Angus Shaw
Encyclopedia
Angus Shaw was a fur trade
r and political figure in Lower Canada
.
and came to North America some time before 1786, when he is found at Montreal. With the help of the Indian agent Colonel John Campbell of Glendaruel, he entered a partnership with an experienced fur trader, Donald Mackay
. This partnership traded in opposition to the North West Company
and other companies on the Saskatchewan and Assiniboine Rivers of western Canada till 1788. The next year, Shaw became a clerk for the North West Company
. He established a trading post near Moose Lake, Alberta and then at Fort George and Fort Augustus on the North Saskatchewan River
. He established other posts on Lac la Biche
and the Slave River
. Shaw was made a wintering partner, with shares in the company, in 1791 or 1792. During this time, he married a native woman. In 1796, he became a member of the Beaver Club at Montreal
. In 1802, he was put in charge of the King's Posts in Lower Canada
on the lower north shore of the Saint Lawrence River
. Later that year, he was elected to represent Effingham in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
in a by-election held after Charles-Jean-Baptiste Bouc
's expulsion. Also in 1802, he married Marjory McGillivray, the sister of William McGillivray
. In 1803, Shaw led an expedition to James Bay
, which established posts on the Moose
and Eastmain River
s. In 1806, he became a partner in McTavish, McGillivrays and Company, affiliated with the North West Company, and travelled to Fort William (now Thunder Bay
, Ontario
) several times. Shaw was named a justice of the peace for the Indian territory in 1810. He was a major in the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs during the War of 1812
.
In 1815, he took part in the destruction of the Hudson's Bay Company
's Red River Colony
. He was arrested by the HBC in 1816 and 1819 and later sent to London
, where he was released. After 1821, Shaw retired to the United States
, where he married Julia Agnes Rickman; his second wife had died in 1820.
He died of a lung infection at New Brunswick, New Jersey
in 1832.
Manuscript sources for Shaw's partnership with Donald Mackay: Archives of Manitoba, Hudson's Bay Company Archives: B.22/a/1, Brandon House Journal, 21 August 1793; B.121/a/2, Manchester House Journal, 27 September 1787; E.223/1, Donald Mackay Diary.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r and political figure in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
.
Life
He was probably born in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and came to North America some time before 1786, when he is found at Montreal. With the help of the Indian agent Colonel John Campbell of Glendaruel, he entered a partnership with an experienced fur trader, Donald Mackay
Donald Mackay
Donald Bruce Mackay was an Australian anti-drugs campaigner who came to fame in 1977 through the circumstances of his murder.Mackay was born in Griffith and raised in Sydney...
. This partnership traded in opposition to the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
and other companies on the Saskatchewan and Assiniboine Rivers of western Canada till 1788. The next year, Shaw became a clerk for the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
. He established a trading post near Moose Lake, Alberta and then at Fort George and Fort Augustus on the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
. He established other posts on Lac la Biche
Lac la Biche
Lac la Biche can refer to:*Lac la Biche , a lake in Alberta, Canada*Lac La Biche, Alberta, a town in Alberta, Canada*Lac La Biche County, Alberta, a municipal district in Alberta, Canada...
and the Slave River
Slave River
The Slave River is a Canadian river that flows from Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta and empties into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories....
. Shaw was made a wintering partner, with shares in the company, in 1791 or 1792. During this time, he married a native woman. In 1796, he became a member of the Beaver Club at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In 1802, he was put in charge of the King's Posts in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
on the lower north shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. Later that year, he was elected to represent Effingham in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
in a by-election held after Charles-Jean-Baptiste Bouc
Charles-Jean-Baptiste Bouc
Charles-Jean-Baptiste Bouc was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born Charles-Baptiste Bouc in Terrebonne, the son of a merchant, and was involved in the trade of grain and furs, as well as lending money. In 1785, he married Archange Lepage. He inherited some livestock and...
's expulsion. Also in 1802, he married Marjory McGillivray, the sister of William McGillivray
William McGillivray
William McGillivray was a Scotland-born fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Dunlichity, Scotland in 1764. In 1784, he travelled to Montreal with his uncle Simon McTavish and began work with the North West Company...
. In 1803, Shaw led an expedition to James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
, which established posts on the Moose
Moose River (Ontario)
The Moose River is a Canadian river in the Hudson Plains ecozone of northern Ontario which flows 100 km northeast from the junction of the Mattagami and Missinaibi Rivers into James Bay. Its drainage basin is 108,500 km² and it has a mean discharge rate of 1370 m³/s. Its full length...
and Eastmain River
Eastmain River
The Eastmain River is a river in northwestern Quebec which rises in north central Quebec and flows 800 km west to drain into James Bay. 'East Main' is an old name for the east side of James Bay. This river drains an area of 46,400 km²...
s. In 1806, he became a partner in McTavish, McGillivrays and Company, affiliated with the North West Company, and travelled to Fort William (now Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) several times. Shaw was named a justice of the peace for the Indian territory in 1810. He was a major in the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
In 1815, he took part in the destruction of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
's Red River Colony
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
. He was arrested by the HBC in 1816 and 1819 and later sent to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he was released. After 1821, Shaw retired to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he married Julia Agnes Rickman; his second wife had died in 1820.
He died of a lung infection at New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
in 1832.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Biography from Assemblée nationale du Québec (french)
Manuscript sources for Shaw's partnership with Donald Mackay: Archives of Manitoba, Hudson's Bay Company Archives: B.22/a/1, Brandon House Journal, 21 August 1793; B.121/a/2, Manchester House Journal, 27 September 1787; E.223/1, Donald Mackay Diary.