John Peter Pruden
Encyclopedia
John Peter Pruden, christened on May 31, 1778 at All Saints Parish Church in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, was an early pioneer of Canada
. During his many years of employment as a fur-trader with the Hudson's Bay Company
, he had extensive interaction with such First Nations
as the Cree
and Blackfoot
.
It is unknown how Pruden came to join the Company however, atypical amongst HBC "servants", it may have been through a possible link to Sir James Winter Lake, whose family controlled the Company during most of the eighteenth century, and whose estate at "The Firs" was near Tanner's End in Edmonton. No other boys from Edmonton ever appear to have been taken into the Company's service.
Pruden's employment in the Hudson’s Bay Company began in earnest in September of 1791 when he arrived at York Factory by the Company's ship, Seahorse III, as a 13-year-old apprentice. He spent four years at York Factory. Four years later Pruden was an escort to James Curtis Bird who was being transferred to Carlton House, in the Saskatchewan District. He and Bird served in the Saskatchewan District under Inland Master William Tomison. In May 1796 Pruden moved to a post called Edmonton House. In 1798 Pruden became a writer, moving to Buckingham House in 1799 but returning to Edmonton House the next year. Upon arriving at Edmonton House Pruden found that his old friend Bird had been given charge of the post. It was Bird who sent him to build a house half-way between the Edmonton and Acton (Rocky Mountain) houses.
The name Edmonton
( now Alberta
, Canada
) was suggested by Pruden as it was the home of both the deputy governor of the HBC Sir James Winter Lake and he, himself.
By 1832, John Peter Pruden had served 41 years with the HBC. No Chief Factor serving at that time had more service years and only three of the Chief Traders then serving had accumulated more. One year after receiving his promotion to Chief Factor, Pruden, aged 59, retired to the Red River Settlement (now Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). He was appointed to the Council of Assiniboia in 1839. In 1844, he became a member of the Board of Public Works, being the executive committee of the Council of Assiniboia. He served on the quarterly court as part of his office and in 1851, Eden Colville, the Associate Governor of Rupertsland offered him an appointment as a magistrate. However now at age 73 Pruden declined, citing his increasing age and ill health.
However, afterwards, Pruden went on to live more than a decade longer in his retirement at Red River. He died there on May 28, 1868 after a lengthy illness, at the age of almost 90. He was laid to rest at St. John's Cathedral Churchyard, in the Red River Colony
.
A pioneer in every sense of the word Pruden lived a long, full life and left behind at his death a large family of children, grand-children and great-grandchildren.
His "country" wife, "Patasagawis" or "Patasagausk" also known as "Nancy Pruden" (probably from the old site of Norway House, now called Oxford House), had borne him many children and predeceased him in August, 1838. His second wife, British schoolteacher Ann Armstrong, whom he married at Red River on December 4, 1839, was 49 years old at the time of their marriage and his second marriage was childless. By his will, John Peter Pruden left a number of bequests to family members, including a bequest to his wife Ann of a modest 250 English pounds and a further 30 pounds if she wished to return to England. By September, 1869, Ann did return to England. She died at Ore, near Hastings in Sussex, England in 1887.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During his many years of employment as a fur-trader with the Hudson's Bay Company
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...
, he had extensive interaction with such First Nations
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...
as the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
and Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
.
It is unknown how Pruden came to join the Company however, atypical amongst HBC "servants", it may have been through a possible link to Sir James Winter Lake, whose family controlled the Company during most of the eighteenth century, and whose estate at "The Firs" was near Tanner's End in Edmonton. No other boys from Edmonton ever appear to have been taken into the Company's service.
Pruden's employment in the Hudson’s Bay Company began in earnest in September of 1791 when he arrived at York Factory by the Company's ship, Seahorse III, as a 13-year-old apprentice. He spent four years at York Factory. Four years later Pruden was an escort to James Curtis Bird who was being transferred to Carlton House, in the Saskatchewan District. He and Bird served in the Saskatchewan District under Inland Master William Tomison. In May 1796 Pruden moved to a post called Edmonton House. In 1798 Pruden became a writer, moving to Buckingham House in 1799 but returning to Edmonton House the next year. Upon arriving at Edmonton House Pruden found that his old friend Bird had been given charge of the post. It was Bird who sent him to build a house half-way between the Edmonton and Acton (Rocky Mountain) houses.
The name Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
( now Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) was suggested by Pruden as it was the home of both the deputy governor of the HBC Sir James Winter Lake and he, himself.
By 1832, John Peter Pruden had served 41 years with the HBC. No Chief Factor serving at that time had more service years and only three of the Chief Traders then serving had accumulated more. One year after receiving his promotion to Chief Factor, Pruden, aged 59, retired to the Red River Settlement (now Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). He was appointed to the Council of Assiniboia in 1839. In 1844, he became a member of the Board of Public Works, being the executive committee of the Council of Assiniboia. He served on the quarterly court as part of his office and in 1851, Eden Colville, the Associate Governor of Rupertsland offered him an appointment as a magistrate. However now at age 73 Pruden declined, citing his increasing age and ill health.
However, afterwards, Pruden went on to live more than a decade longer in his retirement at Red River. He died there on May 28, 1868 after a lengthy illness, at the age of almost 90. He was laid to rest at St. John's Cathedral Churchyard, in the Red River Colony
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
.
A pioneer in every sense of the word Pruden lived a long, full life and left behind at his death a large family of children, grand-children and great-grandchildren.
His "country" wife, "Patasagawis" or "Patasagausk" also known as "Nancy Pruden" (probably from the old site of Norway House, now called Oxford House), had borne him many children and predeceased him in August, 1838. His second wife, British schoolteacher Ann Armstrong, whom he married at Red River on December 4, 1839, was 49 years old at the time of their marriage and his second marriage was childless. By his will, John Peter Pruden left a number of bequests to family members, including a bequest to his wife Ann of a modest 250 English pounds and a further 30 pounds if she wished to return to England. By September, 1869, Ann did return to England. She died at Ore, near Hastings in Sussex, England in 1887.
Further reading
- Hargrave, Letitia MacTavish (May 8, 1969). Letters of Letitia Hargrave (MacLeod), 218.
- Mitchell, Elaine (1961). "A Red River Gossip," The Beaver, pp. 4-11
- Morton, Arthur S. (1939). A HISTORY OF THE CANADIAN WEST TO 1870-1871
- Pruden, Hal (1990. THE PRUDENS OF PEHONANIK: A FUR-TRADE FAMILY