David Armit of The Hudson's Bay Company

[J.J.]

you will have tons of information from the HBC archives !

The denny files in the Glenbow museum have information on metis families...Armit, David and Mary Taylor. Mary must have had native blood...

http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/denney.cfm


"The Company of adventurers"
a narrative of seven years in the service of the Hudson's Bay company during 1867-1874, on the great buffalo plains, with historical and biographical notes and comments" first the text version, but below is the publication...
http://www.archive.org/stream/companyofadventu00cowirich/companyofadventu00cowirich_djvu.txt

The publication starts with him as an apprentice clerk
http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924028903023#page/n97/mode/2up/search/david+armit
also has: Armit was the grandson of a minister of Kirkwall, and son of a gentleman farmer near that place, the family being connections of Mr. William Armit, of the Hudson's Bay office in London, and afterwards secretary."
It mentions he is good with a gun, was posted at White Horse Plains, ( west of Winnipeg ) , when retired as chief trader, farmed at Elphinstone, Manitoba...describes a trip to Norway House ( in the North), a meeting with "Whiskey Jack", visits to the Lower & Upper Fort Garry.
Here's their list of provisions for a  trip:
"Twelve pounds " biscuits," four cured buffalo tongues, eight pounds salt pork, ten pounds dried buffalo meat, six
pounds fresh beef, one pound Congou tea, four pounds loaf sugar, half pint country salt, half gallon port wine."

[J.J.]

Publication "The beaver" 1921 INDEX TO VOL. II  Dec. 6  not sure if the paper is available on microfilm....
 http://www.archive.org/stream/no12beaver02hudsuoft/no12beaver02hudsuoft_djvu.txt

A descendant, but also needs info
http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.armit/1/mb.ashx


1881 census     Little Saskatchewan, Western Extension, Extension, Manitoba
http://www.familysearch.org
David - age 31 /General Merchant H.B. Co.  all Presbyterian 
Mary - Scottish, age 27 b. Manitoba
Christina A - age 6 born Northwest Territories
Twins Robert and  John R. age 5  b. NWT
Nellie ARMIT - age 2  b. NWT
 Eliza CUMMINS Servant
 Clement KINNIS in household

There are many other censuses available here:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,354644.0.html

I also can do a lookup in the Red River census of 1870, but not right away...
 

[J.J.]

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maryc/north76.htm

Alexander Adamson ARMIT and Helen GRAY married at Prince Albert Landing, Northern Ontario in 1876

[J.J.]

*marks IGI submissions...all else http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca//Query.php - many children listed as well!
Born to mother Mary Taylor
 *birth confirmed by scrip Christine Anne ARMIT  Oct. 31, 1874 - Fort Ellice, Mb.   
 *birth confirmed by scrip - ROBERT ( OLIPHANT ) ARMIT   Feb. 21, 1876 Fort Ellice, Mb.
    JOHN RAE ARMIT Sept. 22, 1877 r.m. of Fort Ellice
        ( m. WESTBOURNE  Nov.13, 1899 to CAROLINE ELIZABETH ASHAM  )
 * Nellie McDONALD (MACLEAN) ARMIT  Aug. 20, 1879-Riding Mountain   (scrip says 20 March )
        (m. Winnipeg  Aug.21,1905  to FRANCIS GORDON MCKERSON)
   Mary Louisa ARMIT June 3, 1883 -  R.M.  MINNEDOSA
         ( m .  STRATHCLAIR Feb. 24,1908  W. V. STEPHENS)
    David Edward ARMIT- Sept. 11, 1884 - R.M.  STRATHCLAIR
         (m. Winnipeg Sept.6, 1911 to  ELIZABETH MARY JANE FRANCES THORNTON )

Born to mother Ellen Grey
Unamed ARMIT  baby : April 15  /1883  PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE
Mary ARMIT - July 6 /1891 PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE
Ellen Jane ARMIT Sept. 25 1884 PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE
ARCHIBALD ROBERTSON ARMIT-  Aug. 25, 1895 - BRANDON
FANNIE ARMIT-  Nov.. 9, 1886 - R.M. OF PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE

[Chiad Fhear]

J.J.

For some reason the auto response to tell me there was/were follow-ups didn't work with your information

Thanks a million ... great information and I'll 'digest' it at home this evening.

I've also found more on David's sister FOTHERINGHAM ARMIT, b. 20 Dec 1853.  Seems she married in London and emigrated to Australia ... but that's another part of the story!

Regards

Chiad Fhear

[J.J.]

Ellen Gray & Alex Sr. & Alex Jr. are buried here:
http://minnedosa.ca/cim/dbf/cemetery_records.pdf?im_id=351&si_id=1010

There is a Town , a Lake and a River....named Armit, but not sure if all three are named after David. The town is in Saskatchewan in the RM of Hudson Bay

William Armit HB Company Registrar
http://tinyurl.com/ooubm9
He gave permission to remove most of the downtown Fort...Only a gate remains today
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/04/fortgarrygate.shtml

[J.J.]

OHHHH! A piccie!!!! L-R front row: Mr. Armit, Trader, Strathclair; so very front left, in 1887!
http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesPhotosSearch.aspx  search for surname

Collection of information on Mary (Taylor) Armit
http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/mccloy.cfm

Lots of records from William Armit, HBC London Secretary
http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/hardisty.cfm

William also highlighted in google book:
Keepers of the record: the history of the Hudson's Bay Company

[J.J.]

a descendant...but has the time line wrong, as he has David arriving in Canada before he was even born   
http://www.cursiter.com/pages/form_results.htm

you can order this issue: Vol. 11, No. 3  http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/mftq.html
Covers Mountain Men / The Mountain Man's Outfit / David Armit, HBC Trader

Mary applied for her metis scrip in 1875
Applied: 1875    Mary Taylor (Armit) b: 1854 NWT
children applied after turn of century
http://tinyurl.com/r2bqqs

[Chiad Fhear]

Hi again J.J.

Thanks for all this detail you're coming up with ... and a fantastic picture too!  You're getting as much excitement out of this as I am It's much appreciated and really helps bring ancestry to life!

In the Minnedosa Cemetery Records, would you happen to know what the headers for the table might be, e.g.:
Section (A,B,C, etc)  Lair (34 in the case of the Armit family) and ?

William Armit was the Company Secretary of The Hudson's Bay Company and, I believe, was related to David.

I'm not sure about the Town, but the Lake and River are most definitely named after David.  I found these entries in an e-book Place Names of Manitoba by Penny Hann (ISBN 0-88833-067-7) just yesterday:

“ARMIT, lake, west of Swan Lake, Manitoba-Saskatchewan border – This lake, in the Porcupine Provincial forest Reserve, was named by J.B. Tyrrell when he was surveying the area. After David Armit, chief trader, Hudson’s Bay Company in Manitoba House in 1889."

“ARMIT, river, flows northwest into Red Deer Lake – Also named by Tyrrell for David Armit.”

Today I have received an ancestry report for David's sister Fotheringham Armit who emigrated to Australia following her marriage in London, Englandto a sea Captain - Charles William Davidson - so now I have that to add to the Armit branch of my tree

David emigrated to Canada about 1865 - 1867, although the 1906 and 1911/1916 Census are in dispute over the date.  I thought the tone of the 'descendant' comment you referred me to was a bit rude and uncalled for.  I'd found it earlier and instantly formed that opinion

How do I access the information at the Glenbow Museum?  Is it available on-line?

Regards

Chiad Fhear