Charlotte Small
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Small was the Métis
wife of explorer David Thompson
(m. 10 June 1799, at Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan). She was the daughter of North West Company partner Patrick Small and an unnamed Cree woman. Her siblings were also involved in the fur trade; Patrick Small, Jr. was a North West Company clerk and Nancy Small was married to North West Company partner John McDonald of Garth.
Charlotte Small had 13 children with David Thompson. She and the children often travelled with Thompson on his expeditions ranging from the Rockies to Quebec. Small travelled 3½ times farther on these expeditions with Thompson than did the American explorers Lewis and Clark
.
The couple were married for 58 years until Thompson's death in 1857. Charlotte Small died a few months later on May 4, 1857.
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
wife of explorer David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
(m. 10 June 1799, at Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan). She was the daughter of North West Company partner Patrick Small and an unnamed Cree woman. Her siblings were also involved in the fur trade; Patrick Small, Jr. was a North West Company clerk and Nancy Small was married to North West Company partner John McDonald of Garth.
Charlotte Small had 13 children with David Thompson. She and the children often travelled with Thompson on his expeditions ranging from the Rockies to Quebec. Small travelled 3½ times farther on these expeditions with Thompson than did the American explorers Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
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The couple were married for 58 years until Thompson's death in 1857. Charlotte Small died a few months later on May 4, 1857.
Works
- "Moccasin Miles - The Travels of Charlotte Small Thompson 1799–1812" Contemporary and Historical Maps: Charlotte Small (S. Leanne Playter & Andreas N. Korsos|Publisher: Arcturus Consulting)
- "Thompson in Alberta 1787–1812"; "David Thompson on the Columbia River 1807–1812"; "The Explorations and Travels of David Thompson 1784–1812"; "Posts and Forts of the North American Fur Trade 1600–1870" Contemporary and Historical Maps: David Thompson (Andreas N. Korsos|Publisher: Arcturus Consulting)
External links
- Contemporary and Historical Maps Maps depicting Charlotte Small's travels, David Thompson's travels, Posts and Forts of the Canadian Fur Trade 1600–1870, and other explorations (Published Arcturus Consulting)