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Orkney |
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A biographical dictionary of fur trade and exploration west of the Rockies (from California to Alaska) is being compliled by an individual in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since the major fur trading company for this Pacific slopes area was the Hudson's Bay Company and many HBC servants came from Orkney, family information is being sought on the Orcadians who once served in the Company west of the Rockies up to 1858. Respondents with information are asked to· please contact:
If a relative were to provide information to this researcher, a dictionary entry thus far compiled from the Hudson's Bay Company Archives and other sources will be sent to the respondent. Dictionary entries (about 120 of the 3700 compiled to date are former Orcadians) vary in length from only a few lines to a page and so are in various stages of completion. The researcher would also appreciate being put in contact with family relatives elsewhere who could provide information on those Orcadians in question.
Information being sought is:
birth date, birth place, parents of individual
marital status/occupation before leaving Orkney
reason for leaving
how individual got to the Pacific Northwest
known fate of individual/subsequent family, etc.
any other written or oral tradition information which would "humanize" the entry
sources for the above
Eventual entires will centre only on the individual servant involved and his immediate family. In order to protect the privacy of descendants, only the names, as well as birth and death years of the children of the H.B.C. servant will be written up.
To assist in identifying relatives who worked west of the Rockies, a list of Pacific slope establishments follows: (Geographical information in parentheses indicates the present site of the fort or establishment)
Fort Alexandria (British Columbia)
Fort Babine (British Columbia)
Fort Boise (Idaho)
Fort Chilcotin (British Columbia)
Fort Colvile (Washington)
Fort Connolly (British Columbia)
Fort Flathead (Idaho)
Fort Fraser (British Columbia)
Fort George (British Columbia)
Fort George (Washington)
Fort Hall (Idaho)
Fort Kamloops or Thompson River (British Columbia)
Fort Langley (British Columbia)
Fort Kootenay (Montana)
Fort McLeod (British Columbia)
Fort McLoughlin (British Columbia)
Fort Nez Perces (Washington)
Fort Nisqually (Washington)
Fort Okanagan (Washington)
Fort Rupert (British Columbia)
Fort Shepherd (British Columbia)
Fort Simpson (British Columbia)
Fort Spokane (Washington)
Fort Stikine (Alaska)
Fort Taku (Alaska)
Fort Tluz Kluz (British Columbia)
Fort Umpqua (Oregon)
Fort Vancouver (Washington)
Fort Victoria (British Columbia) Kulleyspell House
Nanaimo mines to 1858 (British Columbia)
Puget Sound Agriculture Association farms to 1858
Howse House (Montana)
Saleesh House (Idaho)
San Francisco establishment (California)
Hawaiian establishment (Hawaii)
As it is quite possible that Orcadian relatives may may not be able to pinpoint specific locations, the following names of individuals who signed on in Orkney and worked part or all of their career west of the Rockies, are provided.
| Name of Orcadian in H.B.C. | Known birth year | Year of entry | Parish of entry | Years West of Rockies | Status in Company | Last Known Information |
| Aiken/Aitken, George | 1836 | Birsay | 1841-42 | blacksmith | (settled in Willamette Valley, Oregon) | |
| Anderson, James | c.1798 | 1828 | Stromness | 1829-30 | ship's carp. | (died of fever at Fort Vancouver, Dec. 25, 1830) |
