JOHN ROWAND (1787-1854) (Last Updated: April 16, 2015)
John ROWAND was born in 1787 in Montreal, son of an Edinburgh-educated Irish Physician (1762-1818).
The main purpose of this narrative is to provide a brief timeline of events as a basis for tracing and discussing the descendants of John ROWAND and his relationships with other families of general interest. My (Gary Still) main sources of information were as follows:
The book ‘John Rowand, Czar of the Prairies’ by JG MacGregor - denoted as Czar.
Recent input on the Forum by EdmontonTom (Tom Long) is greatly appreciated and is revealing a lot of information previously unknown to me. Tom is the Public Interpretive Coordinator for Edmonton Park.
** MORE ABOUT JOHN ROWAND in DCBO ** MORE ABOUT JOHN ROWAND in WIKIPEDIA
John’s future wife, Louise UMFREVILLE aka HUMPHREYVILLE was born around 1783 at York Factory on Hudson Bay, the second child, and eldest daughter of a Cree woman and Edward UMFREVILLE aka HUMPHREYVILLE who was born around 1755 in England and came to York in 1771 as a ‘writer’ (accountant) for the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). Louise’s only brother, Thomas HUMPHREYVILLE was about four years older than her (born around 1779).
In 1783, the same year that Louise was born, her father, Edward HUMPHREYVILLE was engaged by the North West Company (NWC) in Quebec, fierce rivals of his previous employers, the HBC. The NWC sent HUMPHREYVILLE and his family to a post near today’s Frenchman Butte, near Fort Pitt on the map below. Note: Fort Pitt however wasn’t built until 1830, interestingly by John ROWAND, Louise’s future husband who by that time was an HBC employee. Frenchman Butte also didn’t exist as such until many years later. It later became the site of the historic Battle of Frenchman’s Butte during the North West Rebellion of 1885.
In 1788 Edward HUMPHREYVILLE left the service of the NWC. From his wintering ground in Saskatchewan he travelled back east via Grand Portage to Montreal, then south to New York where he sailed for England. He never returned to the Northwest. It is said that he tried to get re-hired by the HBC but was refused. By that time Louise was only about five years old; her brother Thomas was about 9 years old, and she had two younger sisters, Sarah (age 2) and Susanne Marie, a baby. It seems unlikely that Edward’s wife and very young family would have left their home on the Saskatchewan to make a long arduous trip such as that, but we have little information regarding their whereabouts for many years thereafter.
DCBO: John ROWAND’s boyhood was spent in Montreal. Although his father was a surgeon there, John had acquired only a rudimentary education when he became an apprentice clerk for McTavish, Frobisher and Company, partners in the North West Company (NWC), at age 16 (1803).
Louise HUMPHREYVILLE and Pierre BRELAND
Most of the sources I have referred to generally agree that Louise HUMPHREYVILLE gave birth to at least five children with Pierre BRELAND (1764-129) before she was united with John ROWAND.
Tom Long (EdmontonTom) posted this: Prior to John ROWAND, Louise UMPHERVILLE was allied with Pierre BOSHUE dit BRELAND. This country-marriage produced a number of children at least some of whom were adopted by John around 1810, including Marie-Anne BRELAND. Marie-Anne, who called John 'father', married a clerk named Richard GRANT at Fort Edmonton. The BRELAND-UMPHREVILLE country-marriage is attested in Grant, Johnny A Son of the Fur Trade: The Memoirs of Johnny Grant Ed. Gerhard Ens (University of Alberta Press, 2008).
John becomes a North West Company Employee
In May of 1803 John – undoubtedly aided by his father’s influence – found himself enrolled as an apprentice with the North West Company (NWC). He was posted to Fort Augustus (Edmonton).
John ROWAND and Louise HUMPHREYVILLE White Earth Post 1810
In the summer of 1810 John ROWAND left Fort Edmonton with Alexander HENRY the Younger (1765-1814) to begin construction of the White Earth Post downriver (SE of Smoky Lake on map above).
Czar pg 20: John and Nicholas MONTOUR (1790-1846) shared the same tent, which also harbored two women and six children. The women, of course, were Louise UMFRIEVILLE and her sister Marie Anne, who was later to marry MONTOUR. It is unlikely that any of the children were the fruit of John’s recent union with Louise but probable that when he had taken her to live with him she had brought along some children of a former union.
In 1812 John and Louise had their first child, John ROWAND Jr. Their next child, Sophia was born in 1814 at Fort Edmonton.
Red River Rebellion
On Jan 8, 1814 HBC Acting Governor Miles MACDONELL (1767-1828) issued his historic Pemmican Proclamation at Red River. ** MORE ABOUT MILES MACDONELL in DCBO ElectronicScotland: One can easily imagine the indignation of the Nor'Westers at the big meeting at Fort William that summer of 1814. "It is the first time the Nor'Westers have permitted themselves to be insulted," said William McGILLIVRAY (1764-1825), and insult to the proud "Lords of the Lakes and Forests" was more galling than financial loss. From that day there was civil war in the North-West.
