John Ballenden ( – 7 December 1856) was one of the Scottish fur traders that the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

recruited to administer that trade in North America. Ballenden started as an apprentice at

York Factory York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. York ...

Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (), or Prince Rupert's Land (), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The right to "sole trade and commerce" over Rupert's Land was granted to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), based a ...

in 1829 and was named accountant at

Upper Fort Garry Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in what is now central Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fort Garry ...

in 1836. He married Sarah McLeod, the daughter of

Alexander Roderick McLeod Alexander Roderick McLeod ( 1782 – 11 June 1840) was a fur trader and explorer in British North America who began his career with the North West Company in 1802. McLeod became a trader and brigade leader with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) ...

, chief trader with the HBC, in a mixed marriage that was still common among the traders at the time. Through a number of career moves, Ballenden became a

chief factor A factor is a type of trader who receives and sells goods on commission, called factorage. A factor is a mercantile fiduciary transacting business that operates in their own name and does not disclose their principal. A factor differs from a co ...

with the company. His mixed marriage created a number of hardships for the family and led to his taking

furlough A furlough (; from , "leave of absence") is a temporary cessation of paid employment that is intended to address the special needs of a company or employer; these needs may be due to economic conditions that affect a specific employer, or to thos ...

and a reposting. On the death of his wife, he again took charge of trading out of the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

. Deteriorating health had him return to Scotland where he died. In an age when the fur trade was rapidly changing, John Ballenden was an able and loyal employee who, despite the family problems, had his children educated in Scotland and prepared for the changing social landscape of the time.

External links

*
''Manitoba Historical Society - Sarah Ballenden.''
1810s births 1856 deaths Canadian fur traders Chief factors Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Manitoba {{Canada-business-bio-stub