Simon McTavish (fur trader) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simon McTavish
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| Born | ca. 1750 Stratherrick, Inverness
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| Died | 6 July 1804 (aged 53–54) |
| Resting place | Golden Square Mile |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Chief partner of the North West Company |
| Successor | His nephew, William McGillivray |
| Spouse(s) | Marie-Marguerite Chaboillez |
Simon McTavish (around 1750 – 6 July 1804), from Montreal, was a Scottish fur trader. He was the main founder and partner of the North West Company. He was also a member of the Beaver Club. People called him the Marquis because he was so important in the fur trade and lived a very fancy life.
Both McTavish Street and the McTavish Reservoir in Montreal are named after him. His home and a special monument in the Golden Square Mile were well-known sights in Montreal for a long time.
Simon McTavish was known for being very generous. When the leader of his family clan, the Clan MacTavish, faced hard times and had to sell their family home, Dunardry, McTavish bought it back for the clan. He also gave the chief's oldest son a job in Montreal.
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Simon McTavish's Early Life in Scotland
Simon McTavish was born around 1751 in Stratherrick, a place in the Scottish Highlands. His father, John McTavish (1701–1774), was a 'tacksman' (a person who rented land). His mother was Mary Fraser (1716–1770).
Simon's father had been an officer in the Jacobite armies. These armies fought in battles like Culloden and Falkirk Muir. After the Jacobites lost, King George II specifically said that Simon's father would not be forgiven.
Joining the Fraser Highlanders
In 1757, General Simon Fraser of Lovat asked John McTavish to be a Lieutenant in his new army group, the 78th Fraser Highlanders. To avoid problems with the authorities, Simon's father changed his name to 'Fraser'. He went with the regiment to Nova Scotia.
He fought for the British at the Battle of Louisburg in 1758, where he was badly hurt. He was too injured to fight at the Battle of Quebec. In 1761, he was sent home because of his injuries, as an act of kindness to him and his family.
Moving to North America
Simon's two older brothers were looked after by his father's friend, Dugald MacTavish, who was the Chief of the Clan MacTavish. In 1764, when Simon was thirteen, he was sent to New York. He traveled with his sister and her husband, Hugh Fraser, who was a Captain in the 78th Fraser Highlanders.
Starting in the North American Fur Trade
In New York, Simon McTavish started learning about business with a Scottish merchant. He quickly saw how many chances there were in the fur trade. By 1769, he was working for himself. In 1772, he teamed up with William Edgar in Detroit. It's said he first traded in deerskins and muskrats, and later moved to more valuable furs.
Over the next few years, McTavish did very well in the fur trade. In 1773, he started a new partnership with James Bannerman. They expanded their business to Grand Portage on Lake Superior. This was an important meeting place for fur traders. While other American traders focused on the south and west, McTavish understood that he could get more and better quality furs from the colder areas north and west of the Great Lakes.
At that time, the Hudson's Bay Company controlled the best fur trapping areas in the northwest. However, there was still a good route from Montreal going west. This route went through the Ottawa River, across Georgian Bay, and into the Great Lakes Region and Manitoba. Most of the fur trade at Grand Portage went through Montreal.
A Lucky Break in the Fur Trade
In 1775–76, McTavish had a very fortunate winter in Detroit. He had plenty of goods for trading for the next season. He went on a trip with George McBeath. That winter, the American Continental Army took control of Montreal. This stopped other Montreal traders from getting their goods to Grand Portage in the summer of 1776.
Because there was little competition, McTavish was able to get a large amount of furs, which he valued at £15,000. He took these furs to England and sold them for a high price.
Building a Business Empire in Montreal
After the Americans left Quebec, McTavish moved his business to Montreal. He kept trading on his own during the Revolutionary War. He supplied goods at Grand Portage and Detroit. He also bought and sold rum for the British soldiers in Detroit and Niagara.
By the end of the war, he gathered a group of business people and explorers. Together, they created the North West Company. McTavish and the Frobisher brothers owned a big part of the company (37.5% of the shares). When Benjamin Frobisher died in 1787, McTavish became the leader of the business.
A few months later, the company was reorganized. The clever McTavish gained control of eleven out of the company's twenty shares. Most importantly, he became the managing partner of a new Montreal company called McTavish, Frobisher and Company. This company imported goods for the North West Company and sent its furs to the London market. They earned money from every deal.
In 1792, the business grew even more when McTavish, Fraser and Company was set up in London. This company bought trade goods directly and sold the furs. From his main office in Montreal, McTavish built a huge business empire over the next sixteen years. It stretched from the Labrador coast to the Rocky Mountains. This made him a very rich man.
Challenges and Clan Connections
As the fur trade grew across Rupert's Land, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) had a financial advantage. The HBC refused the North West Company's request to bring goods through Hudson Bay. So, McTavish spent a lot of money (£45,000) sending two groups to set up bases for the NWC. These actions didn't have the desired effect. The NWC also failed to get a special permission (a charter) from the British government. This left only one choice: try to buy most of the shares in the HBC.
While in Britain, Simon McTavish became friends with the chief of Clan MacTavish. When the chief died, Simon brought one of the sons into the North West Company. In 1799, McTavish did something that made him very happy: he bought the Dunardary estate in North Knapdale, Argyll. This had been the family home for the leaders of the McTavish (MacTavish) clan for hundreds of years. Even though Simon's own family had been close to Clan Fraser, it is believed his ancestors were a part of the McTavish clan of Dunardary.
McTavish was a smart businessman with a great vision. He saw that Montreal needed more industries, and this gave him chances to make more money. In 1802, he bought the seigneury (a large piece of land) of Terrebonne. There, he built two modern flour mills and a bakery. He also set up a sawmill and encouraged other business people to start making wooden barrels.
Dunardry and the Chiefs of Clan MacTavish
In 1782, Dugald MacTavish, a friend of Simon's father and the person who looked after Simon's two older brothers, passed away. Dugald was the 18th Laird (landowner) of Dunardry. In 1785, Dugald's son and heir, Lachlan, had to sell the Dunardry estate. This estate had been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of Clan MacTavish for many centuries.
Lachlan had grown up with Simon's brothers, and he and Simon became good friends during Simon's many trips to Britain. After Dunardry was sold, Simon promised his friend that he would help him buy back the estate as soon as he could afford it. Two years after Simon learned of the death of his "poor old friend Dunardry" (Lachlan) in 1796, he kept his promise. He paid £6,000 to bring Dunardry back to the rightful Chiefs of his clan. Even though Simon was now called 'of Dunardry', he didn't gain anything personally from this. He saw the purchase as a personal project.
Unfortunately, Simon's generous act of buying Dunardry became a bit of a problem for Lachlan's son. His own sons were not interested in running the estate. They were still very thankful to Simon, but since the property was no longer making money, they didn't want to own it. Because of this, Simon's sons, who both died young, were called 'of Dunardry', even though they also had no interest in the estate and never lived there.
Lachlan MacTavish was succeeded as Chief by his son, Dugald MacTavish (1782-1855). Simon's sons knew him well. Simon took Dugald's second son, John George MacTavish, into the North West Company without the usual cost. John became a member of the Beaver Club. When the NWC later joined with the Hudson's Bay Company, John continued to work for them and was considered one of their best traders. John later changed the spelling of his name to 'McTavish' to match Simon's. John's older brother, William MacTavish, who became the 21st Chief of the Clan, also joined the fur trade. He worked for the HBC and became Governor of Rupert's Land and Assiniboia. The Chiefs of Clan MacTavish stayed in Canada, and the current 27th Chief was born in Montreal in 1951.
Family Life and Legacy
In October 1793, Simon McTavish married Marie-Marguerite Chaboillez (born 1775). She was the daughter of Charles Chaboillez, who was also a founder of the Beaver Club. Right after they married, they moved to London, where McTavish hoped to live forever. However, his new wife became sad there, so they returned to Montreal in the spring of 1795.
The McTavishes had six children, and four of them lived to be adults. Only one of them got married. There is a monument for their four surviving children at Chiswick Parish Church:
- Mary McTavish (1796-1819). In 1817, she married Major Charles Pasley (1781-1821) at Marylebone Church in London. He was the nephew of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley. Mary's guardian, Simon McGillivray, gave her away at the wedding. She died in Sidmouth, Devon.
- William McTavish (1797-1818). When his father died, he inherited £20,000. He also had the title 'MacTavish of Dunardry'. He died unmarried near Kew, at the home of his mother and stepfather.
- Ann McTavish (1800-1819), died unmarried in Bridport, Dorset.
- Simon McTavish (1803-1828). He inherited the rights to Dunardry from his brother. But like the MacTavishes, he was not interested in claiming the estate. He died unmarried at his mother and stepfather's home near Ramsgate, Kent.
Simon McTavish passed away in Montreal in 1804. He left behind a large estate worth £125,000. In his will, he left money to several friends and relatives. He also gave money to the Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal and the Grey Nuns' Hôpital général. McTavish Street, which is next to McGill University, was named in his honor. So was McTavish reservoir, just north of the university.
His nephews, the McGillivrays, arranged his funeral and handled his will. They built a memorial for him on the grounds of his house on the slopes of Mount Royal. They built a twenty-foot column inside a walled mausoleum. This monument was once a very important symbol in Montreal. In 1942, instead of fixing the monument, which had been damaged by time and lack of care, it was replaced with a 5-foot granite block.
In his will, McTavish said that all his children should be taken to England for their education. Mrs. McTavish went with them in 1806. In London, in 1808, she married Major William Smith Plenderleath (1780-1845). He was the recognized son and later heir of General Gabriel Christie.
Simon McTavish was connected to many important people in the Canadian fur trade. William McGillivray, Simon McGillivray, and Duncan McGillivray were his nephews. Simon Fraser, John Fraser (his agent in London), and Donald McTavish were his cousins. Angus Shaw and John MacDonald of Garth were his nephews-in-law. Through his wife, MacDonald was the brother-in-law of David Thompson. Sir Alexander Mackenzie was the cousin of Roderick Mackenzie of Terrebonne, who was McTavish's wife's brother-in-law.