On Dec 13, 1816 son Alexander was born. By this time John had returned to Fort Augustus. In 1818 daughter Nancy was born.
Czar pg 62: Presumably their fifth child was Henry, who may have been born about 1820. When she came to live with John ROWAND, Louise had borne at least one child whom undoubtedly she brought with her. ** My comment: This statement doesn’t seem to agree with a previous statement regarding her children that were born before she met ROWAND in 1810.
Czar pg 35: From the spring of 1817 till the fall of 1819, John ROWAND’s nominal station was Fort Augustus. On Sep 1, 1818 his father, the surgeon died at the age of 56.
John Rowand (From Czar of the Prairies – Glenbow Archives) (See Beth’s Forum posting for details)
HBC – NWC Union
In 1821 union of the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) occurred, ending years of bitter rivalry for dominance of the fur trade in Western Canada. After the merger, almost 1,300 employees lost their jobs since the single HBC organization that emerged had no need for most of the voyageurs and retired fur traders. George SIMPSON (1786-1860) became the Governor of Rupert’s Land. ** MORE ABOUT GOVERNOR GEORGE SIMPSON
In the spring of 1821 James SUTHERLAND (1777-1844) was appointed as the Chief Factor of the Saskatchewan District, and Chief Traders J.P. PRUDEN and John ROWAND were to serve under him.
Czar pg 62: In the spring of 1824 someone took a census of those resident at Edmonton House. It showed that there were five children in the ROWAND household. At that time, those recorded as resulting from the union of John and Louise UMFRIEVILLE were John Jr.(age 12), Sophia (age 10), Alexander (age 7) and Nancy.(age 6) Presumably the fifth child was Henry (age 4).** Age estimates are mine.
In 1830 son Alexander was sent to school in Montreal where he became a friend of Governor SIMPSON and later became a Doctor in Quebec City.
Early River Route from York Factory to Fort Vancouver travelled by George Simpson
Brown pg 145: They had at least seven children in the years 1808-32 and remained together until Lisette’s death in 1849. Like Warren DEASE (1797-1830), ROWAND did not characterize Lisette as his wife, although they remained mutually loyal. - - In 1838 four of these children were baptized at Fort Edmonton when ROWAND played host to Roman Catholic priests BLANCHET and DEMERS on their trip to the Columbia that year. This would be Francois-Norbert BLANCHET and Modeste DEMERS (1809-1871). ** MORE ABOUT MODESTE DEMERS in DCBO In October of 1840 Reverend Robert RUNDLE (1811-1896) arrived at Fort Edmonton. RUNDLE soon established a rigorous itinerary that he would maintain for much of the next seven years. The winter months were usually spent at Fort Edmonton with the ROWAND family. The HBC pressed for an Indian mission school and agricultural station near Fort Edmonton. Although RUNDLE did begin to educate ROWAND’s daughters at the fort, he never set up the proposed school.
Beth Balsillie: On Dec 25, 1843 son Alexander ROWLAND MD married Margaret KINCAID in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In 1848 son John ROWAND JR married Margaret HARRIOTT at Fort Pitt, the daughter of Elizabeth PRUDEN and John Edward HARRIOTT (1797-1866). ** MORE ABOUT JOHN EDWARD HARRIOTT
On July 27,1849 John’s wife, Louise (Lisette) HUMPHREYVILLE died.
Czar pg 148: Edward DUFRESNE’s wife bore John a son who, although he was named Francois DUFRESNE, appears to have been considered one of John ROWAND’s family.
John ROWAND dies
JR Sr died in 1856, initially buried at Ft Pitt. SIMPSON, knowing that JR wanted to be buried in Montreal, had the body disinterred and the bones taken to Norway House - conveying them in his own canoe the following summer to RRS. He changed his mind, re-packed the bones and had them sent to York Factory for transmission to England, from which it would be forwarded to Lachine. Finally, in 1858, they were buried in Montreal's Mt Royal Cemetery.
In 1859 daughter Margaret married James McKAY, son of Marguerite GLADU and James McKAY SR, an HBC voyageur who was born around 1797 in Scotland. ** MORE ABOUT JAMES McKAY SR
Comments and queries at this link: FORUM DISCUSSING the JOHN ROWAND FAMILY ========================= Family Details =========================
Children by Louise HUMPHREYVILLE: 2. Feb 8, 1812 JOHN ROWAND JR (m. Margaret HARRIOTT) 3. Aug 30, 1814 SOPHIA ROWAND ? Est c1820 JOSEPH ROWAND
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