Lieutenant-Colonel John Askin (1739 – 1815) was an Irish-born merchant and militia officer who was instrumental in the establishment of British rule in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, 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 the Province of Queb ...

Early years

John Askin was born in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone 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. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

with the surname Erskine.

Career

Askin came to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

as a sutler to the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in 1758. After the British

conquest of New France The conquest of New France () was the military conquest of New France by Great Britain during the French and Indian War. It started with a British campaign in 1758 and ended with the region being put under a British military regime between 1760 ...

, he entered the

North American fur trade The North American fur trade is the (typically) historical Fur trade, commercial trade of furs and other goods in North America, beginning in the eastern provinces of French Canada and the northeastern Thirteen Colonies, American colonies (soon- ...

and operated a trading post at Fort Michilimackinac. In 1767, Askin started building a post at the Lake Superior end of

Grand Portage Grand Portage National Monument is a United States National Monument located on the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota that preserves a vital center of fur trade activity and Anishinaabeg Ojibwe heritage. The area became on ...

which became operational the following year. Askin's post was among the first to establish Grand Portage as a major redistribution point on the fur trade to the Canadian Prairies and Athabaska country. In 1781, he formed a partnership with Robert Hamilton’s son Alexander and Richard Cartwright; Askin was based in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. 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 in a brief amount of time. It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline ...

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

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) 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 also has the shortest avera ...

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

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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

Sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

, now Windsor Ontario, 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 L ...

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

James McGill James McGill (6 October 1744 – 19 December 1813) was a Scottish-born businessman, politician, slaveholder, and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He was elected to the Legislative Assembl ...

, 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 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

is, was part of the original Crown Grant to Askin on July 10, 1801. He sold it to Nathaniel Hughson Sr., who sold it to James Durand around 1806. Askin was also a lieutenant colonel in the

Canadian Militia The Canadian Militia is a historical title for military units raised for the defence of Canada. The term has been used to describe sedentary militia units raised from local communities in Canada; as well as the regular army for the Province of Ca ...

. In 1805, Askin wrote to personal friend Colonel

Arent DePeyster Colonel (United Kingdom), Colonel Arent Schuyler DePeyster (27 June 1736 – 26 November 1822) was a British military officer best known for his term as commandant of Fort Michilimackinac and Fort Detroit during the American Revolutionary War, A ...

about his role in the militia: "On a year, I put on my best Cloths & as Colonel Commands the Militia... make them Fire in Honor to the best of Kings. If we dont all Fire at once thats no matter... a Drink generally closes the Scene."

Slaves and personal life

John Askin owned eight enslaved people in Michigan. He owned an

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

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 * Second E ...

, Catherine, and Madeline. He freed Monette in 1766. Askin bought and sold Native American and African American slaves. He also had one indentured servant. John Askin actively sought to procure attractive Native American female slave children to satisfy either his personal needs or to satisfy the needs of his clients. In a May 18, 1778 letter to a trader contact at the French trading post in Michilimackinac, he writes "I shall need two pretty panis girls from 9 to 16 years of age. Please speak to these gentlemen to get them for me." 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, Askin owned 23

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s 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 Irish slave owners 1739 births 1815 deaths Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario 18th-century Canadian merchants Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent People from Aughnacloy, County Tyrone Military personnel from County Tyrone Businesspeople from County Tyrone Irish merchants Canadian Militia officers