tilixam

The Spence Line

Episode 7 of the Family‑Line Series – Inland Brigades and Northern Métis Roots

“Orkney labourers, Cree matrilines, and the Métis families who shaped the inland world of the Hudson’s Bay Company.”

THE SPENCE LINE

From Scottish newcomers to Métis community leaders — a family anchored in the Red River world.

A lineage rooted in Orkney endurance, Cree matrilines, and the northern Métis world.

The Spence line is one of the most important connective threads in this ancestry. It links:

  • Orkney HBC labourers
  • Cree matrilineal families
  • early inland interpreters
  • the Cook, Cocking, Hourie, and Batt dynasties¹
  • the northern Métis communities of the Saskatchewan and Churchill districts

The Spences were not officers or explorers. They were the inland workers — the men and women who lived the fur trade from the inside, hauling freight, paddling brigades, raising families at remote posts, and forming the kinship networks that held the northern world together.

This is their story.

I. James Spence Sr. (c1753–1795) — Orkney Labourer and Inland Steersman

James Spence was born around 1753 in Howen, Parish of Birsay, Orkney². He entered Hudson’s Bay Company service in 1773 as a labourer at York Factory³, working under Andrew Graham and Matthew Cocking. He soon became an inland voyageur and steersman, travelling the Saskatchewan and Churchill districts and working alongside Isaac Batt⁴.

By the early 1790s, Spence was trusted enough to be left in charge of Buckingham House⁵. In late 1795, he fell ill, prepared his will, and died on 27 November 1795⁶. Among his children was James Spence Jr., the ancestor through whom our branch of the family continues.

II. Margaret Nestichio Batt (1757–1829) — Cree Matriline and Daughter of Isaac Batt

Margaret Nestichio Batt was the daughter of Isaac Batt, an English inland trader, and a Cree woman⁷. Her Cree heritage shaped the identity of all her descendants. Family tradition holds that Nestichio was kidnapped by Blackfoot raiders as a young girl and later rescued by James Spence Sr.⁸.

After James Sr.’s death, Nestichio raised their four children — James, Andrew, George, and Margaret — first under the protection of William Tomison and later in the Red River Settlement⁹. Her eldest son, James Spence Jr., is the one through whom our line descends.

III. James Spence Jr. (1787–1856) — Tailor, Interpreter, and Inland Worker

James Spence Jr. was born around 1787 in Rupert’s Land¹⁰. In 1797, he was hired by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a tailor and sailed from Stromness to York Factory¹¹. From 1797 to 1810, he worked inland from York; from 1811 to 1818, he served in the Saskatchewan District¹².

In 1818, he moved to the Red River Settlement¹³, where he became the colony’s tailor and contributed to the early Anglican mission, including outfitting students at the St. John’s Boys’ School established by Reverend John West¹⁴.

Marriage to Mary (Stone Indian)

Around 1808, James entered a long-term union with Mary (Stone Indian), a Cree woman¹⁵. Their children included:

  • Barbara
  • Eleanor (Ellen) — the ancestor from whom our line descends
  • Anne (Nancy)
  • Peter
  • Donald
  • Harriet
  • Jane
  • Charlotte
  • Letitia
  • Robert
  • Elizabeth

Mary died in 1821¹⁶.

Marriage to Jane Morwick Norquay (1822)

In 1822, James married Jane Morwick, widow of Oman Norquay¹⁷. Their blended household became one of the most influential in early Red River, and among the children they raised was young John Norquay, future Premier of Manitoba¹⁸.

James Spence Jr. died on 30 November 1856 at St. John’s¹⁹.

IV. Eleanor (Ellen) Spence (1807–?) — Matriarch of the Spence–Cook Line

Eleanor Spence was born in 1807, daughter of James Spence Jr. and Mary (Stone Indian)²⁰. She grew up in the inland Métis world — a world shaped by Cree matrilineal authority, Orkney paternal traditions, and the rhythms of the fur trade.

On 6 April 1823, she married Jeremiah “Jerry” Cook, son of William Hemmings Cook and Ke‑che‑cow‑e‑com‑e‑coot²¹. Their marriage united four major fur‑trade dynasties:

  • the Spence line
  • the Cook line
  • the Cocking line
  • the Hourie line

Eleanor and Jerry’s children included Mary, Helen (Eleanor), Joseph, Charlotte, William, Emma, David, George Dominique, Robert, Margaret, Harriet, and Letitia²².

Among these children was Helen (Eleanor) Cook, the matriarch through whom our line continues.

V. The Spence–Cook–Cocking–Hourie Network

Through Eleanor Spence’s marriage to Jerry Cook, the Spence line became deeply intertwined with several major fur‑trade families²³:

  • The Cook line — English HBC officers and inland traders
  • The Cocking line — early HBC explorers and interpreters
  • The Hourie line — Orkney–Cree Métis labourers and post workers
  • The Batt line — English traders and Cree matrilines

These families staffed remote posts, acted as interpreters and guides, mediated between Indigenous nations and the Company, raised multilingual children, and formed the backbone of northern Métis communities.

VI. A Family Rooted in the Inland World

The Spence family lived and worked in the heart of the northern interior — far from the administrative centres of the Company. Their world included:

  • York Factory
  • Cumberland House
  • the Saskatchewan River corridor
  • the Churchill District
  • the Red River Settlement²⁴

This was a world where Cree language and culture were central, Métis families formed the majority of the workforce, kinship determined survival, mobility was essential, and the Company depended on Indigenous and Métis expertise.

VII. Why the Spence Line Matters

The Spence lineage is historically significant because it represents:

  • The Orkney–HBC labourer tradition
  • The Cree matrilineal foundation of Métis identity
  • The merging of English, Cree, and Orkney worlds
  • The creation of a major Métis kinship network
  • The inland Métis world of the Saskatchewan and Churchill districts
  • The continuity of Métis heritage into the prairie era²⁵

VIII. A Lineage of Quiet Influence and Deep Roots

The Spences were the families who lived the fur trade from the inside — who paddled the rivers, raised children at remote posts, and built the kinship networks that held the northern world together.

Their legacy is one of endurance, cultural blending, kinship strength, and deep connection to the land.
The Spence line is one of the foundational threads in our Métis ancestry.

ENDNOTES

  1. Interconnectedness of Spence, Cook, Cocking, Hourie, and Batt families (see Appendix C, item C1).
  2. Birthplace of James Spence Sr. in Howen, Birsay, Orkney (see Appendix A, item A1).
  3. Entry of James Spence Sr. into HBC service in 1773 (see Appendix A, item A1).
  4. Inland work with Isaac Batt (see Appendix C, item C2).
  5. Service at Buckingham House (see Appendix A, item A1).
  6. Death of James Spence Sr. in 1795 (see Appendix A, item A1).
  7. Parentage of Margaret Nestichio Batt (see Appendix C, item C2).
  8. Family tradition regarding Nestichio’s kidnapping (see Appendix C, item C3).
  9. Nestichio’s relocation to Red River (see Appendix C, item C4).
  10. Birth of James Spence Jr. in Rupert’s Land (see Appendix C, item C5).
  11. Hiring of James Jr. as tailor in 1797 (see Appendix A, item A2).
  12. Inland service of James Jr. (see Appendix A, item A2).
  13. Move to Red River in 1818 (see Appendix B, item B1).
  14. Tailor work for St. John’s Boys’ School (see Appendix C, item C6).
  15. Marriage to Mary (Stone Indian) (see Appendix C, item C7).
  16. Death of Mary in 1821 (see Appendix C, item C7).
  17. Marriage to Jane Morwick in 1822 (see Appendix C, item C8).
  18. Raising of future Premier John Norquay (see Appendix C, item C9).
  19. Death of James Jr. in 1856 (see Appendix C, item C10).
  20. Birth of Eleanor Spence in 1807 (see Appendix C, item C11).
  21. Marriage of Eleanor to Jeremiah Cook (see Appendix C, item C12).
  22. Children of Eleanor and Jerry Cook (see Appendix C, item C13).
  23. Kinship network linking Spence, Cook, Cocking, Hourie, Batt (see Appendix C, item C14).
  24. Red River Census placement (see Appendix B, item B1).
  25. Continuity of Métis heritage into prairie era (see Appendix C, item C15).

