The Margaret Arnett MacLeod fonds includes photocopies of the letters of Letitia Hargrave, of her husband, James Hargrave, and of several of his colleagues in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company between the years 1837 and 1865. Also included are the original letters which complement the Hargrave Manuscripts held by the Champlain Society and the papers of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Mrs. MacLeod's "notes" to the Letitia Hargrave Letters include biographical information in minute detail about both senior and junior employees of the Hudson's Bay Company. The information has been verified through Hudson's Bay Company records and would save the researcher hours of unnecessary searching and duplication of effort. The "notes" and correspondence of Mrs. MacLeod cover a wider period than the Letters of Letitia Hargrave. They complete the genealogy of the Hargrave family up to 1947.
As so many of the early officials of the Hudson's Bay Company were Scottish, those investigating the Scotch in Canada for genealogical or historical reasons may well find the perusal of this fonds rewarding.
The materials in the fonds also relate to the development of the fur trade, the social life and customs in nineteenth century Canadian trading posts, early northern missions, and the hardships of pioneer life.
