Family
In 1825, Governor Simpson suggested that Work marry the daughter of a Cayuse Indian chief, to secure good relations with the Native Americans living in along the Columbia River. Work did not follow the governor’s advice. Instead, he married Josette Legace, a mixed-blood woman from the Spokane tribe in 1826.
Work’s wife accompanied him on many of his trading expeditions. In addition, she and their younger children lived with him at Fort Simpson from 1836 until 1849, while their older children attended school at Fort Vancouver and then at the Methodist mission school on the Willamette River near what is now Salem, Oregon. After finishing their schooling in 1841, the older girls joined the family at Fort Simpson.
In 1849, Work moved his family to Fort Victoria so the younger children could get an education. Work settled his family on an 823 acres farm north of the fort and built a large home there, which he called Hillside. By 1859, he owned over 1,800 acres, making him the largest private landowner on Vancouver Island.
Because of his remote assignments and constant travel, Work and his wife were unable to have a formal wedding until 1849. The couple was finally married in a church ceremony on 6 November 1849 at Fort Victoria.
Work was the father of eleven children, three boys and eight girls.
- Jane, born at Fort Colvile in 1827, married W. Tolmie in 1850
- Sarah, born at Fort Colvile in 1829, married R. Finlayson in 1849
- Leticia, born in Idaho in 1831, married E. Huggins in 1857
- Margaret, born at Fort Vancouver in 1836, married E. Jackson in 1861
- Mary, born at Fort Simpson in 1837, married J. Grahame in 1860
- John, born at Fort Simpson in 1839
- Catherine, born at Fort Simpson between 1840 and 1842, married C. Wallace in 1861
- Josette, born at Fort Victoria in 1843, married E. Prior in 1878
- Henry, born at Fort Simpson in 1844 or 1845 (died in an accident at a young age)
- David, born at Fort Simpson in 1846
- Cecilia, born at Fort Simpson in 1849, married C. Jones in 1870
Several of Work’s son-in-laws were also well known Hudson’s Bay Company employees, including Doctor William Fraser Tolmie, Roderick Finlayson, Edward Huggins, and James Allan Grahame.
Read more about this topic: John Work (fur Trader)
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