APPENDIX A — HBCA EXTRACTS

A1. HBCA Extract — James Spence Sr.
“1773–1786 Labourer; 1786–1795 Steersman; 1793–1795 in charge at Buckingham House.”
HBCA: A.16/32, A.16/33, A.30/1–7.

A2. HBCA Extract — James Spence Jr.
“1797–1810 Tailor inland from York; 1811–1818 Saskatchewan District.”
HBCA: A.16/34, A.16/35, A.30/14–16.

APPENDIX B — RED RIVER CENSUS EXTRACTS

B1. Red River Census, 1827 — James Spence
“James Spence, age 50, Protestant, Orkney; wife and six children; seven acres under cultivation; livestock and farm equipment listed.”

APPENDIX C — BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

C1. Spence Line Overview
Interconnectedness of Spence, Cook, Cocking, Hourie, Batt families.

C2. Isaac Batt and Nestichio Batt
Batt as English inland trader; Cree matriline.

C3. Nestichio kidnapping tradition
Family oral history.

C4. Widowhood and return to Red River
Nestichio’s relocation after 1795.

C5. Birth of James Jr.
Rupert’s Land, c1787.

C6. St. John’s Boys’ School
Tailor outfitting.

C7. Mary (Stone Indian)
Cree partner of James Jr.

C8. Marriage to Jane Morwick
1822, Fort Garry.

C9. John Norquay
Raised partly in Spence household.

C10. Death of James Jr.
St. John’s, 1856.

C11. Birth of Eleanor Spence
1807, Rupert’s Land.

C12. Marriage to Jeremiah Cook
1823, St. John’s.

C13. Cook–Spence children
Including Helen (Eleanor).

C14. Kinship network
Cook, Cocking, Hourie, Batt.

C15. Métis continuity
Movement into Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

  • HBCA Biographical Sheet, SPENCE, James Sr. (c1753–1795)
  • HBCA Biographical Sheet, SPENCE, James Jr. (1787–1856)
  • HBCA Servants’ Contracts and Post Journals — York Factory, Saskatchewan District, Buckingham House
  • Red River Census, 1827 — Entry for James Spence
  • St. John’s Parish Register (Baptisms, Marriages, Burials) — Spence, Cook, Norquay entries
  • Prerogative Court of Canterbury Will of James Spence Sr. (1796)
  • Manitoba Baptismal Register (MBR)

Genealogical and Archival Compilations

  • Red River Ancestry, SPENCE, JAMES Sr. (c1753–1795)
  • Red River Ancestry, SPENCE, JAMES JR. (1787–1856)
  • Red River Ancestry, SPENCE, ELEANOR (1807–?)
  • Red River Ancestry, COOK, JEREMIAH (1792–1872)
  • Red River Ancestry, NORQUAY, JANE (1790–1849)
  • Morin, Gail. Métis Families.
  • Denney Papers — Cook, Cocking, and Spence genealogical files
  • North West Historical Society Index (NWHBSI)

Scholarly Works (Informing Narrative Context)

  • Brown, Jennifer S.H. Strangers in Blood: Fur Trade Families in Indian Country.
  • Devine, Heather. The People Who Own Themselves: Aboriginal Ethnogenesis in a Canadian Family, 1660–1900.
  • Van Kirk, Sylvia. Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur‑Trade Society, 1670–1870.
  • Ray, Arthur J. Indians in the Fur Trade.