Andrew McDermot (1790 – 12 October 1881) was a
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
(HBC) employee who became an independent fur trade merchant and member of the
Council of Assiniboia
The Council of Assiniboia (french: Conseil d'Assiniboine) was the first appointed administrative body of the District of Assiniboia, operating from 1821 until 1870. It was this council who is credited for the arrival of a functioning legal system, ...
.
McDermot's background and family relations
McDermot was born in Bellangare House,
Castlerea
Castlerea (; ) is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 1,992 at the 2016 Census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled ca ...
,
County Roscommon
"Steadfast Irish heart"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Connacht
, subdi ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1790, the eldest son of Miles MacDermot and Catherine (Kitty) O'Connor. He was raised a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
and educated at home. In Norway House, he married
Sara McNab, mixed-blood daughter of another Hudson's Bay Company employee. He and Sara had 15 living children, nine daughters and six sons. Many of his daughters married prominent gentleman from
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
's elite. Daughter Mary Jane married
Joseph Taillefer
Joseph Noel Taillefer (December 25, 1828 – June 1, 1897) was a farmer, lawyer and political figure in Manitoba. He represented Ste. Agathe in 1879 and Morris from 1879 to 1883 as a Conservative.
He was born in the village of Saint-Joseph, ...
he was a farmer, lawyer and political figure in
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
. He represented Ste. Agathe in 1879 and
Morris
Morris may refer to:
Places
Australia
*St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia
Canada
* Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry
* Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba
** Morris, Manitob ...
from 1879 to 1883 as a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
. Eldest daughter Marie, born in 1816, married Richard Lane, HBC clerk; Ellen married Thomas Bird; Catherine married Thomas Truthwaite; Mary Sally married
William McTavish, Governor of Red River and
Assiniboia
Assiniboia District refers to two historical districts of Canada's Northwest Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation.
Historical usage
''For more information on the history of the provisional districts, see also Distric ...
; Anne married
Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne, who became a partner with Andrew McDermot and became the second wealthiest man in the settlement; Harriet married Alexander Ralph Lillie, an HBC postmaster. Though born Roman Catholic, he was married and buried by the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
. He is buried at St. John's Cathedral, Winnipeg.
HBC career
With few opportunities in Ireland, he engaged with the Hudson's Bay Company in
Sligo
Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
and arrived at
York Factory
York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. Yo ...
on the ship ''Robert Taylor'' on August 26, 1812, initially signing on for a three-year contract. He was employed as a writer, trader and clerk in various fur trade posts in what is now north-central
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
. He was described as "Sober. Honest. Ready and willing in the discharge of his duty. Obedient & respectful of his superiors. . . . He has a tolerably good knowledge of the Indian language." In 1821, he was allowed to move south to a post in the Lower
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hud ...
. Unhappy with slow advancement within the HBC, he left the employ of the company when he was permitted to retire in 1824.
His store and relations with the HBC
![McDermotsStoreNearUpperFortGarry](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/McDermotsStoreNearUpperFortGarry.jpg)
After leaving the HBC, he started an independent store at
Fort Garry
Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what is now downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1822 on or near the site of the North West Company's ...
, with the blessing of the HBC. The HBC were often unable to provide enough goods for the growing settlement and McDermot was able to import his goods on HBC ships through York Factory. McDermot's friendship with Governor
George Simpson proved to be extremely profitable. He was allowed a special license to trade furs to prevent furs from being traded at the American fur trade post at
Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina () is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 512 at the 2020 census. Pembina is located south of the Canada–US border. Interstate 29 passes on the west side of Pembina, leading north to the Canadaâ ...
, and was granted many contracts from the HBC. In 1839 he was made a member of the Council of Assiniboia. He was part of a committee on the council which was responsible for the construction of roads and bridges, surveying, the operation of ferries, and public improvements.
However, by the early 1840s, his relationship with the HBC began to weaken. The HBC, in order to curb the growing amount of free trade or illegal trade, denied McDermot a freighting contract with the HBC and by 1845, his goods from England were not being allowed passage on HBC ships. Furious with Governor Christie over these sanctions, he resigned from the Council of Assiniboia. He did rejoin the Council after an agreement was reached and partial reimbursement for his losses was paid.
McDermot and his partner,
James Sinclair were two of the main forces behind the
Guillaume Sayer Pierre Guillaume Sayer (October 18, 1799 – August 7, 1868) was a Métis people (Canada), Métis fur trader whose trial was a turning point in the ending of the monopoly of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) of the fur trade in North America.
Life ...
free trade trial of 1849. He also had close ties with American trader
Norman Kittson
Norman Wolfred Kittson (March 6, 1814 – May 10, 1888) was one of early Minnesota's most prominent citizens. He was best known as first a fur trader, then a steamboat-line operator and finally a railway entrepreneur and owner of thoroughbre ...
and used Kittson to import goods from the United States to his store at Fort Garry.
His legacy
By the 1850s, Andrew McDermot was known as the "Richest Man in the Red River Settlement". He had a successful store, several water and grist mills dotting the
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
and
Assiniboine
The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...
Rivers throughout the Red River Settlement and owned a large tract of land in what is now the nucleus of
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
. His land, a river lot, started at the edge of the Hudson's Bay Company land and stretched with ten chains frontage on the Red extending back two miles.
McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg marks the north boundary of the property. His home, Emerald Lodge, was said to be the most beautiful and welcoming home at Fort Garry. He donated land for the first Post Office in Winnipeg and with his son in law, A.G.B. Bannatyne, donated land for the
Winnipeg General Hospital
Winnipeg General Hospital is a hospital that was founded in 1872 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was built on the estate of Andrew McDermot. The driving force behind the hospital was McDermott's son-in-law Andrew Bannatyne
Andrew Graham Ballenden Banna ...
.
References
*Healey, W. J. (1923) ''Women of Red River'',
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
External links
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermot, Andrew
1790 births
1881 deaths
Canadian fur traders
Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Canada
Hudson's Bay Company people
People from Castlerea
People of Rupert's Land
Immigrants to pre-Confederation Manitoba