Lawrence Edward Ermatinger III: (b.abt.1772)
He was the son of Lawrence Ermatinger II & Jemima
Oakes, born in Isle of Elba, Italy. Little else is known except that he
had two sons: Edward (b.1797) & Francois (b.1798).
George Ermatinger: (1770/80-1841)
He was the son of Lawrence Ermatinger II & Jemima
Oakes, born in Montreal, Quebec. He married first, Mary McDonald and second
to Catherine McKee (daughter of Thomas McKee & Therese Askin/Erskine)
in 1803 and their children were: Jemimah A.(b.1805 Ontario), Thomas M.(b.1806
Ontario) & James R.(1808-1866)(m.Charlotte Cadotte in 1829).
George fought for the British in the War of
1812 and died at Sault Ste.Marie in 1841.
Charles Oakes Ermatinger I: (1776-1853)
He was the son of Lawrence Ermatinger II &
Jemima Oakes, born in Montreal, Quebec. Charles was married to Charlotte
Kalawabide (Kattawabide/Cattoonalute/Manacowe) who died in 1880. Charlotte
was the daughter of Kadowaubeda (Brooken-Tooth
or DeBreche), long time Ojibwe Chief of the Sandy Lake village whose family
belonged to the Ahahwauk (Loon) totem or clan. Their children included;
Anne (abt.1800-abt.1817), Charles O.II (b.abt.1801, Sault Ste.Marie), Frances
(b.abt.1804), George (abt.1806-1822), Jemima (b.abt.1808)(m.Capt.Cameron),
Madeleine or Striped Cloud (b.abt.1808) (m.William A.Aitken), Frederick
Wm. (1811-1869), James (1808-1866), William & Jane (m.Edward
S.Lovell in 1840).
Charles I was a NorthWest Company clerk about
1798 and later in 1805 a clerk at Lake Winnepeg for William McKay. By 1816
he was firmly established at Sault Ste.Marie and connected with the Hudson
Bay Company & Lord Selkirk. In 1828 he retired from the fur trade and
moved to the Island of Montreal.
James Rough Ermatinger: (1808-1866)
He was the son of George Ermatinger & Catherine
McKee, born in Michilimackinac. James married Charlotte Cadotte (1805-1887)(daughter
of Michel Cadotte & Madeleine Equaysaguay)
at Chippawa, Michigan in 1829. Their children were: Alexander, William,
Isaac, Charles O., Elisha & Frederick. Charlotte was the widow of American
fur trader Truman Warren and a descendent of a
long line of fur traders & Ojibwe Chiefs at in northern Wisconsin.
James traded & died at Jim Falls, Wisconsin.
Here is an edited version of e-mail sent by Chalk Courchane (CCourchane@aol.com)
of information he's gathered on his family. Thanks Chalk
Hi Dale,
Here's a little information on Francis Ermatinger..that I promised
you last "year".
Francis Ermatinger: (1797-1858)
Francois (Francis or Frank) Ermatinger and
his brother Edward were sons of Lawrence Edward Ermatinger and grandsons
of Lawrence Ermatinger, who died in 1789 (birth date not given).
