Vancouver has some unique street art. I discovered this one in a baseball field on an urban walk on Saturday along the Ridgeway Greenway Belt. I have forgotten what it is called but it is not called, "Theatre Sports", unfortunately. Someone should photograph some of these eclectic sites and create a coffee table book.

The city had two back-to-back days of sunshine this weekend and I managed at three hour walk on Saturday and almost two hours of bike riding on Sunday. Today, the rain and grey has returned.


This will be my last blast for John Hodgson, a possible source of the 'Hudson Bay fortunes', for awhile at least. Here is his time-line:

• 1763 - Born in St. Margarets, Westminster, London, England.
• Until the age of 11, he was educated at Grey Coat Hospital at Westminster. He studied mathematics and surveying. His education was sponsored by the Hudson Bay Company.
• 1774 - At the age of 11, he was engaged by the HBC and sailed to Fort Albany via Moose Factory on the Company's ship, Prince Rupert. Age 11
• 1774-75 - Fort Albany
• 1775-78 - Henley House
• 1778-81 - Fort Albany
• 1781-82 - Henley House
• 1782-83 - Fort Albany
• 1783 - Severn House
• 1784 - Fort Albany - Possibly married that year to a Country Wife (name not known). Age 21
• 1785 - First Son James Hudson born in St. Margarets, Wesminster, London England
• 1789 - Daughter born - Ann Hodgson
• 1790 - Son born - Thomas Hodgson
• 1792 - Son born - John Hodgson
• 1793 - Returned to England on the King George Age 30
• 1794 - Returned to Fort Albany
• 1799 - Son born - Joseph Hudson
• 1803 - Received commission of Chief Factor at Albany House
• 1803 - Daughter born - Katherine Hodgson
• 1804 - Son born - Charles Hudson
• 1806 - Daughter born - Mary Hudson (possible birth date 1816)
• 1807 - Returned to England on the ship King George Age 44
• 1808 - Returned to Fort Albany
• 1810 - Relieved of his duties due to mismanagement. Age 47
• 1810 - Moved with his family to a farm at Lac Des Chats on the Ottawa River in August.
• 1826 - Died, possibly of cholera, five days after death of wife who had cholera.
• 1826 - Buried in Renfrew Cemetary. Age 63

Some of my questions are:

• At age 11, even in the 1700's, it must have been a very early age to apprentice or indenture a child to a career. Would John Hodgson have gone overseas willingly at that age or would his parents have signed away his rights? Perhaps he had an uncle or other relative to accompany him.
• Why were some of the children named Hudson and others Hodgson? Was it the choice of the children or the parents?
• Why was his first son born in England, when his wife was a Native of the Country? Who would give permission for her to sail to England one year and back home with a child the next?
• Why did the HBC transport the country wife of a, at the time, minor official to and from England to give birth especially when they officially forbid such liasons?
• It was also reported that James, the son born in England, returned at a later date to be educated there. Was this, too, a radical departure from procedure?
• At a slightly later date, there was a teacher sent to Fort Albany to teach the local children. Was this done at the other forts at this time as well?
• John was reported to be very supportive of the HBC even after his firing. Why?

There are many questions that swirl around the identity of John's country wife but I will leave that story for another time.

Community Garden Plot

Last weekend I was lucky enough to obtain the last plot in our Community Gardens. I now have a 10 x 12 area where I can grow some vegetables this summer just a couple of blocks from where I live. While it is a little too cold and rainy to work in the garden now, I have been having fun looking at on-line gardening catalogues and dreaming and planning. The service club that manages our plots provides tools and hoses as well as additional soil and fertilizer. I can't wait for the weather to improve!

While the weather has kept me indoors a lot more than I would like, I have been able to sort and organize some of the boxes of papers I have accumulated over the years. I always believed that once I retired I would spend time doing research into our family history. However, during the past five years that I have been somewhat retired, I have had no desire to spend my time in archives and libraries. Even on a visit to Salt Lake City a couple of years ago, one morning in the LDS libraries was enough for me. http://search.ldslibrary.com/

There are three or four issues in different branches of our family that are crying out for research. For instance, if I were ever to find myself travelling in either Winnipeg, Manitoba or London, England, I would try to find some time to explore the Hudson Bay archives in Winnipeg and to find the transcripts of the trial that took place in Chancery Court in London in the 1940's. Maybe then I would find some more definative answer on John Hodgson. He seems to be the pivotal person in the quest to find answers about the lost Hudson Bay fortunes.

Descendants of Govornor John Hodgson
Generation No. 1
1. GOVORNOR JOHN1 HODGSON was born 1763, and died 1826. He married UNKNOWN WIFE.
Children of GOVORNOR HODGSON and UNKNOWN WIFE are:
2. i. JAMES R.2 HUDSON, b. 1785, St.Margaret Parish Westminster England; d. 1832, Fort Coulonge Quebec.
ii. ANN HODGSON, b. 1789; d. 1886; m. (1) JOHN DAVIS; m. (2) NICOL FINLAYSON.

Hudson Bay Saga Continues

My children have a great deal of North American history in their veins.  For instance, in the period from 1780 to 1820, on their father's side, their g.g.g.g.g.grandfather's brother was William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expeditions and on their mother's side, their g.g.g.g.grandfather was John Hodgson, Chief Factor at Fort Albany House for the Hudson Bay Company.  In the same time frame, both men were experienced with wilderness travel, dealt very well with the Natives, were surveyors and were leaders.  Both men were exploring large tracts of land at approximately the same time - one in the Hudson Basin in Canada and the other the Louisiana Purchase and beyond in the States.

While history books have done justice to Clark, there are only a smattering of references (probably with good reason) to John Hodgson or John Hudson as he was also known.  But that is where the intrigue lies - as to whether or not, he was part of the Hudson Bay fortunes.

We all learned in Canadian history classes that in 1670 the King of England awarded his cousin Prince Rupert and his Company of Adventurers as "true lords and proprietors" of all seas and land of the Hudson Bay and it's entire drainage system.  Subsequently, with a long and profitable fur trade and strategic partnering with the Northwest Company, the original twenty shareholders of the Hudson Bay Company became the 'Bill Gates' of their eras.

Now, fast forward 100 years to the time of John Hodgson.   Here was an Englishman who was educated for the 'service' and did in fact spend most of his working life with the HBC.  The headquarters of the HBC in London controlled his life.  He was expected to obey implicitly all of it's yearly directives - a big one being that employees of HBC were not to associate with Native women.  Of course, many employees ignored this rule and simply omitted any reference to their country wives and children in the reports that were sent to London.  

John however fathered nine children between 1785 and 1816 very probably with the same woman and he brought James, his oldest, back to be educated in England on one of his 'leaves'. It is doubtful that he did this without the knowledge of his superiors. 

Now fast forward another 100 years to Sophie Cloutier,  John's great granddaughter,  who hears that there is a trial taking place in England regarding proceeds of a former Hudson Bay estate.  She has heard the story of her grandfather, James Hudson, writing a will on an old hide, stating that he had native offspring that should benefit upon his death.  She is led to believe that if she can prove her lineage, she will be able to collect a portion of this fortune.

Touch of Genius

A film about Van Gogh will open at the Omnimax Theatre at Science World today.  It's at the top of my list of 'things to do'.

http://www.filmvangogh.com/uk2da_propos_du_film.html

My last encounter with Van Gogh was in Tokyo a couple of years ago.   When I found an English advertisement for an art gallery that would be exhibiting one of Van Gogh's sunflowers for a limited time, I made it a priority to go.   This was not an easy task.  I was unfamiliar with the company sponsoring the event and the streets of Tokyo are rarely named or numbered.   And, of course, I don't speak Japanese.  

On the third day of attempting to find this exhibit, after finding the right subway line and exit, and a considerable walk, I found the high rise office tower containing the art gallery in a plaza. The heavy glass doors had the poster of the exhibit.  The enormous marble foyer had more indications that a Van Gogh painting was on display.  

After taking one of the high speed elevators to the top floor, and paying a nominal fee, I entered two large exhibit rooms of both Asian and European paintings and sculpture.  This rivaled our National Gallery plus it had amazing panoramic views of Toyko.  I expected to find Van Gogh around every corner.   

It was not until I reached the end of the gallery that I found a small room indicating that it contained three European Masters.  There on an alter-like setting were three easels with what should have been the Sunflowers in the middle.  Instead there was the poster with Japanese writing and English words "coming soon".  

When I went back to the speak to the girl at the entry, she told me that the painting was 'too popular' and was held over at the last exhibit.  And, when did she expect it to arrive here.....mmmm maybe three months,  mmmmm maybe six months.

Recently, I set up another blog which will be dedicated to family photos and history that I have collected over the years.  While I was able to set it up and create one posting, I am not able to get back into it.   Each time I try, this blog overrides it.  And, the help hasn't been helpful.  Is there some way that I can access and 'create new' in both blogs from one spot?

Spinsters

Spinster was a very loaded word when I was young. It was something you really wanted to avoid becoming. There were many interesting stories about spinsters that were often repeated in our family. The one that would have us rolling on the floor with laughter concerned the arrival of the first car dealership in Pembroke in the 1920's.

At the time, you did not need a licence to drive a car. If you bought a car you could drive off the lot after just a few minutes of instruction. There were two spinster sisters who lived together in a house they inherited from their father along with a substantial amount of money. One day shortly after the dealership opened, they decided to purchase their first car.

While they were driving home down the main street, they spotted one of the few eligible batchelors in town. They began waving and beeping the horn to get his attention. As he turned around to look at them, they drove directly into him at full speed and pinned him against a brick wall.

Moral of the story - don't kill your chances!

Vancouver on Saturday, March 7, 2009

This is the West End.

This is Westwood Plateau (technically part of greater Vancouver)

Change of elevation..... about 1,000 feet.

Hudson's Bay Company

When I was growing up, at almost every family gathering on my mother's side, the story of how we lost the Hudson Bay fortunes would come up, ...sooner or later. We were, we were told, the direct decendants of James Hudson who was a principle of some kind with the Hudson's Bay Company.

We knew this because one of our great great grandmothers, Sophie, lived very well to the end of her life in Quyon, an island on the Ottawa River, on money which she received regularly from England. ..."Then, lo and behold, my great grandmother, her daughter, (both named Sophie), went and signed away all of our rights when two slick lawyers came up to Sudbury sometime in the 1940's".

One of my aunts would insist that James was the son of Henry Hudson even though some of us 'smart arses' would point out there was about two hundred years missing - that Henry had been living in the late 1500's and early 1600's while our James lived in the late 1700's and early 1800's.

In spite of this, and a few other minor inconsistencies, there was no doubt that this was a big part of our family history. It was not until many, many years later that I learned what really might have happened.

Spring is coming slowly to Vancouver this year. We have another sunny day today but the temperature has not really warmed up yet.

These are some of the first heliotropes I have seen in bloom.....

They are predicting possible snow for the weekend.

CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF "METIS"?

For the past few days I have been inputting family data into a free geneology data base called Legacy which I believe is sponsored or supported by the LDS church. This process has led me to wonder who can call themselves Metis. I have one ancestor who was a Cree Indian. All the other relatives I have been able to find so far have had British origins.

I know that the Metis Nation consists of a group of people originating in Ontario, Quebec and the Prairie provinces who have a mix of both native and other blood with the defining feature being some native blood. But at some point is that blood so diluted that the Metis lable cannot apply. Some of my extended family has applied for either Metis Status or Native Status but they have usually had more native blood through marriage.

Leather Jacket worn by Metis/Cree women

A few years back there was talk of decendants of native women who had lost their status by marrying outside of their tribe reacquiring status for themselves and their children. I wonder if it could have been done for women who were no longer living.

Steps

Genealogy is such a strange obsession, if that is the right word.   It has nagged at me for more than thirty-five years.   If I am to move on with my life, I need to put projects like my need to record my family history to bed so that I can clear my brain for other stuff.  It is not quite so easy though.  I know I need to knuckle down and get going.  And that is exactly what I had planned to do for the last couple of days, but instead, I have procrastinated.  

First of all I need to figure just why I am going to all this trouble.  I have collected four or five large boxes of material over a long period of time - notes, letters, research, photographs, film - and they are totally disorganized.   I am not a Mormon.  I don't think I will obtain a higher seat in heaven if I can find my ancestors and convert them.  Neither my children or my extended family has any particular interest in anyone but our immediate relatives.   I don't have grandchildren and, at this stage, probably won't have any so I am not doing it for posterity.   The stories that float around about our family origins are much more interesting than any of the factual information I have managed to find. There are no huge skeletons and only a few tenuous links to the rich and famous.  And, with the advances in genome testing, we will probably be able to find out anything we want to know about our ancestors by providing a lab with a sample of our spit within a couple of years.  Yet, I still have this strange urge to pursue this.  

If I do invest my time and effort into this, what is the best route - scrap-booking - an interactive web site - a family tree program (and if so, which one) - or a book of stories?   Do I just concentrate on the most interesting branches or do I include all the boring and mundane as well?  How much of the myth and legend should be included.  

I need to get started - take that first small step.  But how????

I took a lot of big steps this weekend - from Granville Island to Jericho Beach.  It was a good day for walking as the rains stayed away and with a low tide, we managed to walk the whole way along the water.  

Both photos taken along beach in the tidal area

Feb/09