Henry John Moberly
Encyclopedia
Henry John Moberly, also known as Harry or Harvey (1835–1931) was a fur trader. He entered the Hudson's Bay Company
's service in 1854, and in 1862 was in charge of the post on Stuart Lake
; gave his name to Moberly Lake
in the Peace River
country. After nearly 40 years service, retired in Saskatchewan
, in 1894.
Moberly was born at Penetanguishene, Ontario
, on the 2nd of August, 1835. His father was Post-Captain
John Moberly, R.N.
, and his mother Marie Foch, a Polish
lady whose ancestral home was in Alsace-Lorraine
. Henry John was a younger son. Several of the Moberlys have given distinguished service in the fields of engineering and exploration of Canada.
Moberly was educated at the Barrie
Grammar School and Upper Canada College
. Study, however, to one of his restless and adventurous temperament, became irksome, and at the age of sixteen, his father having secured for him a position with the internationally-known English insurance house of Lloyd’s, he left school and was sent to the St. Petersburg
agency of the firm. Once the novelty of a strange environment wore off, life in Russia
palled on the boy and his roving nature again asserting itself, after two years he quit his employment and returned to Canada in 1853.
Soon afterwards Moberly met a member of the party sent by the overland route via the Mackenzie
to the Arctic
in search of Sir John Franklin. His account of the Saskatchewan country, the immense herds of buffalo
, the droves of deer
, freedom from restrictive laws, Indians on the warpath and dearth of police, fired Moberly’s youthful soul. Without hesitation Moberly wrote to Sir George Simpson
then Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, requesting to be sent to the Saskatchewan
, in the service of the ancient organization.
Sometime in January 1854, Moberly received a reply from Sir George, with a five year contract and instructions to meet the canoes at Sault Ste. Marie
, from which point the was to travel with Sir George to his destination.
Departure from his home after the opening of Navigation on Lake Huron would have allowed plenty of time to reach the Sault, however, the desire of making a start toward the promised land was too strong for his patience and he left the East during the next month.
In February, 1854, Henry Moberly, a youth of eighteen, stood one day on the street of his native village, bargaining earnestly with some redmen
. At that time, the Government employed Indians to carry the mail on sleds from Penetanguishene to the Sault
. They were required to haul one hundred and eighty pounds on each sled, besides their food, cooking outfit and blankets, using no dogs but doing the work themselves.
For five dollars the two carriers agreed to take Moberly and his outfit, as far as Fort la Cloche, a Hudson’s Bay Company post situated on the north-shore mainland of Lake Huron
, opposite Manitoulin Island
. He landed at Manitou Island where he remained a few days with the Indian Agent, Captain Ironside. Moberly then crossed to the mainland at the mouth of the La Cloche River where he made his first acquaintance with a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post and the first Hudson’s Bay Company officer he had ever seen.
Waiting a few months at Fort La Cloche for the canoes, they came as customary up the Ottawa, thence down the French River to its mouth in Lake Huron and via Manitoulin Island to Fort La Cloche. They brought a letter from Sir George, who was coming by rail through Chicago, instructing Moberly to meet him at Sault Ste. Marie. After the men had rested for a few hours they embarked. The canoes were in charge of Robert Campbell
, a commissioned officer who had spent many years at the Hudson’s Bay Company’s posts on the Yukon, the lower Mackenzie, Dease Lake and Peel River. Moberly found him to be a most agreeable companion who gave him much information about the north.
For almost 40 years following this, Henry John Moberly worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, at various locations in the Canadian North-West, retiring from active service in the spring of 1894. From Red River carts, horses, draught oxen, dog trains, York Boats, canoes and pack mules, Moberly witnessed the change to the conveniences of modern civilization, wagon roads, railroads, steamboats, telegraphs, telephones and electric lights.
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
's service in 1854, and in 1862 was in charge of the post on Stuart Lake
Stuart Lake
Stuart Lake, or Nak'albun in the Carrier language is a lake situated in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The town of Fort St. James is situated by the lake near the outlet...