A Swiss merchant, Lawrence Ermatinger had made his way from London to Montreal
in the late 1750s or early 1760s and achieved some successes in the fur
trade. From this respected family came Edward and Frank, born, respectively,
in 1797 on the island of Elba (Napoleon's first place of exile) and in
1798 in Lisbon. He and his brother Edward were appointed clerks
in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1818, sailed from Gravesend
on May 18, and arrived at York Factory on August 14. On September 8, Francis
left York Factory for the Severn district, where he was stationed during
his first years of service. In 1820?21 he had charge of Trout Lake,
an outpost of Severn. On July 21, 1825, Francis and his brother left
York Factory for the Columbia district, where they had both been appointed
to serve as clerks. Francis was at Kamloops, where it was intended
he should spend the ensuing season when Governor Simpson passed there
en route to Fort Langley in October, 1828. "From 1832 to 1838 Ermatinger
was in charge of the trade with the Flathead Indians near the borders of
the Snake country and along the headwaters of the Missouri. In 1838
he was placed in charge of the Snake country trade at Forts Hall and Boise,
and he remained in charge of Fort Hall until 1842 when he was promoted
to the rank of chief trader. George T. Allen, who frequently saw
Ermatinger at Fort Vancouver during these years, described him as a `regular
jolly jovial Cockney whom we sometimes styled Bardolf from the size and
colour of his nose.' (Allan, "Reminiscences of Fort Vancouver") "John
H. Couch and Francis W. Pettygrove established mercantile houses in Oregon
City in 1842 and 1843, respectively. As the American settlements
were largely concentrated in the vicinity of Willamette Falls, these stores
received the business of the settlers who had formerly been dependent on
the supplies at Fort Vancouver. The Columbia Department could ill
afford to lose this profitable trade, and in 1844 McLoughlin established
a branch store at the Falls with Ermatinger in charge. Ermatinger
was a popular figure in Oregon City, and when the Provisional Government
was reorganized in the summer of 1845 to include the British residents
of the Willamette Valley as well as the Hudson's Bay Company, Ermatinger
was appointed treasurer of the territory, a position which he held until
he resigned to return to Canada. He was succeeded by John Couch.
"In June 1845 Governor Simpson instructed the board of management of the
Columbia Department (McLoughlin, Ogden, and Douglas) to close the store
at the Falls and send Ermatinger either to Fort Colvile or by sea to England.
Although the Company's property at the Falls was sold to McLoughlin, the
Company continued to maintain a store there; but Ermatinger was transferred
to York Factory and departed with Warre and Vavasour in March 1846, leaving
his wife and daughter behind with the McLoughlins. In 1847?48 he
had charge of the Athabasca district at Fort Chipewyan at the west end
of Lake Athabasca, a position he retained until 1850 when he spent a year
in Canada on furlough. As seen in McLoughlin's letter to Ermatinger
of 15 March 1848 (Letter 78), his family did not rejoin him until the late
spring of that year. He was in charge of Fort William on Lake Superior
in 1852?53 and then retired from the Company on June first. He moved
to St. Thomas, Ontario, where he died in 1858."
The best biography to date on Francis Ermatinger is THE FUR TRADE LETTERS
OF FRANCIS ERMATINGER 1818?1853?Lois H. McDonald, The Arthur H. Clark Co.??a
must read!!! Letters & comments from this book follow:
Letters of Francis Ermatinger (mostly to his brother Edward Ermatinger):
"Severn 22nd July 1823
Dear Edward,
Upon the return of our Indians I received your welcome
letter and am sorry that you should have been disappointed in not getting
one from me at York. The fact is before Mr.Keith's departure we were kept
busy about trifling jobs and as I did not expect he would find you there,
I confess that I was by no means anxious? so deferred the business until
another opportunity. I hear that some of our old shipmates have engaged
upon much better terms than myself and am therefore determined not to remain
out my contract without being put upon a balance with them as, when I agreed,
Mr. Keith assured me that "there were only two through the whole country
of equal pretensions who were upon higher terms" which left me without
hesitation and I signed, but I find myself deceived and I think I have
a right to complain which I shall do in my letters to the Great People.
I hope you will remain until the schooner reaches York as I have a couple
Bills to get attested and must consequently send my letters open in order
to save postage. As soon as I can bring the business to a close I have
to embark for the dam hole Trout Lake where I must be starved (unless fed
at my own expense) in a Pig stye and that for less than others have to
live at ease. I think you might interest Mr. Robertson in my cause and
get him to help annul my contract. To conclude, I must beg you will not
think of remaining under Ross' terms and to guard against the worst. I
have sent enclosed a Bill of balance which I hope will enable you to Draw
upon me for 100 pounds sterling. Should you embark before the schooner
arrives, take out of my Trunk the B. Coat and Pantaloons for McDonald.
You can give them to any one who may remain at the Factory for him. Also
get the Publishing Surtout removed from my account that Work sent for me
and which I now return. You will soon hear from me again & in
the mean time believe me Dear Edward Yours Affectionately
Frs. Ermatinger"
Wife #1 - a Cree woman
children:
(unknown daughter) ERMATINGER, was born in the Severn District
of Canada under Hudson's Bay. She was born prior to 1825. Frank left
her and her mother when he went to the Columbia Department in 1825. He
never saw them again, although he did provide for them. She eventually
married David Bird in March of 1841.