| Anderson, Robert | 1833 | Birsay | 1833-38 | middleman | (untraced after going east of Rockies in 1838) | |
| Baikie, James | 1851 | Walls | 1851-52 | labourer | (dismissed July 10, 1852 from Fort Vancouver) | |
| Baikie, John | 1852 | Evie | 1852-66 | labourer | (died in Victoria, B. C., February 16, 1866) | |
| Baker, James | c.1804 | 1824 | South Ronaldsay | 1826-40 | steward | (settled in Willamette Valley, Oregon) |
| Balfour, Thomas | 1832 | Westray | 1834-36 | labourer | (last noted as working in Saskatchewan area) | |
| Ballenden, Jacob | 1842 | Sandwick | 1844-48 | farmer | (possible suicide August 7, 1848 on Fraser River) | |
| Ballenden, James | c.1822 | 1836 | Evie | 1846-52 | farmer | (discharged 1851, possibly remained in Ft. Vancouver area) |
| Ballenden, John | 1810 | 1829 | Stromness | 1850-53 | Chief Factor | (died Dec. 6, 1856 likely in Red River area) |
| Beinston, Adam | 1820/24? | 1843 | Eday | 1844-52 | labourer | (settled in Washington State, died March 26, 1912) |
| Bichan, James | 1843 | South Ronaldsay | 1844-49 | cooper | (left for California gold rush, September 1, 1849) | |
| Brown, William [a] | c.1810 | 1830 | Sandwick | 1831-43 | labourer | (untraced after 1843 at Fort Vancouver) |
| Brown, William [c] | 1850 | Harray | 1850-52 | gardener | (discharged around 1852) | |
| Brown, William [f] | 1850 | Stromness | 1850-53 | boatbuilder | (untraced after 1853) | |
| Burger, George | c.1806 | 1830 | Westray | 1831-37 | sailor | (either returned to British Isles or went east over Rockies in 1837) |
| Campbell, William | 1835 | Westray | 1836-39 | labourer | (returned to British Isles) | |
| Clouston, John [b] | 1851 | Rousay | 1851-54 | labourer | (died at Fort Vancouver in 1854) | |
| Clouston, Robert | 1821 | 1838 | Stromness | 1850-58 | Chief Trader | (died in San Francisco of brain fever, August 14, 1858) |
| Cormack, Hugh | 1835 | Eday | 1836-42 | steward | (returned to British Isles in 1842) | |
| Corzey, William | c.1850 | St. Ola | 1850-60 | blacksmith | (appears to have died c.1863 in Victoria, B. C.) | |
| Craigie, James | 1813 | 1835 | Rousay | 1836-52 | interpreter | (died Yaquina Bay, Oregon, September 29, 1895) |
| Craigie, William [b] | 1843 | Rousay | 1844-60 | labourer | (untraced from 1860 at Fort Colvile, Washington) | |
| Craigie, William [c] | c.1851 | Deerness | 1851-53 | labourer | (untraced from 1853 at Fort Colvile, Washington) | |
| Cromartie, William | 1814 | 1843 | b. S. Ronald. | 1844-72 | cooper | (died c.1876 at Fort Langley, B. C.) |
| Davie, Malcolm | 1833 | Firth | 1834-40 | middleman | (returned to British Isles in 1840) | |
| Davie, William | 1833 | Firth | 1834-38 | middleman | (returned to British Isles?) | |
| Dickson, James | 1835 | Harray | 1836-43 | blacksmith | (returned to British Isles c.1843) | |
| Driver, Edward | 1826 | Kirkwall | 1827 | seaman | (killed on Vancouver Island, 1827) | |
| Flett, David | 1835 | Harray | 1836-42 | servant | (drowned May 31, 1842 at Okanagan Falls) | |
| Flett, John [c] | 1838 | Firth | 1839-54 | blacksmith | (untraced from 1854) | |
| Flett, John [d] | 1827 | 1848 | Stromness | 1848-60 | cooper | (died February 5, 1886 in Victoria, B. C.) |
| Flett, Magnus | 1844 | Birsay | 1845-51 | labourer | (possibly retired in area) | |
| Flett, Thomas | c.1814 | 1833 | Harray | 1834-51 | labourer | (settled in U.S.A, possibly in Colvile, Wash. area) |
| Folster, George | c.1803 | 1830 | Birsay | 1829-48 | blacksmith | (died at Fort Vancouver, 1850) |
| Foubister, Thomas | c.1851 | St. Ola | 1851-53 | labourer | (likely retired in British Columbia) | |
| Fraser, John | 1847 | Walls | 1848-52 | labourer | (deserted in 1852 from Fort Umpqua) | |
| Garson, James | 1838 | Sandwick? | 1839-43 | cooper | (returned to the British Isles in 1843) | |
| Goudie, James | c.1810 | 1829 | Stromness | 1830-51 | blacksmith | (in 1881 living in Victoria, B. C.) |
| Goudie, John | 1843 | Birsay | 1844-49 | labourer | (returned to British Isles c.1849) | |
| Greig, John | 1844 | St. Ola | 1845-51 | labourer | (untraced after retiring in Fort Colvile area in 1851) | |
| Groat, Malcolm | 1834 | South Ronaldsay | 1834-39 | labourer | (returned to British Isles c.1839) | |
| Gullion, William | c.1833 | Westray | 1835-39 | labourer | (returned to British Isles c.1839) | |
| Gunn, Adam | 1835 | Orphir | 1836-39 | labourer | (sent to London hospital in 1839) | |
| Guthrie, David | 1828 | Kirkwall | 1828 | boatswain | (likely returned to British Isles) | |
| Guthrie, William Logan | 1850 | Orkney | 1850-55 | labourer? | (likely settled on Vancouver Island) | |
| Hackland, Gilbert Spence | 1828 | 1852 | Strom. or Birs. | 1852-54 | ship's master | (worked/lived in Red River until death in 1901) |
| Hamilton, Gavin | 1835 | 1852 | Stromness | 1852-78 | clerk | (not traced after 1878) |
| Harry (Harvey?), William | 1851 | Harray | 1851-56 | carpenter | (likely settled in Victoria area) | |
| Harvey, Andrew | 1823 | 1843 | Birsay | 1844-57 | shepherd | (possibly settled in Victoria area) |
| Harvey, George | 1822 | 1843 | Birsay | 1844-69 | storekeeper | (not traced after 1869 in Victoria area) |
| Harvey, Robert | 1845 | Stromness | 1847-50 | boatbuilder | (not traced after 1850 in Victoria area) | |
| Harvey, Thomas | 1852 | Birsay | 1852-57 | labourer | (not traced after 1857) | |
| Horie, John | c.1851 | St. Ola | 1852-58 | blacksmith | (untraced after 1858 at Fort Victoria) | |
| Horie, Simon | c.1820 | 1843 | Sandwick | 1844-48 | labourer | (untraced after 1848 at Willamette Falls, Oregon) |
| Horn, Adam Grant | 1831 | 1851 | Orkney? | 1851-68 | clerk | (died in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, 1903) |
| Humphrey, Charles | 1833 | Stromness | 1840-46 | ship's master | (returned to British Isles in 1846) | |
| Huntow, Peter | 1844 | Stromness | 1845-49 | carpenter | (to California gold rush in 1849) | |
| Inkster, John | 1848 | Rousay | 1848-53 | labourer | (untraced after retirement in 1853) | |
| Irvin, Joseph | 1836 | Evie | 1837-39 | steward | (discharged c.1839 in Oahu) | |
| Irvine, John | 1850 | Eday | 1850-56 | labourer | (in 1862 still living in North Saanich, Van. Island) | |
| Irvine, Peter | c.1850 | Stromness or Shetland | 1851-61 | labourer | (likely settled on Vancouver Island) | |
| Irvine, Robert | c.1850 | St. Ola | 1851-58 | labourer | (likely settled on Vancouver Island) | |
| Johnston, John | 1833 | Sandwick | 1834-53 | labourer | (died at Fort Vancouver, 1853) | |
| Johnston, Robert | c.1812 | 1833 | Sandwick | 1834-49 | labourer | (to California or British Isles in 1849) |
| Johnston, William [c] | 1833 | Kirkwall | 1833-35 | trapper | (drowned at Fort George, July 7, 1835) | |
| Johnston, William [d] | c.1819 | 1835 | Harray | 1836-51 | labourer | (possibly retired in Idaho) |
| Johnstone, James [d] | 1829 | Stromness | 1830-37 | 2nd mate | (returned to British Isles in 1837) | |
| Johnstone, James [2] | 1850 | Walls | 1851-57 | labourer | (last traced in 1858 at Fort Victoria) | |
| Lawrenson, William | 1848 | Walls | 1848-49 | labourer | (deserted March, 1849 for gold fields of California) | |
| Leask, Henry | 1850 | Sandwick | 1850-51 | labourer | (deserted December 28, 1851 from Fort Vancouver) | |
| Leask, John | 1843 | Sandwick | 1844-48 | labourer | (not traced after 1848) | |
