John Askin (1739–1815) was an Irish fur trader, merchant, and colonial official. He was instrumental in the establishment of British rule in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...

Early years

He was born in Aughnacloy, Ireland in 1739; his ancestors are believed to have originally lived in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

with the surname Erskine.

Career

He came to North America with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in 1758. After the British took over

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

, he entered the fur trade and operated a trading post at

Fort Michilimackinac Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th-century French, and later British, fort and trading post at the Straits of Mackinac; it was built on the northern tip of the lower peninsula of the present-day state of Michigan in the United States. Built aroun ...

. In 1781, he formed a partnership with Robert Hamilton’s son Alexander and Richard Cartwright; Askin was based in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. From 1786 to 1789, he was part of a group of trading companies known as the Miamis Company. He was also involved in a shipping business and

land speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.) Many ...

; he was one of the partners involved in the Cuyahoga Purchase along the south shore of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

. In 1789, he was named justice of the peace at Detroit. When Detroit was turned over to the

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

in 1796, he became a justice of the peace for the Western District and moved to

Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

in 1802. Askin was connected to the

Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today’s Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in ...

through a number of business and social ties, particularly associating with

James McGill James McGill (October 6, 1744 – December 19, 1813) was a Scottish Canadian businessman and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University, Montreal. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Montreal ...

, who underwrote much of his debt. Through these connections, he assumed a number of political roles, including lieutenant-colonel for the local militia, member of the Land Board of Hesse, and local magistrate. In 1795, Askin was part of a partnership with Ebenezer Allen and Charles Whitney of Vermont, Robert Randall of Philadelphia and several other British subjects in Detroit including William Robertson, which planned to buy the entire lower Michigan peninsula from the United States government. Following the transfer of Fort Detroit by the British in 1796, Askin abandoned his farm, Private Claim # 1, which was acquired by Elijah Brush whom later served as Mayor of Detroit. Concession 2 lot 14, Barton Township; where present day

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

is, was part of the original Crown Grant to John Askin on July 10, 1801. He sold to Nathaniel Hughson Sr., who sold to James Durand around 1806.

Slaves and personal life

John Askin owned eight enslaved people in Michigan. He owned an Odawa woman named Monette or Manette when he lived in Michilimackinac. They had three children,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, Catherine, and Madeline. He freed Monette in 1766. Askin bought and sold Native American and African American slaves. He also had one indentured servant. He married Marie-Archange Barthe, after June 21, 1772, when he contracted to marry her. He had an additional nine children with his wife, and treated his children all the same, including providing them with a good education. Askin died at Sandwich in 1815. His son-in-law, Elijah Brush inherited his American farm and enslaved people. According to

Marcel Trudel Marcel Trudel (May 29, 1917 – January 11, 2011) was a Canadian historian, university professor (1947–1982) and author who published more than 40 books on the history of New France. He brought academic rigour to an area that had been ma ...

, Askin owned 23 slaves during his life.Trudel, Marcel (1960). ''L 'esclavage au Canada français.'' Les presses universitaires Laval, p. 157.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Askin, John Canadian fur traders Canadian slave owners Irish slave owners 1739 births 1815 deaths Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent