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Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:43 am
by SLang1148
Hi Donavan. I'm your 4th cousin 1x removed.
We don't know much about the native woman that was James Swain's country wife. They likely were not married. There are stories that he left her and his/her children with northing when he went back to England.
Some of the birth dates of her children don't line up with when he was in Rupert's Land. This could be wrong birth dates or wrong children, or...
I suspect she was from Fort Severn, York Factory District, Rupert's Land, British North America. There is a Cree Reserve at Fort Severn in Ontario today with about 400 members. The HBC would have called them Home Indians and helped the HBC employees of the fort survive. Without her, James Swain likely would not have survived in Rupert's Land.

Ken Lang
Calgary

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 1:30 pm
by gnstill
Welcome to the Forum Don! Please give us more information about your James SWAIN. When and where was he born?

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 3:58 pm
by BVH
Does anyone know of a 'road' map of the Red River Settlement? I have the map of parishes on the rivers, but nothing on roads. I'm curious because William Robert Smith's children were born in Little Britain, St. Paul's and St. John's, and I'd like to 'see' how he moved his dependant children and second wife to the Headingley area in the mid to late 1850s.

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:27 pm
by SLang1148
I lost my reply so I send it a again. Search for "Henry Hinds Maps" from his 1857 exploration. Gary Stills created a portion of this map showing the trails/roads of the Parish of St Andrew.

Before 1817 there was a "Portage Trail" running north from Fort Gary, thru Seven Oaks, to Lake Winnipeg about a mile west from the Red River.

"River Rd" in Winnipeg is likely the trail that ran from house to house along the front of the river lots. There usually was a trail at the rear end of the river lots that in the 1900's would become a road about 2 miles back from the river. It likely exists today.

There is another map that I can't find showing the trails to the churches.

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:31 pm
by SLang1148
Also the 1843 census shows that William had 2 mares, 4 oxen, 9 cows, ....4 carts, 1 canoe, ..

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:39 pm
by SLang1148

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:55 pm
by SLang1148
Google says from Little Britain to Headingley is only 48 km and would take only 10 hours to walk. I think Portage Trail became hwy 9.

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:48 am
by PaulMcCulloch
Hi Donovan,

According to information told to me by my grandfather, the name of James Swaine Sr's indigenous wife was Mary Three-Dresses. I don't know what our source for this name it though.

I was able to get a confirmed metis genealogy from the St. Boniface Historical Society through my connection through William R. Smith, so that route is definitely there for you too. My grandfather and my aunt received their metis citizenship from Alberta because that it where they currently reside, but I got mine here in Manitoba. It just... well it took a year. They are slllllooooooooowwww to process their applications.

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:30 am
by BVH
SLang1148 wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:39 pm Hinds map is at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 858%29.jpg
Thanks for the Hind's Map - great source for understanding more about WR Smith family members and RR Settlement!

Re: WILLIAM ROBERT SMITH (1797-1869)

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:40 am
by BVH
PaulMcCulloch wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:48 am Hi Donovan,

According to information told to me by my grandfather, the name of James Swaine Sr's indigenous wife was Mary Three-Dresses. I don't know what our source for this name it though.

I was able to get a confirmed metis genealogy from the St. Boniface Historical Society through my connection through William R. Smith, so that route is definitely there for you too. My grandfather and my aunt received their metis citizenship from Alberta because that it where they currently reside, but I got mine here in Manitoba. It just... well it took a year. They are slllllooooooooowwww to process their applications.
Hi Paul, just to be sure, was 'Mary Three-Dresses' actually born in Severn River/post area? Was she noted as being Cree? I read somewhere that her mother was a maritime Indian. I'm actually his g-g-granddaughter from his second last son (or perhaps 'last') of his second marriage to Ann Omand. My information about his first family is much more limited at this point.