Family in the fur trade

By Ness Diotte

This past year, staff from Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site dug into the Archives of Manitoba and the world of voyageur contracts. These documents allow researchers to have a better understanding of who was in the region and why. As part of the team sorting through the records, I noticed something exciting; my ancestors were on the Michilimackinac Company payroll!

Contracts were an everyday occurrence within the fur trade, and each company had its own version of roughly the same document, which included destinations, job requirements, and pay. Some even specified what type of transportation the voyageur would be taking to and from their destination, either a canoe or bateau. Naturally, the details varied from contract to contract, but the idea was the same. Most of the 2,000 or so contracts that mention Fort St. Joseph are from the Michilimackinac Company, a Montréal-based operation. Within the Michilimackinac contracts, the notary and representative, often listed as Louis Chaboillez and Toussaint Pothier respectively, were stationed in Montréal. These agents handled new contracts and contracts for returning voyageurs.

For some, the fur trade and being a voyageur was the family business. While several voyageurs had multiple contracts over the years, we noted that some of the men who stopped at Fort St. Joseph were father and son, brothers, or other relations. Oftentimes, we can see family members that signed up together or a few years apart. This information allows me, as an interpreter, to share a piece of a family’s story and illustrate their journey through the Upper Great Lakes region. To me, this is a reminder that even though soldiers, voyageurs, and tradesmen appeared here for only a short period, they had a marked effect on our shared history. Who knows, maybe with this research we’ll be able to help connect the dots for another family, linking them to the fur trade!

Research on its own can be really rewarding, but to find a personal connection to a historic site is another feeling altogether. It proves that although most voyageurs signed up and were from the areas surrounding Montréal, many of them (or their descendants) came to and ended up staying in the regions they passed through. I found contracts for three of my relatives, dating back to 1807. To confirm that I was related, I checked the contracts to see where they were from – all came from roughly the same area – and, sure enough, I found them on my family tree! For me, it adds a little more to the story of Fort St. Joseph and my family’s connection to the island; now I know our ties go back over 200 years. The interconnection of where I work and my family’s story was a big find for me personally, and I can’t wait to see what else these documents may share.

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