An Englishwoman in Moose Factory, 1833

A page from Emma Caffin Jeffery’s journal. HBCA E.381/1 Click to enlarge

Emma Caffin Jeffery penned this journal while in Moose Factory in 1833. Emma came to Moose Factory as a lady's maid to John George McTavish's wife, Catherine Turner. While at Moose Factory, Emma met her husband John McKay, whom she married in 1835. Emma's journal provides a rare glimpse of life at Moose Factory, from an Englishwoman's point of view.

On Friday, April 19th, 1833, Emma wrote: "I met an Indian with his Wife and Child coming to the Fort with Furs. They were surprised seeing us so far from home. The man had a pleasing countenance and his partner contented with her humble lot."

The records of Emma Caffin Jeffery were acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company Archives in 2003. For more information on her records, or on the records of Moose Factory, search Keystone.

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