| Linklater, James | 1850 | Harray | 1850-56 | labourer | (likely settled in Victoria) | |
| Linklater, John | 1851 | Birsay | 1851-67 | post master | (likely settled in Victoria) | |
| Linklater, Thomas | 1833 | Stromness | 1834-51 | interpreter | (possibly settled in Washington State) | |
| Linniard, John | 1834 | Birsay | 1835-61 | farmer | (likely settled in British Columbia) | |
| Logie, John | 1814 | 1834 | Westray | 1835-49 | dairyman | (died March 24, 1854 on Sauve Island, Washington) |
| Louttit, Andrew | 1839 | Birsay | 1840-44 | blacksmith | (returned to British Isles in 1844) | |
| Low, John [1] | 1836 | Stromness | 1827-30 | seaman/cook | (returned to British Isles in 1831) | |
| Low, John, Sr. [a] | 1836 | Stromness | 1836-40 | seaman/cook (same as [1]?) | (returned to British Isles in 1840) | |
| Low, John, Jr. [b] | 1836 | Stromness | 1836-39 | seaman | (likely returned to British Isles in 1839) | |
| McKay, John [f] | 1850 | St. Ola | 1851-52 | labourer | (deserted in 1852) | |
| McKay, Kenneth | c.1808 | 1828 | Sandwick | 1828-40 | sailor | (killed August 15, 1840 on Columbia River) |
| Marwick, David | 1851 | Stromness | 1851-54 | farmer | (likely settled in Victoria, B. C.) | |
| Marwick, James | 1851 | Stromness | 1851-62 | labourer | (likely settled in Victoria, B. C.) | |
| MeCuras/McCuras, Magnus | c.1802 | 1828 | Burray | 1829-32 | seaman | (likely returned to British Isles in 1832) |
| Merryman, William | c.1813 | 1833 | Harray | 1834-38 | labourer | (returned to British Isles in 1838) |
| Millar, James [c] | 1838 | Birsay | 1839-43 | labourer | (returned to British Isles in 1843) | |
| Moar, Jonathan | 1830 | 1845? | Stromness | 1850-51 | blacksmith | (deserted 1851) |
| Moffatt, Hamilton | 1849 | Stromness | 1849-72 | Chief Trader | (died April 13, 1894 in Victoria, B. C.) | |
| More, John | 1796 | 1831? | Birsay | 1831-34 | labourer | (not tracked after 1834) |
| Morwick, William | c.1813 | 1833 | Stromness | 1834-43 | servant | (killed January 15, 1843 at Fort Babine) |
| Mowatt, Hugh | 1851 | Rousay | 1851-51 | steward | (possibly settled in Fort Vancouver area) | |
| Mowatt, Henry | c.1814 | 1833 | Birsay | 1834-41 | labourer | (returned to British Isles c.1841) |
| Norn, Samuel | c.1807 | 1830 | Sandwick | 1831-44 | labourer | (settled in Victoria, B. C.) |
| Norquay, William [1] | 1829 | Walls | 1830 | middleman | (drowned in Columbia River, August 5, 1830) | |
| Norquay, William [2] | c.1851 | South Ronaldsay | 1852-56 | labourer | (untraced after 1856 in Victoria, B. C.) | |
| Oman, Edward | c.1826 | 1844 | Stenness | 1845-50 | labourer | (retired in 1849 in Fort Vancouver area) |
| Peace, James | 1836 | Stromness | 1836-38 | seaman | (deserted June 10, 1838 in Monterey, California) | |
| Pottinger, William | c.1814 | 1835 | Westray | 1835-54 | labourer | (died March 22, 1887 at Hillside, Washington) |
| Rae, William Glen | c.1809 | 1827 | Orphir | 1834-45 | clerk | (suicide January 9, 1845 in Yerba Buena [San Francisco]) |
| Randal, John | c.1801 | c.1820 | Stromness | 1825-28 | boatbuilder | (untraced after 1828 at Fort Vancouver) |
| Reid, Captain James M. | 1803 | 1852 | Orkney | 1853-54 | ship's master | (died April 24, 1868 in Victoria, B. C.) |
| Rendall, James | c.1792 | 1820 | Evie | 1830-46 | cooper | (returned to British Isles in 1845) |
| Robertson, David [a] | c.1804 | 1828 | Sandwick | 1829-32 | seaman | (likely returned to British Isles in 1832) |
| Robertson, David [b] | c.1813 | 1830 | Sandwick | 1831-39 | labourer | (returned to British Isles in 1839) |
| Robertson, James [2] | 1847 | Sandwick | 1848-52 | labourer | (died at Flatheads, February 24, 1852) | |
