Minie, Frederique
Likely born in Quebec around 1817, Minie entered the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1837. He served as a middleman at Fort Langley before transferring to Fort Victoria in 1843 where he took part in the construction of the new fort. The following year he served briefly at Fort Vancouver before returning to Fort Victoria where he was appointed blacksmith in 1846. He was stationed in Fort Victoria where he was a versatile contributor as a blacksmith and carpenter as well as a general labourer and field worker until his retirement in 1852. Minie apparently had two wives while serving at Fort Victoria, though only one marriage was recorded. On June 7, 1848, it was recorded that "Minie's wife departed this life, after a long illness". Six weeks later he was married to an unnamed woman on July 19. Late in January of the following year Minie suffered a serious knee injury in a fall and was off work throughout the whole of February before being sent to Nisqually for medical attention early in March. He returned later in the month, not much better, but with news of a developing gold rush in California. Apparently his wound healed but he wasn't noted to be back to work until February of 1850. He retired in 1852 and the following July purchased a town lot in Victoria. Minie married again in 1862.
Sources:
- Abstract of Servants' Accounts (York Factory – Columbia District). B.239/g/26. Hudson's Bay Company Archives.
- Evans, Mike. "Frederique Minie." BC Metis Mapping Project. http://ubc.bcmetis.ca/hbc_bio_profile.php?id=MjI2MQ.
- Watson, Bruce McIntyre. Lives Lived West of the Divide. Kelowna: Centre for Social, Spatial, and Economic Justice, University of British Columbia, 2010.
