John McDonald of Garth
| John McDonald of Garth | |
|---|---|
| Le Bras Croche; McDonald le Borgne | |
| Born | c. 1771 Garth, near Callendar, Perthshire, Scotland |
| Died | 1866-01-25 Gray's Creek, near Cornwall, Canada West |
| Occupation | Fur trader; North West Company partner; farmer; judge of surrogate court |
| Father | |
John McDonald of Garth, also known as Le Bras Croche ("the crooked arm") and McDonald le Borgne (c. 1771 – 25 January 1866), was a Scottish-born fur trader who served as a wintering partner of the North West Company and later retired as a farmer and local official in eastern Canada.
Early life
McDonald was born around 1771 at Garth, near Callendar in Perthshire, Scotland, the son of an army captain also named John McDonald. A withered right arm disqualified him from military service, directing him instead toward the fur trade. He joined the North West Company in April 1791 as a clerk.[1]
Fur trade career
From the mid-1790s McDonald operated in the western interior under Angus Shaw, serving at posts including Moose Lake, Fort George, and Fort des Prairies. He oversaw the construction of Fort Augustus (later known as Fort Edmonton) in 1795 and established Rocky Mountain House in 1799.[1] By 1802 he had risen to the rank of wintering partner and took charge of the Fort des Prairies department in place of Shaw.
After furlough in 1804, McDonald wintered at Île-à-la-Crosse and was responsible for establishing New Chesterfield House, extending the company's presence into the upper Saskatchewan country.[1]
In 1808 McDonald wintered in Montreal, staying with his sister Magdalen McDonald, wife of William McGillivray. He was elected to the Beaver Club that year and incurred notable entertainment expenses on behalf of the company.[1]
In February 1813 McDonald sailed aboard the Isaac Todd alongside Donald McTavish, bound for Fort Astoria on the Pacific coast. During the voyage he arranged for Jane Barnes — regarded as the first white woman to reach the North Pacific coast — to travel with the expedition. He transferred to HMS Raccoon during the passage and suffered serious burns in an onboard explosion. On 30 November 1813 he assumed command of Fort Astoria following its transfer to the North West Company, and he led a northbound brigade in April 1814.[1]
During the turbulent period of the Pemmican War at Red River Colony, McDonald attempted to mediate between the Nor'Westers and the Selkirk colonists, though the North West Company partners ultimately repudiated the agreement he had brokered. He retired from the company in November 1814, disposing of his two company shares.[1]
Personal life
McDonald had two marriages. By his first wife, an Indigenous woman whose name is not recorded, he had five children. After her death he married a niece of Hugh McGillis of Williamstown, Ontario, with whom he had six further children, among them De Bellefeuille McDonald.[1]
Later life
By early 1816 McDonald had purchased farmland at Gray's Creek near Cornwall in what is now eastern Ontario, and he continued to expand his holdings over the following decades. He was active in the local Presbyterian congregation and served as judge of the surrogate court of Glengarry from 1832 to 1844. He maintained correspondence with prominent figures including Edward Ellice and William Henry Draper on questions of western development.[1]
McDonald completed an autobiography in 1859, undertaken at the suggestion of his son De Bellefeuille McDonald. The memoir covers his fur-trade years from 1791 to 1816 and was subsequently published in Masson's Les bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest.[2]
Death
McDonald died on 25 January 1866 at Gray's Creek near Cornwall, Canada West, at approximately 95 years of age.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 C. M. Livermore and N. Anick."C. M. Livermore and N. Anick, "McDONALD, JOHN (of Garth)," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 9."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 9 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1976.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ L.-F.-R. Masson (ed.)."Les bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest."[book].1889.2 vols., Québec, 1889–90; reprinted New York, 1960; McDonald's autobiographical notes at vol. II, pp. 1–59.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
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