| Robertson, Samuel [1] | c.1824 | 1843 | Sandwick | 1844-58 | boatbuilder | (settled in B. C.) |
| Ross, William | 1849 | Orkney? | 1849-50 | overseer | (likely settled in B. C.) | |
| Sabiston, James | c.1829 | 1850 | Stromness | 1851-69 | post master | (likely settled in B. C.) |
| Sabiston, John [a] | 1828 | 1849 | Walls | 1849-59 | labourer | (settled in B. C.) |
| Sabiston, John [b] | 1852? | Walls | 1853-58 | labourer | (not traced after 1858) | |
| Sabiston, Joseph | 1844 | Stromness | 1851-58 | labourer | (likely settled in B. C.) | |
| Scott, Thomas | 1842 | Harray | 1844-47 | blacksmith | (returned to British Isles in 1847) | |
| Sinclair, James [e] | 1842 | South Ronaldsay | 1844-46 | cooper | (returned to British Isles in 1846) | |
| Sinclair, John J. | c.1830 | 1844 | Stromness | 1844-55 | 1st mate | (untraced after 1855) |
| Sinclair, Thomas [a] | 1791 | 1824 | St. Ola | 1836-34 | ship's master | (returned to British Isles in 1834) |
| Spence, John [c] | c.1800 | 1820 | Stromness | 1825-33 | boatbuilder | (likely returned to British Isles in 1833) |
| Spence, John [a] | 1838 | Stromness | 1838-63 | ship's carpenter | (settled at Victoria, B. C.) | |
| Spence, John [e] | c.1852 | Stromness | 1852-60 | labourer | (likely settled in Victoria, B. C. | |
| Spence, Joseph | c.1804 | 1828 | Harray | 1829-36 | seaman/carp. | (possibly went to Hawaii) |
| Spence, William [e] | 1852 | Birsay | 1852-59 | labourer | (likely settled in area) | |
| Stensgair, John | c.1817 | 1838 | Birsay | 1839-51 | labourer | (likely settled in area) |
| Stengair, Thomas | c.1819 | 1838 | Birsay | 1839-52 | labourer | (possibly settled near Fort Colvile, Washington) |
| Stockand, James | c.1821 | 1851 | Stromness | 1851-56 | carpenter | (retired in Victoria area in 1856) |
| Stove, James | c.1828 | c.1850 | Firth | 1850-56 | labourer | (likely settled in B. C. area) |
| Swain, William | 1828 | South Ronaldsay | 1828 | seaman | (records uncertain, likely returned to British Isles) | |
| Tait, John | c.1810 | 1829 | Stromness | 1829-35 | boatbuilder | (died of consumption January 17, 1835 at Fort Vancouver) |
| Taylor, James [1] | c.1794 | 1817 | Birsay | 1821-23 | labourer | (likely settled in Red River area) |
| Taylor, James [d] | 1833 | South Ronaldsay | 1834-50 | dairyman | (went to California gold rush in 1849) | |
| Taylor, James [2] | 1851? | Birsay | 1852-62 | blacksmith | (likely settled in B. C.) | |
| Taylor, John | 1830 | Stromness | 1831-38 | seaman | (returned to British Isles in 1838) | |
| Thompson, James [2] | 1851 | Walls | 1851-59 | labourer | (untraced after 1860 in British Columbia) | |
| Walls, William | 1829 | South Ronaldsay | 1830-34 | servant | (possibly returned to British Isles in 1834) | |
| Wards, Henry | 1829 | Stromness | 1830-34 | shipbuilder | (untraced after "put off duty" in 1834) | |
| Williams, John [a] | c.1812 | 1830 | Stenness | 1831-39 | labourer | (died May 12, 1839 at Fort Vancouver |
| Wilson, James [a] | 1828 | Stromness | 1829-34 | seaman | (returned to British Isles in 1834) | |
| Wilson, William [b] | 1826 | Kirkwall | 1827-30 | seaman | (returned to British Isles in 1830) | |
| Work, John [2] | 1850 | Kirkwall | 1850-57 | miner | (died 1857 from injuries in Nanaimo mine, B. C.) | |
| Work, William | 1850 | Stromness | 1850-54 | labourer | (likely settled in Victoria, B. C.) | |
| Yorston, Magnus | 1838 | St. Ola | 1839-40 | carpenter | (likely worked in Saskatchewan district) |
*The designation "Walls" is problematic because of the duplication of names with the Shetland Islands.
(Many more could have been added to this list but they have not been positively identified as being from Orkney.)