John Johnston
| John Johnston | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1762-08-25 Portrush, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 1828-09-22 Sault Ste Marie, Michigan |
| Occupation | Fur trader |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
| Children | |
John Johnston (25 August 1762 – 22 September 1828 (aged 66)) was an Irish-born fur trader who became one of the most prominent independent traders on Lake Superior during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, establishing himself at Sault Ste Marie as a wealthy merchant and patriarch of a celebrated mixed-heritage family.
Early life
Johnston was born on 25 August 1762 at Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the son of William Johnston and Elizabeth McNeil. His father died when Johnston was seven years old. Despite this early loss, Johnston received a sound education in literature and history. Between 1778 and 1779 he managed the family's waterworks in Belfast. In 1789 he resolved to leave Ireland and seek his fortune in North America.[1]
Career in the fur trade
Johnston sailed for Quebec City in June 1790, arriving in New York on 25 August of that year. Making his way to Montreal, he encountered the merchant Andrew Todd and joined a trading venture bound for Mackinac Island, arriving there on 16 May 1791. He then wintered at La Pointe on the southern shore of Lake Superior, near present-day Ashland, Wisconsin, where he developed close ties with the local Ojibwe people community.[1]
In the summer of 1792 Johnston married Oshaguscodawaqua (also known as Susan), the daughter of the respected Ojibwa chief Waubojeeg, in a ceremony conducted after Ojibwa custom at La Pointe. The couple later solemnized their marriage at Fort St Joseph, Ontario. They had eight children together, among them Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Obah-dahm-wawn-gezzhago-quay), Lewis Saurin Johnston, and George Johnston.[1]
Johnston established himself as an independent trader at Sault Ste Marie in 1793, steadily accumulating wealth through commerce along the southern shore of Lake Superior. He maintained close associations with major trading organizations, including North West Company and the interests of Isaac Todd and Andrew Todd of Todd. He was elected to the Beaver Club on 2 January 1808, a distinction reserved for those who had wintered in the pays d'en haut.[1]
In 1804 Johnston inherited the family estate of Craige near Coleraine in Ireland. He travelled to Ireland in 1809, taking his daughter Jane with him, and visited Cork, Dublin, and Wexford. During this visit he was invited by Thomas Douglas to lead the proposed Red River Colony settlement, an offer he declined. He returned to Sault Ste Marie in November 1810.[1]
War of 1812
During the War of 1812, Johnston supported the British cause. He participated in Captain Charles Roberts's capture of Mackinac Island on 17 July 1812. On 24 July 1814, American forces raided his establishment at the Sault, destroying an estimated $40,000 worth of goods. Johnston spent the following decades petitioning both the British and American governments for compensation, but jurisdictional disputes between the two nations meant neither accepted responsibility, and he died without receiving payment.[1]
Later career
Following the war, Johnston managed posts for American Fur Company and in 1818 established a post on Drummond Island. In 1819–1820 he travelled to Britain to press his compensation claims and sell his Irish estate. During his absence from the Sault, the American governor Lewis Cass arrived to negotiate with the Ojibwa; Johnston's wife Oshaguscodawaqua played a decisive diplomatic role in securing Ojibwa acceptance of American authority.[1]
In 1822 the ethnologist and Indian agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft arrived at Sault Ste Marie and quickly became Johnston's close friend, drawing heavily on Johnston's knowledge of the Ojibwa language and culture. In 1823 Schoolcraft married Johnston's daughter Jane, cementing a family connection that brought Johnston national prominence. Johnston was appointed a justice of the peace on 12 May 1814, holding that position until 28 October 1816.[1]
Personal life
Johnston was a man of wide literary and religious interests, unusual among the fur-trade fraternity. Cut off from organized church services, he conducted daily prayers with his family and read sermons aloud from his personal library on Sundays. He composed more than 2,000 lines of verse, none of which he published in his lifetime. Contemporaries described him as "at once pious and cheerful" and praised his affable, intelligent conversation and neat personal bearing. He counted among his acquaintances the Italian naturalist Count Andriani and the American official Thomas Loraine McKenney, head of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.[1]
Death
Johnston died on 22 September 1828 at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, shortly after returning from a business trip to New York. He was given a military burial two days later.[1]
References
External links
- ↑ David A. Armour."David A. Armour, "Johnston, John," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1987.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ L.R. Masson."Les bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest."[book].1889.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Joseph Delafield."The unfortified boundary."[book].1943.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Thomas L. McKenney."Sketches of a tour to the lakes."[book].1827.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Henry Rowe Schoolcraft."Personal memoirs of a residence of thirty years with the Indian tribes on the American frontiers."[book].1851.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Michigan Pioneer Collections."[book].vol. 32.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Michigan Pioneer Collections."[book].vol. 36.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Detroit Gazette."[newspaper].1828-10-23.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ J.M. Gray."Lord Selkirk of Red River."[book].1963.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Janet Lewis."The invasion."[book].1932.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ W.W. Warren."History of the Ojibway nation."[book].1957.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)