; gave his name to Moberly Lake
Moberly Lake (British Columbia)
Moberly Lake along British Columbia Highway 29 in northern British Columbia, Canada, is named for Henry John Moberly, a fur trader that lived on the lake. It is served by the Chetwynd Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment.-External links:*...
in the Peace River
Peace River (Canada)
The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...
country. After nearly 40 years service, retired in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, in 1894.
Moberly was born at Penetanguishene, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, on the 2nd of August, 1835. His father was Post-Captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
John Moberly, R.N.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and his mother Marie Foch, a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
lady whose ancestral home was in Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
. Henry John was a younger son. Several of the Moberlys have given distinguished service in the fields of engineering and exploration of Canada.
Moberly was educated at the Barrie
Barrie
Barrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...
Grammar School and Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
. Study, however, to one of his restless and adventurous temperament, became irksome, and at the age of sixteen, his father having secured for him a position with the internationally-known English insurance house of Lloyd’s, he left school and was sent to the St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
agency of the firm. Once the novelty of a strange environment wore off, life in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
palled on the boy and his roving nature again asserting itself, after two years he quit his employment and returned to Canada in 1853.
Soon afterwards Moberly met a member of the party sent by the overland route via the Mackenzie
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
to the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
in search of Sir John Franklin. His account of the Saskatchewan country, the immense herds of buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
, the droves of deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, freedom from restrictive laws, Indians on the warpath and dearth of police, fired Moberly’s youthful soul. Without hesitation Moberly wrote to Sir George Simpson
George Simpson (administrator)
Sir George Simpson was a Scots-Quebecer and employee of the Hudson's Bay Company . His title was Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land and administrator over the Northwest Territories and Columbia Department in British North America from 1821 to 1860.-Early years:George Simpson was born in Dingwall,...
then Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, requesting to be sent to the Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, in the service of the ancient organization.
Sometime in January 1854, Moberly received a reply from Sir George, with a five year contract and instructions to meet the canoes at Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, from which point the was to travel with Sir George to his destination.
Departure from his home after the opening of Navigation on Lake Huron would have allowed plenty of time to reach the Sault, however, the desire of making a start toward the promised land was too strong for his patience and he left the East during the next month.
In February, 1854, Henry Moberly, a youth of eighteen, stood one day on the street of his native village, bargaining earnestly with some redmen
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
. At that time, the Government employed Indians to carry the mail on sleds from Penetanguishene to the Sault
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
. They were required to haul one hundred and eighty pounds on each sled, besides their food, cooking outfit and blankets, using no dogs but doing the work themselves.
For five dollars the two carriers agreed to take Moberly and his outfit, as far as Fort la Cloche, a Hudson’s Bay Company post situated on the north-shore mainland of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, opposite Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
. He landed at Manitou Island where he remained a few days with the Indian Agent, Captain Ironside. Moberly then crossed to the mainland at the mouth of the La Cloche River where he made his first acquaintance with a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post and the first Hudson’s Bay Company officer he had ever seen.
Waiting a few months at Fort La Cloche for the canoes, they came as customary up the Ottawa, thence down the French River to its mouth in Lake Huron and via Manitoulin Island to Fort La Cloche. They brought a letter from Sir George, who was coming by rail through Chicago, instructing Moberly to meet him at Sault Ste. Marie. After the men had rested for a few hours they embarked. The canoes were in charge of Robert Campbell
Robert Campbell (fur trader)
Robert Campbell was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trader and explorer. He explored a large part of the southern Yukon and established Fort Frances, Yukon on Frances Lake in the Liard River basin and Fort Selkirk, Yukon at the juncture of the Yukon River and the Pelly River. He was for a time in...
, a commissioned officer who had spent many years at the Hudson’s Bay Company’s posts on the Yukon, the lower Mackenzie, Dease Lake and Peel River. Moberly found him to be a most agreeable companion who gave him much information about the north.
For almost 40 years following this, Henry John Moberly worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, at various locations in the Canadian North-West, retiring from active service in the spring of 1894. From Red River carts, horses, draught oxen, dog trains, York Boats, canoes and pack mules, Moberly witnessed the change to the conveniences of modern civilization, wagon roads, railroads, steamboats, telegraphs, telephones and electric lights.