I picked up a Biblio Life reprint of this 1910 publication the other day. It is an interesting little booklet for anyone studying the settlers of the pre-1915 desertions. Essentially, it consists of copies of documents in the Selkirk Papers that help to identify exactly which people arrived as settlers in the 1811, 1812, 1813 and 1814 groups.

You’d think that would be a pretty straightforward thing to figure out – just look at the ships’ lists! In actual fact, though, it isn’t very easy at all. Some of the ships’ lists have gone missing. Not all the people who were recruited and show on those lists embarked on the journey. Some of those changed ships during the voyage. Some decided to work for the HBCo. before joining the settlement, others went directly to the Colony. Some were sent home before the rest made the trek from York Factory inland. Several died on the voyage and at Churchill Creek.

Although this booklet presents the extant lists as they occur either as lists proper or as part of a longer document, all the information presented is available on the Internet for free, or through interlibrary loan of the Selkirk Papers microfilms. A good detective will want to look at other documents to further determine who was actually present at the RRS in the early days and not limit themselves to what Martin has collected here. There is little biographical material on any of the settlers here – just lists.

This is a handy reference for the RRS research library, perhaps, but the lists are printed in other books. You might want to save $15 and invest it elsewhere!

I just recently finished reading this little gem of a book. I’ve had it tucked away on my bookshelf for years. About a year ago, a TLSARL friend sent me a URL that led me to a site where I could read it online if I cared to, and his thoughtfulness reminded me that mine was buried somewhere. I dug it out, but still didn’t read it for some time.

The Red River Settlers in Real Life is a valuable addition to any Red River Colony library. Although he tends to be a bit sentimental at times, and there is the odd historical error, the general insight the author gives readers into everyday life in the early days of the settlement is fascinating. I only wish he hadn’t put the writing down off as long as he did (read the introduction).

MacBeth covers everything from crops and social customs of the agricultural society at Red River, to the hunt, weddings and funerals and daily menus. Interesting anecdotes illustrate the facts, and for genealogists among readers, there is the odd mention of individual settlers! His coverage of religion at the Colony is far more sympathetic than that of Alexander Ross!

MacBeth’s book was published in 1897, and was long out of print until a print to order company began printing it again in 2007. It is not difficult to find a copy of the original edition for under $50, and if you want a copy for your library, that is what I would advise you to invest in. Then you can see the illustrations well. If you’d like to read it before you buy a copy, you can do so for free at ElectricScotland.

The snail-mailed copies of the August Newsletters have been mailed, and most of you will have had a

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chance to read it by now.  In it (and in the June issue) was an article concerning J. M. Bumsted’s latest book, Lord Selkirk: a Life.

It is almost a year since this massive volume was released. I’m curious to know how many people have read it and what they thought of it.

I’ve seen two other reviews of the book in addition to Mr. McKay’s: Heather Robertson’s in The Beaver, and one Shirlee Anne Smith wrote for the Manitoba Historical Society’s publication. I’ve also read the book – which took a while given that I was reading it over lunch hours! I didn’t pay much attention to Robertson’s review as she didn’t sound very knowledgeable about the period and issues dealt with in the book. I was really surprised that The Beaver asked her to review it instead of someone with more experience with Canadian/Scottish/English history of the early 1800s.

There were two things I noticed about the book that struck me as odd. First, it seemed that Bumsted didn’t form an opinion one way or the other about his subject until he began relating Selkirk’s involvement with the RRS. The second, given all the tangential material that Bumsted included in the book, it seems strange that he didn’t say a bit more on the fate of the settlers that remained loyal to the colony and fled to Jack River in 1815. This was pointed out in Smith’s review, which I read before I arrived at that point in the narrative myself.

One of the things I really appreciated about Lord Selkirk: A Life was the insight it provided to the general history of the period and how it all tied together to influence the fate of our ancestors. That fact alone makes it a valuable addition to my collection!