UNDELIVERED LETTERS TO HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY MEN ON THE NORTHWEST COAST OF AMERICA, 1830-57 by Helen M. Buss (Editor), Judith Hudson Beattie (Editor) ( 9780774809740 )

Item Details

Title:

UNDELIVERED LETTERS TO HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY MEN ON THE NORTHWEST COAST OF AMERICA, 1830-57

By:

Helen M. Buss (Editor), Judith Hudson Beattie (Editor)

Format:

Paperback

List price:	£34.00
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ISBN 10:

0774809744

ISBN 13:

9780774809740

Publisher:

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA PRESS

Pub. date:

24 January, 2003

Pages:

512

Description:

This collection of correspondence -- letters sent to Hudson's Bay Company men by their families and loved ones but never delivered -- offers a rare and human history of ordinary people, many of whom were the early settlers of the Pacific Northwest.

Synopsis:

In the early nineteenth century, when the Hudson's Bay Companysent men to its furthest posts along the coast of North America'sPacific Northwest, the letters of those who cared for those menfollowed them in the Company's supply ships. Sometimes, theseletters missed their objects the men had returned to Britain, ordeserted their ships, or died. The Company returned the correspondenceto its London office and over the years amassed a file of"undelivered letters." Many of these remained sealed for 150years and until they were opened by archivist Judith Hudson Beattie,when the Company archives were moved to Canada.These letters tell the fascinating stories of ordinary people whoselives are rarely recounted in traditional histories. Beattie and HelenM. Buss skilfully introduce us to both the lives of the letter writersand their would-be recipients. Their commentaries frame, forcontemporary readers, the words of early nineteenth century working andmiddle class British folk as well as letters to "voyageurs"from Quebec. The stories of their lives fathers struggling to supporta family, widowed mothers yearning to see their sons, bereftsweethearts left behind, and wives raising their children alone reachout over two centuries to offer rare insight into the varied worlds ofmen and women in the early nineteenth century, many of whom becamesettlers in Washington, Oregon, and the new British colony of VancouverIsland.

Illustrations:

38 b&w illustrations, 4 maps

Publication:

Canada

Imprint:

University of British Columbia Press

Returns:

Returnable

Some other items by this author:

MAPPING OUR SELVES (HB)

MAPPING OUR SELVES (PB)

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT AND MARY SHELLEY