Wife #2 - Cleopatra, more commonly called Cleo a Okanogan woman
children:
Lawrence ERMATINGER, was born on August 23, 1828, in Fort Kamloops.
Frank took control of Lawrence not long after he was born. He took
Lawrence from his mother in 1831 at age three and sent him to Fort Vancouver
to be cared for and educated under the direction of Dr. John McLoughlin
and his wife Marguerite.
Wife#3 - Mary Three Dresses a Pend d'Oreille woman (married
1835)
children:
Mary ERMATINGER, was born in Apr 1838 in Western Montana, and
on 23 Jan 1863 in St.Ignatius, Catholic Mission, MT Terr., married Pierre
ASHLEY, son of William (Asselin) ASHLEY and Margaret "Maggie" FINLEY, who
was born about 1843 in Montana Terr.. Mary died on 14 Oct 1940 in
St.Ignatius, Lake Co., Montana and was buried on 17 Oct 1940 in St.Ignatius,
Lake Co., Montana. Pierre died on 23 Nov 1902 in St.Ignatius, Missoula
Co., MT and was buried on 25 Nov 1902 in St.Ignatius, Missoula Co., MT.
Pierre was also married to Mary (Blue?Eyed Mary) TILLEA.
MARY ERMATINGER
Mary Ermatinger was born in Montana
at Tobacco Plains according to her own testimony. She was a member
of the Pend d'Oreille or Ear Drop People. Because her father was
a chief trader with the Hudson Bay Company, her people may have been on
a winter buffalo hunt when she was born. The Pend d'Oreilles and
Flatheads usually resided farther to the south in Bitterroot Valley and
the Mission Valley. At the time of her birth, her father, Francis Ermatinger,
was trading with the Flatheads and Pend d'Oreilles from a base at Fort
Hall, Idaho. Francis and Mary Three?Dresses probably met each other
about 1835 or earlier. They had two other children, both sons who
had died in infancy... "Before babies were born to the Flatheads and Pend
d'Oreilles, the mother and fathers had to be very careful to observe a
long list of taboos. This was done in order to protect the child
from prenatal and postnatal harm. When the time came, the mother
was assisted by midwives as she squatted on a robe and grasped a mounted
wooden bar. If labor was prolonged or unusually difficult the
medicine man, or shaman, was called for."... "When going away from the
lodge the mothers took their babies along on their backs in birchbark cradle
boards, baby bags of skin, or cradleboards of wood, called im?pol?aih.
The Flatheads loved their children without restraint and pampered them
as much as was practical. Young Flathead were not weaned until they
were several years old, and went naked even longer than that, except in
severely cold weather...When Mary was about four months old, her father
was escorting a party of missionaries (including a Swiss gentleman named
John Sutter) from the Rendezvous at Popo Agie River to Fort Hall.
The four women of the party were the second group of white women to cross
over the Continental Divide. This was July 15, 1838. Whether
Mary or her mother were with him is not known. In the Pend d'Oreille
tongue Mary was called Malee Sa?ma?mae, or Seme, meaning a person of French
descent, according to Clarence Woodcock and the Flathead Culture Committee.
She was also known as Mary the Younger, to distinguish her from her mother,
Mary the Elder. Both Marys were also referred to as Three?Dresses.
About 1865 Mary Ermatinger married a young 1/2 Spokane Indian, Perrish
(or Pierre) Ashley, the son of William Ashley (Asselin) and Margaret "Maggie"
Finley. Maggie Finley was the daughter of Jocko Finley. By
her own words on September 25, 1913, she states that they were married
by the Catholic Fathers at St.Ignatius Mission. Mary and Pierre would
have twelve children...Besides Mary Ermatinger's two Pend d'Oreille brothers,
she had four half? brothers and sisters: Lawrence, Frances Marie,
an Okanogan sister, and a Cree sister (who later married a David Bird).
An article about her appeared in Sam John's ten volume
PIONEERS, on pages 183 to 184. One page of the article is missing.
