The North West Company: A Genealogist’s Guide to the “Pedlars form Quebec”
The North West Company
For forty years, the North West Company dominated the Canadian fur trade, employed thousands of French-Canadian voyageurs, and created the conditions for the emergence of the Métis nation. If your ancestor was a voyageur in the late 18th or early 19th century, chances are good he worked for the NWC—and left records you can find today.
The North West Company Account Books Name Index (1795-1827) at the Archives of Manitoba—a searchable database of over 3,700 employees. A search for "Guilb" reveals multiple Guilbault family members working across the vast NWC territory.
When I searched the North West Company Account Books for my 4th great-grandfather Gabriel Guilbault, I found him in three separate records spanning five years (1816-1821)—at Lac La Pluie, in the Athabasca district, and in a company-wide ledger. These records document the "invisible" years of his life as a voyageur, years when he was deep in the pays d'en haut while his wife Marie Josephte Abitakijikokwe waited at home, and later, after her death in 1813, when he continued the only trade he knew.
Understanding the North West Company is essential for anyone researching French-Canadian voyageur ancestry. This guide explains what the NWC was, why it matters for genealogy, and how to find your ancestors in its remarkably detailed records.
What Was the North West Company?
The North West Company was a fur-trading partnership headquartered in Montreal that operated from 1779 to 1821. It began as a loose association of independent traders—contemptuously called "pedlars from Quebec" by their Hudson's Bay Company rivals—who pooled resources to compete in the lucrative fur trade.
Unlike the London-based Hudson's Bay Company, which operated from coastal "factories" and waited for Indigenous traders to come to them, the NWC sent its men deep into the interior. This aggressive strategy required thousands of voyageurs to paddle canoes laden with trade goods westward and return with furs—a journey of thousands of miles that could take an entire season. The NWC's workforce was overwhelmingly French-Canadian, drawing from the seigneuries along the St. Lawrence River.
At its peak, the NWC controlled trade routes stretching from Montreal to the Pacific Ocean and from the Great Lakes to the Arctic. Its partners included legendary explorers like Alexander Mackenzie (first to reach both the Arctic and Pacific overland), David Thompson (who mapped over 1.9 million square kilometers), and Simon Fraser (who navigated the river that bears his name).
North West Company Timeline
Why the NWC Matters for Genealogy
For French-Canadian genealogists, the North West Company represents a crucial but often overlooked chapter. Thousands of men from Quebec parishes spent years—sometimes decades—in the pays d'en haut (Upper Country), working as voyageurs, interpreters, clerks, and traders. Many formed families with Indigenous and Métis women through mariage à la façon du pays. The NWC's records document these "invisible" years when your ancestor was absent from Quebec parish registers.
NWC vs. HBC: Policies That Shaped Métis Families
| Policy | North West Company | Hudson's Bay Company |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous Marriages | Actively encouraged as business strategy; unions secured trade alliances and local knowledge | Initially prohibited; gradually accepted as company moved inland |
| "Country Wives" | Supported and integrated into fort communities; by 1806 favored Métis women specifically | Tolerated but often marginalized; strict hierarchy based on ethnicity |
| Métis Employees | Valued as essential workforce; could rise to positions of responsibility | After 1821 merger: barred from promotion, confined to seasonal labor |
| Workforce Origin | Overwhelmingly French-Canadian from St. Lawrence parishes | Initially British; later absorbed NWC's French-Canadian workforce |
Why This Matters for Your Research
The NWC's encouragement of Indigenous marriages helped create the Métis nation—and generated records that document these families. If your French-Canadian ancestor "disappeared" from Quebec records for years at a time, the NWC Account Books may tell you where he was, what he was doing, and potentially reveal a second family in the pays d'en haut.
The Pemmican War and Battle of Seven Oaks
Any genealogist researching NWC employees must understand the Pemmican War (1812-1821)—the violent conflict between the NWC and HBC that culminated in the Battle of Seven Oaks. This wasn't just corporate rivalry; it was a fight for survival that shaped the Métis nation and left marks in the historical record.
