Edmonton pioneers - William Borwick and Betsy (Cameron) Borwick Riverlot 30. Son John Borwick, with Andrew Whitford, founded Andrew and Whitford

William Borwick born 1836 in the Orkney Islands.

apprenticed as blacksmith

joined HBC in 1854

in 1862 married Betsy, eldest child of Colin and Nancy (Beaudry) Fraser

Much of the information here is from Carol Snyder, After the Fur Trade, Living on the Land, 2017.

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Colin Fraser

Nancy's father, Colin Fraser, born in 1805.

He began working for HBC in 1827 at age of 22. bagpiper and fur trader

Colin and Nancy Beaudry married in 1831.

Nancy Beaudry Fraser

Betsy born in 1833 in Edmonton.

(Betsy's sister later married Joe McDonald of Old Strathcona;

another sister married Ed Carey;

another sister married Philip Tate (of Cloverdale?; later of Grande Prairie).

A brother, John Fraser, settled on Riverlot 28.

Colin ran the second Jasper House for fifteen years, from 1835 to 1850

Colin Fraser's other family:

Colin had a union with Therese Karakuntie, daughter of Louis Karakuntie, one of the 1804 Iroquois voyageurs. [he and others who came with him founded the Iroquois nation in Alberta, that now resides on the Michel reserve, and reportedly near Grande Cache and at Jasper.]

In one archival document, Therese was listed as Colin Fraser’s second wife. Colin and Therese had a daughter that they called Madeleine.

Madeline Fraser married Alexis Joachim on October 7, 1861, she was

Joachim family were also of Iroquois descent.

"the members of Michel's band are the children and grandchildren of two brothers, Michel and Baptiste, who originally from near Montreal (probably from Caughnaw

According to Michel Callihoo (i. e., Garheyo, " Fine Forest" is now more than seventy years of age, his father went to the West "at least a hundred years ago." The party of Iroquois went with him are said to have numbered about 40 (all males, no women venturing with them), and they entered the service Hudson Bay Company and other fur companies, Michel's becoming a boatman in the pay of the Hudson's Bay Co...

(from ALEXANDER F. CHAMBERLAIN, IROQUOIS IN NORTHWESTERN CANADA)

[says that the Iroquois brought two technologies with them: crossbow and dugout canoes.

Some Iroquois killed by Blackfeet and others by Carrier Indians in the Rockies.

"Michel band" survives as descendants of two brothers - Michel and Baptiste.

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William and Betsy started a family:

John Borwick born in 1863, (later lived at Andrew, operated a dry goods store (Edmonton Bulletin, May 16, 1902) )

Flora born in 1866 died in 1885

Jane born in 1868

Peter born around 1870

Simon born in 1872

Catherine born 1874 died 1895

Ann born in 1878 (Possibly she was their daughter who died in 1886)

William Borwick retired from HBC in 1871

the family settled outside Fort Edmonton, first at Long Lake (St. Albert) then in 1872 settled east of Edmonton at Lower Settlement.

he farmed and was a blacksmith.

their farm when surveyed had 148 acres.

at the time (1882) sturgeon were being caught in the river, some as large as 67 pounds (31 kgs).

But already newspaper sounded alarm that when steamboats began to use the river more, the fish would vacate it. (Edmonton Bulletin, June 3, 1882)

first steamboat on river at Edmonton: Lily in 1879 (Barris, Fire Canoe, p. 50)

by 1882 John and Nancy had a crop of wheat. (Edmonton Bulletin, Sept. 9, 1882)

(1885 Northwest Rebellion.

son John Borwick served as scout alongside Andrew Whitford.

Andrew started up a hotel southeast of Victoria Settlement. John helped. (He married locally to Eliza Erasmus, daughter of Peter and Charlotte Erasmus. Peter Erasmus was famous frontiersman, guide and interpreter in north-central Alberta. His life is outlined in his book Buffalo Days and Nights.

Their only offspring, a daughter, died in infancy in the diphtheria epidemic of 1866, which also took four Kirkness children living on Riverlot 26. The adopted two others and parented two nephews, Ed and George Erasmus, whose father had died.

with friend Andrew Whitford, John operated a store at Whitford. got land at site of present-day Andrew and opened a hotel there. The centre took on name of Andrew (Andrew Whitford)

Thus, Andrew Whitford and John Borwick founded the small population centres of Andrew and Whitford that exist today.)

William and Nancy's family

their kids in school, at first only semi-formal arrangements. eventually Belmont School opened.

1890 employed by HBC to remove boulders from Slave River.

1892 put in claim for land north of his riverlot. It seems John Fraser, his brother in law, of Riverlot 28, got the land. Even the Gullion's living on Riverlot 32 east of Borwick, were unable to extend north due to Fraser's holdings.

1899 although apparently hale and hearty, William died of pneumonia at age of 63.

Betsy (Elizabeth) died in 1929, at age 95.

she was living at Andrew (with son John) at time of death but died at Edmonton.

(in 1910s Andrew was a centre of former Edmonton families:

Borwick family ran hotel

a Whitford had post office and store.

Ed Carey had store and garage.

(Dreams and Destinies (history of Andrew), p. 477)

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