"MARY ASHLEY, OLDEST WOMAN OF FLATHEAD
INDIAN TRIBE by Ellen Nye
"There is a grand old lady who is now over
100 years of age and of the Flathead Indian tribe, whose story should be
recorded. In the rich lower Flathead valley of western Montana lies
a 40 acre piece of virgin soil...situated at the base of the McDonald Peak
area in the Mission mountains, and is owned by this venerable woman, Mary
Ashley, without doubt the oldest woman of the tribe. She steadfastly
refused to allow the sod turned on this land, so it lies there untouched
and virgin serving to keep her Indian soul spiritually in tune with nature
and the past..."This was the best she could do when the inroads of civilization
compelled the ending of the roving mode of Indian life she understood and
loved so well..."As a mother she attended not only her own children but
her grandchildren as well, who grew up and had allotments round about her
homestead...for she excelled in the knowledge now fast disappearing, of
recognizing and concocting for use the various healing herbs nature had
deposited in these parts. She knew the Husk?Kus with its several
medicinal uses. It was also used for chewing and smoking as was also
the Kinnickinick. As a blood purifier, she used the tiny Princess
pines. "Another evidence of Grandma Ashley's efficiency was her well?stocked
larder. She followed the chase in season, going with others of the
tribe who were energetic and well?horsed, to the buffalo grounds to the
eastward, and her parfleches on return were always well filled with the
fruits of the hunt." "With other women she gathered in May
the bitterroot, known as "Spetlem". This served as a vegetable in the diet
of the natives and provided a starchy element to the food. In June
the "slokem" or wild carrot was collected. Very important was the
"elwa" or camas and often cooked with this root as a condiment was a parasitic
pine moss called "skautemikan". "Pstcheiu", a white root, was another
vegetable. The service berry, found everywhere, was gathered in great
quantities and dried for winter use, as were many other berries.
A sweet addition to the native diet in the spring was found by eating the
inner part of the stem on the sunflowers everywhere evident on sunny hillsides..."
Wife #4 - Catherine Sinclair married August 10, 1842 at
Fort George, Columbia Dist., Oregon Terr. She was born about 1824 and baptised
three years later on July 9, 1827, (the daughter of William Sinclair, Jr.
and Mary Wadin McKay. Her father was at the time a clerk at Rainy
Lake. He had entered the HBC in 1810 as an aprentice. Edward
had known him while at Island Lake. Sinclair was the eldest son of
a Cree woman and a high ranking HBC officer. Mary McKay was the daughter
of Marguerite Wadin McKay, later the wife of Dr. John McLoughlin.
Her uncle on her mother's side was Thomas McKay, early trapper of the HBC
and Oregon pioneer. Her aunt Betsy Sinclair bore a child of Sir George
Simpson, and later married Robert Miles, HBC accountant. Her uncle,
James Sinclair, was a free trader and merchant at Red River. He led
the 1841 contingent of Red River families destined for settlement on the
Nisqually Plains across the Rocky Mountains) Catherine died on 11 Nov 1876
in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and was buried in Nov 1876 in St.John's Cem.,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
children:
Frances Marie ERMATINGER, was born on 3 Jun 1843 in union with
Francis Ermatinger, and another daughter from an affair she had with an
HBC employee while Frank was in England. After much grief, she and
Frank were reconciled. They lived happily the rest of his life.
Sources:
Family Pedigree Charts;David Charles Courchane;1989.
BIOGRAPHY: E.E. Rich; p. 212?213
BIOGRAPHY; William S. Sampson (Editor); p.130?131
(Cf. McLeod (ed.), PEACE RIVER, p. 34)
BIOGRAPHY; Albert Brooks Fogdall; pp.90?91
THE FUR TRADE LETTERS OF FRANCIS ERMATINGER 1818?1853?Lois H. McDonald,
The Arthur H. Clark Co.
(McLoughin, LETTERS, THIRD SERIES, pp.137?38; Robertson,
CORRESPONDENCE BOOK, pp.212?213; Throckmorton, OREGON ARGONAUTS, p.38;
OREGON SPECTATOR, 4 Mar 1846)
(W. Stewart Wallace, DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE NORTHWEST COMPANY, pp.438?439)