Pemmican—dried bison meat pounded with fat and sometimes berries—was the essential food that made long-distance travel possible. Two pounds of pemmican equaled eight pounds of fresh meat. The Métis dominated its production, organizing massive bison hunts to supply the trading companies. When the HBC's 1814 Pemmican Proclamation banned its export from Red River, it threatened to starve the NWC's canoe brigades—and the Métis economy.
On June 19, 1816, the conflict reached its peak at Seven Oaks (near present-day Winnipeg). A party of 60 NWC-allied Métis, led by Cuthbert Grant, encountered HBC Governor Robert Semple and 28 men. In the brief, violent confrontation that followed, Semple and 20 of his men were killed; the Métis suffered only one fatality. The Métis called it the "Victory of the Frog Plain" (la Victoire de la Grenouillère)—a foundational moment in their national identity.
"The Battle of Seven Oaks is often cited as the 'birth of the Métis Nation'—the moment they asserted themselves as 'la Nouvelle Nation' with distinct rights to their traditional lands."
For genealogists, the timing matters: If your ancestor appears in NWC records from 1812-1821, he was working during the most turbulent period in fur trade history. The 1816 NWC ledger that records Gabriel Guilbault's account was created in the same year as the Battle of Seven Oaks—documenting business as usual while war raged across the territory.
Finding Your Ancestor in NWC Records
The North West Company's records were absorbed by the Hudson's Bay Company after the 1821 merger and are now held by the Hudson's Bay Company Archives (HBCA) at the Archives of Manitoba in Winnipeg. These records are remarkably detailed—and increasingly accessible online.
Ledgers (F.4/32, etc.)
Formal, finalized account books summarizing an employee's annual wages, debts, and equipment. The folio number (e.g., "414") indicates the specific page. Best for understanding overall employment and compensation.
Blotters (F.4/29, F.4/37, etc.)
Daily rough ledgers recording transactions as they happened at a specific post or district. These show granular detail: what goods an employee purchased, what provisions he received, what work he performed.
Equipment Books (F.4/28, F.4/41, etc.)
Records of equipment issued to employees—canoes, tents, guns, traps. These reveal what kind of work your ancestor did and where he was stationed.
Servants' Contracts
Employment contracts specifying terms of service, wages, and duration. Some include physical descriptions and place of origin.
How to Access NWC Records
What the Records Can Tell You
NWC account books aren't just lists of names—they're detailed financial records that reveal the texture of daily life in the fur trade. Here's what you might find:
Financial Transactions: Cash advances, payments for work, debts owed to the company
Goods and Supplies: Itemized lists of what your ancestor purchased—tools, clothing, tobacco, liquor, trade goods
Employment Details: Position held, wages earned, specific tasks performed
Logistics: Which "brigade" he traveled with, what transportation he used (canoe, York boat, horse, sled)
Geographic Movements: Which posts he was stationed at and when—allowing you to track his movements across the territory
Conduct Remarks: Occasionally, clerks noted comments about an employee's behavior or performance
For genealogists, this information is gold. You can learn not just that your ancestor worked for the NWC, but where he went, what he did, and how he lived during years that would otherwise be blank in your research.
A Word of Caution: Spelling Variations
French-Canadian names were often recorded by English-speaking clerks with creative spelling. Search for multiple variations: Guilbault, Guilbeau, Guilbeault, Gilbo, Gilbeau. The NWC Name Index shows Gabriel as both "Guilbault" and "Guilbeau" in different records.
Continue the Series
In the companion post Finding Gabriel Guilbault in the North West Company Records, I walk through exactly what I found for my 4th great-grandfather—and what these records reveal about his life as a voyageur during the final years of the fur trade wars.
Want to Know When New Stories Are Published?
Subscribe to receive updates on new family history research—no spam, just meaningful stories when there's something worth sharing.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTEREvery Family Has a Story Worth Telling
Whether you're just beginning your research or ready to transform years of work into a narrative your family will treasure, I'd love to help.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY