Daniel Williams Harmon
Encyclopedia
Daniel Williams Harmon was a fur trader and diarist.
Harmon was born in Bennington, Vermont on February 19, 1778, son of Daniel and Lucretia (Dewey) Harmon and died April 23, 1843, in Sault-au-Récollet
(Montreal North), Lower Canada
. He took as a common-law wife Elizabeth (Lizzette) Laval or Duval (ca. 1790 - February 14, 1862) on October 5, 1805, at South Branch Fort, Northwest Territory, British America (he legally married August 19, 1819, at Fort William, Ontario, Canada) and had 12 children.
Harmon joined the North West Company
in 1800 and gradually moved westward, finally arriving in British Columbia in 1809. There he served for ten years at Fort Saint James and Fort Fraser.
Harmon was not one of the well known names in fur-trading history. He served mostly in subordinate positions and carried out no explorations. His fame rests solely on his published journal, which documents his experience in the Canadian frontier. The journal was heavily edited and rewritten for publication by the Reverend Daniel Haskel of Burlington, Vermont, and appeared with the title, "A journal of voyages and travels in the interior of North America, between the 47th
and 58th degrees of north
latitude, extending from Montreal nearly to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of about 5,000 miles, including an account of the principal occurrences, during a residence of nineteen years, in different parts of the country. . ." (Andover, Mass., 1820). In addition to a description of life in the fur trade during the early years of the 19th century the work is notable for its account of the moral dilemmas Harmon confronted in the context his lingering Puritan
morality and the sexual customs in the frontier. Harmon took a Native American Indian wife but refused the traders' practice of abandoning them and instead returned with her to Vermont and formal marriage.
The full journal consists of three parts In addition to the diary proper, there are two lengthy appendices, one on the Indians East of the Rockies (basically the Cree) and one on the Indians West of the Rockies (basically the Carrier).The latter contains the first substantial source of information about the Carrier language
, in the form of a list of about 300 words. The appendices are omitted from at least one recent edition.
Selected publications by Daniel Williams Harmon
Harmon was born in Bennington, Vermont on February 19, 1778, son of Daniel and Lucretia (Dewey) Harmon and died April 23, 1843, in Sault-au-Récollet
Sault-au-Récollet
Sault-au-Récollet is a neighbourhood in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, in the city of Montreal. It is located at the eastern edge of the borough...
(Montreal North), Lower Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He took as a common-law wife Elizabeth (Lizzette) Laval or Duval (ca. 1790 - February 14, 1862) on October 5, 1805, at South Branch Fort, Northwest Territory, British America (he legally married August 19, 1819, at Fort William, Ontario, Canada) and had 12 children.
Harmon joined 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...
in 1800 and gradually moved westward, finally arriving in British Columbia in 1809. There he served for ten years at Fort Saint James and Fort Fraser.
Harmon was not one of the well known names in fur-trading history. He served mostly in subordinate positions and carried out no explorations. His fame rests solely on his published journal, which documents his experience in the Canadian frontier. The journal was heavily edited and rewritten for publication by the Reverend Daniel Haskel of Burlington, Vermont, and appeared with the title, "A journal of voyages and travels in the interior of North America, between the 47th
47th parallel north
The 47th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 47 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
and 58th degrees of north
58th parallel north
The 58th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 58 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
latitude, extending from Montreal nearly to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of about 5,000 miles, including an account of the principal occurrences, during a residence of nineteen years, in different parts of the country. . ." (Andover, Mass., 1820). In addition to a description of life in the fur trade during the early years of the 19th century the work is notable for its account of the moral dilemmas Harmon confronted in the context his lingering Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
morality and the sexual customs in the frontier. Harmon took a Native American Indian wife but refused the traders' practice of abandoning them and instead returned with her to Vermont and formal marriage.
The full journal consists of three parts In addition to the diary proper, there are two lengthy appendices, one on the Indians East of the Rockies (basically the Cree) and one on the Indians West of the Rockies (basically the Carrier).The latter contains the first substantial source of information about the Carrier language
Carrier language
The Carrier language is a Northern Athabaskan language. It is named after the Dakelh people, a First Nations people of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, for whom Carrier is the usual English name. People who are referred to as Carrier speak two related languages. One,...
, in the form of a list of about 300 words. The appendices are omitted from at least one recent edition.
Further reading
Biographies on Daniel Williams Harmon and his family- John SpargoJohn SpargoJohn Spargo was a British-born American socialist political activist, orator, and writer who later became a renowned expert in the history and crafts of Vermont...
, Two Bennington-born explorers and makers of modern Canada (1950) - Walter O'MearaWalter O'MearaWalter O’Meara was an American author born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early life:O'Meara spent his childhood in Cloquet, Minnesota, graduating from Cloquet High School in 1914. O’Meara started his college education at the University of Minnesota before taking a leave of absence to serve in the US...
, The Grand Portage (1951) - Artemas C. Harmon, Harmon Genealogy (1920)
Selected publications by Daniel Williams Harmon
- Daniel Williams Harmon, "A Journal of Voyages and Travels in the interior of North America between the 47th and 58th degree of North latitude, extending from Montreal nearly to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of about 5000 miles, including an account of the Principal occurrences during a residence of nearly nineteen years in different parts of that country. To which are added A Concise Description of the face of the Country, Its Inhabitants, their manners, customs, laws, etc." Burlington, Vermont, 1820 (1905 ed.).