Métis

The Métis are the descendants of mixed First Nations and European people, either French-Métis or Anglo-Métis (mostly Scottish or English).  The most historically documented are those from the fur trading days in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.  Many fur traders and trappers married Indian women, not only for protection her tribe could offer him, but for skills to survive the harsh northern winters. The Métis have a deep-rooted culture in Canada and parts of the US.

If your ancestor was descended from an early Métis family, there are some records online, and other places you can do research. There are many books in French and in English if you want to learn more. You may notice that on Census forms many declared themselves as being white. Old fur trader Augustin Nolin's children had been sent for schooling in Montreal, and his 2 daughters Angelique and Marguerite started the first school for girls in western Canada at St Bonifice in 1829.

In the mid 1800’s the Canadian government offered Scrip to the Métis people, which was good for acres of land or money at $1.00 an acre.  You can read about this in some of the links below. This collection of records is not complete but the affidavits for scrip can be used as proof of birth when there is no birth record to be found.

Relevant Links:

Metis culture 1750-1790

Images of original scrip affidavits at LAC 

Glenbow Museum - Metis files

History of the North West

Genealogy of the first Metis Nation: Red River households 1818-1870

Half-breed Scrip of the Red Lake and Pembina Bands of Chippewa and the US

Voyageur Heritage Resources

Half-Breed Scrip; Chippewas of Lake Superior

Michigan Land Grants  (free e-book - American State Papers)

1836 Mixed Blood Census Register (Michigan)

Saskatchewan Metis

Lines Drawn Upon the Water

Families of the Northwest Resistance

Census of Natives across Canada (not indexed)

Voyages and travels of an Indian interpreter and trader, : describing the manners and customs of the North American Indians; with an account of the posts situated on the river Saint Laurence, Lake Ontario, &c. : To which is added, a vocabulary of the Chippeway language. Names of furs and skins, in English and French. A list of words in the Iroquois, Mohegan, Shawanee, and Esquimeaux tongues, and a table, shewing the analogy between the Algonkin and Chippeway languages – 1791

Related Post:  NWMP Police Business and Rebellion 1885 

The Fur Trade

The fur trade was not just an industry in early Canada, it was also important for exploration and mapping.  If you have an ancestor that worked in the fur trade, there is lots of information about it on the internet. Some farmers took fur trapping jobs in the winter to make extra money to buy more land.

The Voyageurs were the canoe traveling workers for fur trading companies.  The Coureurs de Bois were unlicensed, independents. The fur trade was global – while Canada and the US were trading to Europe, Russia was trading furs to China and Islamic regions of Asia. Besides the well-known Hudson’s Bay Company, North West Company, and American Fur Company, there were also the Russian-American Company and the New Netherlands Company.

The trading companies soon realized they needed a Standard of value for furs, and it worked most of the time, not always.  When people think of the fur trade they think of beaver, but there were many other species including otter, sable, deer, bear, skunk, wolves, foxes and hares.

A prime beaver pelt was called a "made beaver" - a pelt which had already been worn for at least one season and from which most of the long outer hair had worn off. The greasy beaver wool was easily shaved from the skin by felters, and turned into the finest felt for making hats.

The prices of all trade goods were set in values of Made Beaver (MB) with other animal pelts, such as squirrel, otter and moose quoted in their MB (made beaver) equivalents. For example, 2 otter pelts might equal 1 MB.

There are many digitized books on the Fur Trade in North America – you can search google fur trade (also try + ancestors name) and choose Books from the google menu. Also try searching at archive.org. I am providing a few links that have names of people involved in the fur trade.

Relevant Links:

HBC Fur Trade Standard

The Bourgeois of the Northwest Trading Company (French) with names

History of the greater Northwest – Names

HBC Voyageurs database

LAC Fur Trade info and names

Five Fur Traders of the Northwest – diaries/names

NW Fur Traders – McGill (check other pages here)

New Netherland Company

Russian Fur Trade

Siberian Fur Trade

Davies/Scroggie Collection (some contracts)

Land Claims in Michigan (some by Fur Traders families)

Fur Trade to China 

The Voyageur and his Craft

Directory of the hat, cap, and fur trades, United States and Canada 1880

The John Askin Papers

Henry’sJournal – Fur Trade on the Red River

The Canadian North-west, its early development and legislative records : minutes of the Councils of the Red River colony and the Northern Department of Rupert's Land

The Beaver - HBC Periodical

Fur Trade Info at French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan