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University of Michigan William L. Clements Library

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Hudson's Bay Company papers, 1775-1914 (majority within 1775-ca. 1790)

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Summary

Creator:
William L. Clements Library
Abstract:
Hudson's Bay Company papers consist of correspondence, financial records, and a memorandum book of the Canadian-based company. Also included is a printed version of Andrew Burnaby's Travels through the Middle Settlements In North America... and a manuscript of Thoughts on the Furr Trade With the Indians in N. America, extracted from the papers of the late John Gray of Quebec (1768).
Extent:
0.25 linear feet
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Philip Heslip, December 2009

Background

Scope and Content:

Hudson's Bay Company papers consist of 4 letters, 4 financial records, 1 memorandum book, and 1 printed book containing manuscript contents. The first five items are letters and documents that came from the Hudson Bay Company's post at the mouth of the Michipicoten River (1859-1870), including two business letters between employees Lieutenant Denis de Larondo and James Watts, and an account of payment to Indians living on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The next three items are financial records from the company's New Brunswick post on the Missinaibi Lake near Moose River (1872, 1889, 1914). The Hudson's Bay Company Memorandum book contains a copy of the Hudson's Bay Company charter; copies of the charters for each of the 13 colonies; a map of the towns and rivers . . . that were ceded to Britain by Spain according to the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht (pages 24-25); memoranda and account information such as shipment details, personnel payments, and lists of goods traded; a shaded pencil sketch of a carronade gun (pages 34-35); and various historical reports, including one tracking company stocks from 1676-1779. Other interesting documents include a list of the provisions needed to support 40 men for 6 months, a proposed station for ships in 1790, and "Information of Isaac Ogden of Quebec to David Ogden in London," which describes the interior of North America from the Hudson Bay to the Pacific and discusses terrain and water features, as well as fur trading potential for the regions.

The final item is a single vellum covered volume titled "HB 1770" that contains both a printed version of Andrew Burnaby's Travels through the Middle Settlements In North America... and a manuscript of Thoughts on the Furr Trade With the Indians in N. America extracted from the papers of the late John Gray of Quebec (1768). The volume begins with a map of North America from 1763, just before the beginning of the 107-pages of Burnaby's Travels. The Gray writings detail interaction with the land's native populations and methods of trading for furs in the area (36 pages). Buried in the final 64 blank pages are five pages documenting the Original Proprietors of the Hudsonbay Stock 1667, 7 pages of stock accounts from 1720-1789, and accounts from 1776-1790. The volume also houses a loose letter to the Hudson's Bay House in London confirming a shipment of goods with prices (1791).

Biographical / Historical:

The Hudson's Bay Company was founded on May 2, 1670, when the company, under Prince Rupert, obtained a royal charter from King Charles II, which established the company as a legal entity, granting them exclusive trading rights and authority over the drainage area of the Hudson Bay basin. This joint-stock company had a centralized bureaucracy that elected a governor to manage the corporation. The chief factor and his officials produced reports and accounts that were sent back to London for review. The focus of the company was trading fur, which, at that time, was abundant in the region. They exchanged manufactured goods with the native population in exchange for furs, which they then sent to England and Europe. After the Treaty of Paris (1763), in which the British gained control of Canada from the French, the Company expanded from posts along the coasts of the Hudson and James Bays into deeper land-based outposts. By 1774, they had established Cumberland House on the Saskatchewan River, and over the next 40 years continued to expand in order to compete with an increasing number of fur trading competitors such as the North West Company, American Fur Company, and the Revillon Frères. During the 19th century, the Hudson's Bay Company continued trading fur, but expanded into other retail markets such as food and liquor, and today it supplies major retail channels throughout Canada.

Acquisition Information:
1922 and 1949. M-746, M-4828 .
Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the "We the People" project.

Arrangement:

This collection contains Correspondence, Documents, Financial Records, a Memorandum Book, and a book that contains Andrew Burnaby's 1775 Travels through the Middle Settlements of North America, and a manuscript of Thoughts on the Furr Trade With the Indians in N. America.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Hudson's Bay Company Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan