Joseph James Hargrave FRGS (1 April 1841 – 22 February 1894) was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trader, author, and journalist.[1][2]

Joseph James Hargrave
Born(1841-04-01)1 April 1841
Died22 February 1894(1894-02-22) (aged 52)
Edinburgh, Scotland
EducationMadras College
Occupation(s)Fur trader, author, journalist
EmployerHudson's Bay Company
Parents
The grave of Joseph James Hargrave, Dean Cemetery

Biography

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Joseph James Hargrave was born and raised at York Factory, a fur trading post on Hudson Bay. He was the oldest son of York Factory's Chief Trader James Hargrave and his wife Letitia MacTavish Hargrave. His family took him to Scotland in 1846, where he studied at Madras College, St. Andrews, and completed his studies as a surveyor in 1859.

Hudson's Bay Company

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Hargrave returned to North America in 1861 and became an apprentice clerk for the HBC, and a secretary to his uncle William Mactavish—the governor of Rupert's Land and Assiniboia. In 1869, he began writing a series of articles for the Montreal Herald about the anticipated transfer of land from the HBC to Canada.

In 1871, his book Red River was published. It describes the history of the Red River Colony prior to the Red River Rebellion of Louis Riel.[3]

Before his retirement, he became a chief trader in the HBC. He died in 1894, shortly after returning to Edinburgh. He is buried in Dean Cemetery in west Edinburgh. The grave lies in the south-east section.

References

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  1. ^ "Manitoba Author Publication Index". Archived from the original on 8 October 2006.
  2. ^ "Fur Trade Stories". Archived from the original on 8 October 2007.
  3. ^ Hargrave, Joseph James (1871). Red River. Montreal: John Lovell.

Bibliography

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