North West Company - Organizational History

Organizational History

The history of the partnership is complex, but it is necessary to keep track of who was competing with whom. Note that the definition of partner is not completely clear. For example, after Duncan McDougall (fur trader) surrendered Fort Astoria he became a NWC partner with one one-hundredth of a share.

• 1771: William Grant (fur trader) and several others form a partnership which they call the "N. W. Société"
• 1775: Alexander Henry the elder speaks of a pool on the North Saskatchewan similar to 1779 (see Fort Sturgeon).
• 1779: Of 16 shares: 2 shares: Todd & McGill, B & J Frobisher, McGill & Patterson, McTavish & Co, Holmes & Grant, Wadden & Co, McBeath & Co; 1 share: Ross & Co, Oakes & Co. The first three were large and closely connected. Peter Pond was a partner of McBeath and Patrick Small of McTavish.
• 1784: McGill & Todd secede. Of 16 shares: 3 shares: Simon McTavish, B & J Frobisher; 2 shares: George McBeath, Robert Grant, Nicholas Montour, Patrick Small; 1 share: Peter Pond, William Holmes. The agreement was made in January and confirmed that summer when the winterers arrived at Grand Portage for the first meeting.
• 1787: McTavish buys 1 of McBeath's 2 shares. Gregory & McLeod join. Of 20 Shares: 4 shares: McTavish; 3 shares: Joseph Frobisher; 2 shares: Patrick Small, Nicholas Montour, Robert Grant; 1 share: McBeath, Peter Pond, Holms; former Gregory & McLeod members with 1 share each: John Gregory, Norman McLeod, Peter Pangman, Alexander MacKenzie.
• 1788: Merger creates McTavish, Frobisher & Co which controls half of the NWC.
• 1790: Of 20 shares: 6 shares: McTavish & Frobisher: 2 shares: Montour, Robert Grant, Patrick Small, John Gregory, Peter Pangman, Alexander MacKenzie; 1 share: McTavish's nephew and Donald Sutherland.
• 1792: Now 46 shares. 20 Shares: McTavish, Frobisher &Co (with new partner John Gregory), 6 Shares: Alexander MacKenzie, 2 Shares: Todd, McGill & Co, Forsyth, Richardson & Co, Montour, Sutherland, Angus Shaw, 1 Share: Alexander Henry the elder & Alexander Henry the younger, Grant, Campion & Co, Robert and Cuthbert Grant, Roderick McKenzie and others.
• 1796: Frobisher retires.
• 1802: 6 shares added to be distributed to clerks.
• 1804: McTavish dies, replaced by William McGillivray. Merger with XY Company.
• 1806: McTavish, Frobisher & Co becomes McTavish, McGillivrays & Co
• 1821: Merged with Hudson's Bay Company. Former NWC owners have half the capial but little power.

XY Company or formally the New North West Company and sometimes Alexander MacKenzie & Co: In 1798 the XY Company formed around Forsyth, Richardson & Co, Parker, Gerrand & Ogilvy and John Mure of Quebec. In 1799 MacKenzie left the NWC and went to England. Next year he bought shares in XY and soon became effective head of the firm. Alexander Henry the younger was an XY winterer. They built a number of posts close to NWC and HBC posts. The murder of an HBC man by an XY man at Fort de l'Isle led to the Canada Jurisdiction Act which extended Quebec law to western Canada. In 1804 it merged with the NWC, having 25% interest in the combined company.

The South West Company: was an 1811 attempted partnership between McTavish, McGillivrays and John Jacob Astor to import goods through New York and deal with the Great Lakes trade. It was mostly blocked by the War of 1812 but remnants existed until at least 1820. Astor had been dealing with the NWC since around 1787.

McTavish, Fraser & Co: was the London agent of Simon McTavish, from about 1790. John Fraser was his cousin. Simon McGillivray worked there and became a partner in 1805. Edward Ellice (merchant), a man of great influence, was involved.

Todd & McGill was formed in 1776, was in the NWC by 1779, separated in 1784 and rejoined in 1792. They apparently wanted to concentrate on the southern Great Lakes.

Gregory & McLeod joined in 1787 They employed Alexander Mackenzie (explorer), Peter Pangman and John Ross.