomas. He was first hired by the Company as middleman in Swan River, in 1846-47. January 1853 began his employ with Dr. Rae's arctic expedition, as middleman and labourer. He served as steersman for the Company from 1855-57, when he retired to Red River.
John Jr is described in that same source as having been part of Dr Rae's expedition in 1850-51 as guide, steersman and laborer, as well as the 1853-54 trip as a steersman.
Mr. Field sent along a memorial of Jacob that appeared in Saskatchewan History, Vol. VII, No. 1, winter 1954, which quotes from the Saskatchewan Times, (Prince Albert) April 6, 1894. It credits him with establishing the community grist mill and giving a substantial donation of land to the Anglican church, on which they established Emmanuel College. He was survived by his wife, two married daughters, Mrs. J.S. Letellier and Mrs. Peter Turner, and an unmarried son and daughter.
The Peter Turner branch of the family has been traced in a recently completed family history book: Across the River: History of the Turner, Thomson, Campbell Families, by Pearl Wreston, 680 - 8 Ave. Swift Current, Saskatchewan, S9H 2R3. It has 335 pages and 150 pictures and maps.
[If the editor may be permitted a comment: As a scholar endeavoring to tell the history of the common man in the fur trade, the amount of information that has been gathered on this family of laborers, boatmen and carpenters made me very happy until I questioned whether the appearance of two of the brothers in Rae's expedition gave the family a certain honour which might have increased the likelyhood of the family being studied. However, there is no indication in the documents that accompanied Mr. Field's letter, that the family received further notice. They did their jobs well, occasionally had trouble with the boss, and supported their church and missionaries. They were a credit to their time, and formed an important part of the mixed blood community.]
If anyone doubts the place of genealogy and the history of families in the post-modern world, listen to this exerpt from the editorial of The Antioch Review, Vol. 53, Number 2, Spring 1995.
"Genealogy is a booming business in America; individuals of all stripes are searching out their roots, trying to find their biological parents, looking for a historical past that represents continuity with the present and puts, at the same time, a human face on history. It is not just Mormons or the Newberry Library in Chicago that have built up, over time, substantial archival resources enabling people to restore (at least on a genealogical sheet) a connection with the past; state and local historical societies can't keep up with the demand for access and services from the kin hunters. And there is growing sophistication on the part of historians --- witness Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Pulitzer-Prize-winning A Midwife's Tale, David McCullough's biography of Truman, or Nell Irvin Painter's soon to be published study of Sojourner Truth --- who relate individuals to larger social patterns, yet keep the faces in full view and separate from the crowd."
by Robert S. Fogarty.
In a letter commenting on the April newsletter, Mr. McCloy remembers Jacob Beads as the man who donated the land for the St. Mary's Cemetery in Prince Albert, where many early settlers are buried. He also wonders if the Thomas Beads who married Harriet Wills, daughter of John Wills, Jr and Mary McKay is connected to him. It seems possible that this is the Thomas Beads who was Jacob's brother and son of John Sr.
[By the way, John Wills Jr. is the grandson of Cuthbert Grant Sr., through a daughter.]
Mr. McCloy also commented on my query about the education of the daughters of Joseph Cook. He reminded me that Joseph Cook was catechist and school teacher at the Indian Settlement (St. Peter's Reserve). He is recorded as having complained bitterly that the white assistants to the missionary were paid far more than he was, and that he could barely support his family. Mary (Cook) McKay and William McKay Sr sent their daughters Harriet (Mrs. W.E. Traill, and Mr. McCloy's grandmother) and Catherine (Mrs. Lawrence Clarke) to Miss Davis' school in Red River and their sons to St. John's College, which became part of the University of Manitoba.
(exerpted from "Nora Remembers," by Nora Mercil, published in Chez Nous, Newsletter of Aout-Septembre, 1990, Vol. 12, No. 1. Newsletter of La société canadienne - française.) Submitted by Lowell Mercil from Minnesota.
"Life on the farm was hard, but we were a happy family and there were lots of fun times. We children were all born at home. I, Nora, was the oldest, next Al and then Lorraine, whose births I don't remember. When Jerry's birth was near, Lorraine, Al and I were sent over to the neighbours to wait. No telephone to call us home, instead the signal of the new arrival was a bed sheet hung on the clothesline.
Mama was of quite a serious disposition, she was sick often, as I remember, but as I think about it maybe she was just tired. Just the necessary work to be done included washing and ironing clothes, baking bread, making meals, churning butter, planting and harvesting a garden, canning meat as well as berries, apples and garden produce. Still, that was not all, she carded and spun wool. She would buy a gunny sack full at a time. She sewed not only for our family, of six children, herself and papa, but she sewed for many of the families in town [Gentilly, Minnesota], she was a very accomplished seamstress.
Papa was a very kind, quiet man, not strong but a hard and willing worker. Don't think he ever insulted anyone in his life. Papa had lots of work to do. I, Nora the oldest child never had to do chores in the barn or field but carrying water and wood, that I did. Oh! yes, that I did.
Our house was situated on a hill, the well down below, an artesian well. Artesian comes from the French word, "artois" a province in France, where this type well was first discovered. This type well was supposed to be very special, but I never understood why. We still had to carry our water up hill, for drinking, bathing, and laundry, then haul it out of the house after using it. Why didn't they build the house down by the well?
[Comments, anyone?]
There was no electricity at our house, so you're thinking, "oh, no lights!" Yes, that's right, and no water heater, no washing machine, no hair dryer, no clothes dryer and lots more noes. So we hauled the water, heated it on the range (stove), washed clothes on the board and dried them in the sun, used flat irons, and heated our curling irons in a lamp chimney, which we used for light after the sun went down. The lamps had to be filled with kerosene, the chimneys washed and dried and the wicks trimmed. How often this cleaning process took place depended on how often and how long the lamps were used. Pail after pail of water I carried up the hill to fill the copper boiler and the two wash tubs. Papa helped me - or did I help him - this was in the days before Al and Lorraine were big enough to help. It wasn't just water to be hauled up the hill, but also the wood papa had chopped. Wood kept the stove roaring to keep heating water for the laundry. Mama scrubbed clothes with soap on the wash board for several years before we got a washing machine. That meant wringing by hand, rinsing and wringing again, then hung in the clothesline outdoors, a far cry from your automatic washer and dryer of today. After the last of the clothes were washed and hung on the line, it was time to haul the water out, pail after pail. As the clothes dried and were brought into the house, you noticed such a lovely fresh aroma, there is nothing to compare it to, and found only on clothes dried out of doors in the sunshine. Hanging clothes out of doors in the winter was a bone chilling job. When the clothes were frozen, they were then brought into the house to hang on lines throughout the house. We always laughed at the frozen long underwear, like a ghost without a body.
Now it was sprinkling time, you spread each piece of clothing out on the table, one at a time with a pan of water near. You dipped your hand into the water, and then shook your hand over the item, you did this several times then it was rolled up tightly and put into a basket. You continued sprinkling till all of the clothing was dampened and ready for ironing the next morning.
Flat irons were set on the range to heat. These irons were in two parts, one the flat iron and the second part was the handle/cover which was put over the flat iron. A little clamp held it in place. Mama would test the iron to see if it were hot enough by putting a finger to her mouth to wet it and then she touched the iron, sssisst! if it sizzled it was ready. As soon as the iron cooled it was necessary to exchange it for a hot one. It was a hot steamy tiring job, due to the combination of the heat from the roaring fire in the range, the labor of ironing and the hot humid weather of summer. In the winter sprinkling was omitted as clothes were ironed while still damp."
Mr. McCloy would like to hear from anyone who has information on the family of William Rowland and Eliza (Betsey) Ballendine or Ballendin. Their daughter Maria was married to Henry Hardisty in 1873 and to William McKay Jr. on January 8, 1880. "Denney lists 13 children of William and Betsy, but several, including Maria, were born after Betsy was 50." writes Mr. McCloy. He wonders if these children were the children of a younger Rowland. Solutions, anyone? Mr. McCloy can be reached at: T.R. McCloy, 924 - 7th Ave. S.W., P.H.3, Calgary, AB T2P 1A4.
The editor would like to hear from anyone who knows anything about Louis Jolicouer, a man who worked for the HBC at Brandon House from 1797 to 1810. I have information that he was married, but little else on his family. Also, is anyone working on the descendants of John Easter, an Inuit who was adopted by someone in the company? He also served in Brandon during the same period.