Alexander Ross  1783 - 1856

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Early life

Alexander Ross was born on May 9, 1783, in Narinshire, Scotland. His father, Alexander Ross, was a farmer, owning Layhill farm. Little is known of his mother, Isobel Watson, beyond being a farmer alongside her husband. Alexander Ross had eleven siblings, many of whom settled in Canada during the 19th century. ​

Nairnshire, Scotland on a map

Photograph of Alexander Ross

Work with the Hudson's bay company

In 1804, Alexander moved to Lower Canada where he worked as a schoolmaster until 1810 when he signed a contract with the Pacific Fur Company (PFC). The company sent him to establish Fort Astoria along the Columbia River, and then join a party of men with the Northwest Company (NWC) at Fort Okanagan. Both the PFC and NWC were bought by the Hudson’s Bay company where Alexander continued to work on the West coast. During his time in Okanagan, Alexander married Sarah “Sally” (Timentwa) Ross in 1813. ​

Old Fort Astoria

Retirement, family, and settling in red river

Alexander and Sarah had a total of nine children together before he passed in 1856: 

• Alexander Ross (1812-1835). Named after his father.
• Margaret (Ross) Matheson (1819-1841). She married a local carpenter, Hugh Matheson. 
• Isabella (Ross) Green (1821-1864). Her first marriage was to William Gunn, and her second was to James M. Green. 
• Mary (Ross) Flett (1823-1884). She married Reverend George Flett Jr. 
• William Ross (1825-1856). He and his wife Jemima (McKenzie) Ross Coldwell were the original owners of Ross House Museum.

• Henrietta (Ross) Black (1830-1873). She married Reverend John Black, the first Presbyterian minister in the Settlement. 
• Sarah (Ross) Cunningham (1832-1868). She married James Cunningham. 
• James Ross (1835-1871). James became a noted lawyer and served as Minister of Justice in Riel's Provisional Government in 1869/1870.
• Jemima (Ross) Coldwell (1837-1867). Jemima married William Coldwell before her sudden death at the age of 30. William Coldwell later married her widowed sister-in-law, also named Jemima. 

 
George Simpson, then the governor of the HBC, visited the coast and decided that Alexander did not have what it takes to be in a leadership position. He convinced Ross to retire to the Red River Settlement in 1825 on 100 acres of land.
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The Settlement's historian

Alexander quickly rose to occupy a variety of prominent roles in the Settlement, including sheriff, commander of the volunteer army, councilor, magistrate, and governor of the new jail. One of his main concerns was establishing a Presbyterian church in the settlement for the influx of Scottish settlers. Beyond his various official roles, Alexander would have spent time on his family’s farm located in what is now Winnipeg’s Exchange District. 

Alexander and his wife Sarah lived in a home known as Colony Gardens. This house was located on the Ross family lot only 200 meters from the house of his son William (today's Ross House Museum). It was common for parents to build houses for their children on the same lot as them and further sub-divide the land between family members. This original Ross home was demolished shortly after Sarah's death in 1885.

Colony Gardens before 1885

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He also published three books during his lifetime: Adventures on the Colombia (1849), The Fur Hunters of the Far West (1855), and The Red River Settlement (1856). