The captions under the pictures are taken from the information provided for each picture by the Oregon Historical Society. Some of it is not accurate, although most prbably is.
The caption under Arabella's picture gives the dates 1821-1894, but 1821 is not when she was born, but 1894 is when she died (her will dates her death at 11/15/1894). She was baptised August 12, 1821 at Norway House by Rev. John West (St. John's Register of Baptisms 1813-1828, #129). By 1821, she was at least 3 years old, but probably not older. On the Oregon Territory 1850 census, she is 35, which would place her birth somewhere around 1815-1818.
Roderick McKenzie JR. and Sally Sutherland did not get married by clergy until March 20, 1823. By then Arabella was at least 5 or 6 years old and probably had a sister or two as well. (Roderick McKenzie Jr. of Bas de la Riviere [Winnipeg River] married Sally Sutherland of Bas de la Riviere, at Fort Alexander, by Rev John West, St. John's Register of Marriages, 1820-1854, #56).
On Jan 22, 1831, a year and a week after Roderick froze to death at Portneuf, Mille Vaches district (St.Lawrence Seaway), Gov. Simpson wrote from York Factory to Wm Smith, Sec of the Hon. Co. to say he would not act on Roderick's will. "so his property will remain invested in the name of James McKenzie who will draw the dividends. Because the account is hardly sufficient for the support of the daughter at Quebec she will be removed to RR. The copy of the will has been handed to Mr. James Sutherland."
James Sutherland and Jane Flett were the grandparents, James having retired in 1827 to Red River on 800 acres after himself serving an illustrious career as a Chief Trader and Chief Factor. All of Jame's children were from his country wife, who had died around 1815-18. Jane Flett was their stepmother whom James married in May, 1828 after his retirement to Red River.
Well, we know there were four daughters from Roderick and Sally, and a son who died at birth: That birth killed Saly. The daughters were Arabella, Margaret, Jessie Elizabeth and Jemima. Margaret died as a teenager at Red River. On March 1, 1831, C. Cummings wrote to James Hargrave (the Hargrave Correspondence). "I presume you have heard of the melancholy end of the unfortunate R'd McKenzie in January 1830 who was found a corpse by one of his men some distance from the Establishment of Portneuff, his wife died some months previous at Quebec, leaving three poor children without friend relations or scarely any acquaintances in Canada, but Gov. Simpson with his usual goodness has sent them to Red River, where no doubt they will meet with every necessary attention from their Grand Parents--"
Cummings thought there were only three children. There were four. James Sutherland sent for the three oldest girls at Quebec, writing to James McKenzie. Jemimah remained behind, boarded with the Mallott family in Quebec. When Jemimah turned seven, James Sutherland sent for her to unite her with the others at Red River (James wrote to John Keith, Chief Factor at Montreal, "Mr. Sutherland wants Jemimah"). All the while, James McKenzie had arranged for the girls to be boarded with two families, for their school, and for their transportation to Montreal on their way to Red River.
The story of Sally's death also places James McKenzie at Quebec. Here is part of a letter from James but it is not certain who he is writing to, most likely James Keith... from HBCA Post Records B 134.c6 fo. 16d.
"...7 July 1829. I am sorry to inform you that Mrs. R. McKenzie expired yesterday morning at 4 O'Clock - 16 hours before her husband's arrival. He is in the greatest distress. Her remains are to be interred tomorrow. She died the 9th day after being delivered prematurely of a boy."
Her burial record reads, "Mrs. Sarah McKenzie, wife of Roderick McKenzie, Esquire of the Hudson's Bay Company aged about twenty eight years died here the sixth July: & was buried on the eigth day of July, one thousand eight hundred twenty nine. James Hurksey? Min." It is also signed James McKenzie and William Lyons. Lyons was the family physician in Quebec, and Roderick and family had to travel 4-5 days by boat to seek medical attention from their isolated home at Portneuff.
Roderick had an exemplary career with the HBC until it ended tragically at age 39. Governor Simpson, in his Athabasca Journal, details the career of Roderick Jr.
"Roderick McKenzie (Junior), a native of Gaerloch in Ross-shire was born in 1791 and entered the HBC service in 1811 as an apprentice clerk. He is described as a writer in the East Winnipeg district, 1812-13, and in the Winnipeg district the following year. He was at Red River, 1814-15, and joined the Athabaska Expedition under John Clarke at Jack River, in July 1815. He was present when Fort Wedderburn was esdtablished in the ensuing autumn, remaining there during the next two years. His conduct there won him a gratuity of 50 [pounds sterling] from the HBC Committee. He was at Ile-a-la-Crosse, 1817-19, afterward proceeding to Montreal, where he was required to give evidence of the atrocities committed by the N.W.C. in Athatbaska during his term of office there. On his return from Montreal in 1819 he became District Master at Lac la Pluie, where he remained until 1822. He then assumed control of the Winnipeg River district at Fort Alexander (Bas de la Riviere). In 1823 he was appointed in charge of the Churchill district. He was then transferred to the Nelson river district, being in charge at the Split Lake, 1824-25. He was thereafter employed in the Montreal department, where he assumed control at Portneuf in the Mille Vaches district. He died at Portneuf on 10th January, 1830. He was appointed a Chief Trader under the Deed Poll in 1821, and should not be confused with Roderick McKenzie (Senior) who was in the service of the N.W.C. prior to 1821, and who also became a Chief Trader under the Deed Poll."
The NWC (North West Company) was the major, and fierce competitor of the HBC in the fur trade, along with the XY Company and various American fur companies. Prominent in the hieracrchy of these companies were the MacKenzies and McKenzies, some related to the men of the same surnames who worked for the HBC. The servant class of the N.W.C. was French oriented, the HBC, British.
Several bloody skirmishes occurred between the NWC and HBC, including at least two on the Red River Settlement, it being burned out twice by them (Bryce, 1904). In 1821, the companies merged under the banner of the HBC, and some Chief Traders and Chief Factors formerly employed as "Nor' Westers" became HBC officers, one of which was James McKenzie who was given charge of Roderick McKenzie's will after R'd froze to death.
The purpose of this "merger" was to combat the American fur trade competitors, John Jacob Astor among them, in what the HBC called the Columbia District (Oregon Territory, basically, but it also included the territory down to the site of present day San Francisco and the Sandwich Islands). But the merger was also to stop the bloodshed. The migration of 120 people from Red River to Ft. Vancouver in 1841 with land rights for each head of family, animals and prvosions, was an attempt by the HBC to further establish a foothold in the Pacific North West. John Clarke Spence, his wife Arabella and four children, were among the emigrants to Fort Vancouver. On that same trip went Archibald Spence, John Clarke's uncle with wife and seven children. (James Taylor did not arrive until 1842). The trip from Red River to the Columbia took 130 days and was extremely dangerous, with narrow escapes from hostile Indians and treacherous obstacles of nature. Miraculously, nobody died. Read a personal account of that incredible journey by John Flett, one of the emigrants.
John Clarke Spence married Arabella McKenzie, Red River Settlement, September 11, 1832. St. John's Register of Marriages, 1820-1854, #242.
This was a shotgun wedding of sorts. The marriage was arranged to protect the reputation of the new school for sons and daughters of HBC officers, the Red River Academy established in sumer, 1832 where the "country born" children of officers could get "a fine British education" (and dilute the stigma of being uneducated "half castes"). It was discovered by the Reverend David Jones and his wife Mary, who started the academy, that fourteen year old Arabella was pregnant, and further that it was she who had seduced the young Indian boy who put her in that condition. The marriage was "arranged" and allowed the scandall to blow over, but the birth of James Sutherland Spence leaves descendants with an interesting question. John Clarke Spence wasn't the father of the child his 14? year old wife was carrying at the time of the September, 1832 wedding. It was the baby of the Indian boy she had seduced. But was James Sutherland Spence, baptised in December, 1833, the same baby? Or did that one die?.
James Sutherland Spence, son of John and Arabella Spence, baptised, December 8, 1833. St. John's Register of Baptisms, 1828-1879, #598.
Note that the time lag between records of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths can be months and even years distant from the date of the actual occurrence of events in the 18th and 19th centuries in Canada.
Apparently, just about every mixed blood marriage was a contract accompanied by a will and bond if it involved an HBC servant. The Company had tried to stop mixed blood marriages but gave up eventually after it became so obviously futile. So instead, they required the contracts and wills as insurance to protect the Company from having to foot the bill in case one of the guys cashed in and left a dozen kids and a wife who would be a burden on the company until they died. It didn't always work.. a few of the country wives lived their lives out as HBC dependents at the Forts after their husbands perished from various causes. According to Donna Ertler of Portland, OR (who is also descended from the identical Spence-Redsull line), Arabella received a payment from the estate of Roderick McKenzie, Jr. until she died, about 103 years after her father's birth.
In 1849, many of the Red River settlers of the Columbia journeyed to the California gold fields. Both John Clarke Spence and Archibald Spence were among them. John died there June 6 of 1850. His son James was with him. We have a record of the story of his death in a lengthy journal entry kept by J. Goldsborough Bruff. Archibald Spence also died in the gold rush. Both widows remarried, Arabella to James Taylor, who was probably attracted to the 640 acres of prime land on Sauvie's Island in Arabella's possession.
Even though the caption under her photo gives Arabella an 1894 death, Charles Denny, who compiled family histories on about 1200 Metis, Red River families, places it at November 15, 1893, which is a year earlier than stated in her will in 1895. Her will states that she was 76 years old at the time of death, placing her birth year at 1818. But did Arabella know her own age for certain? Possibly not.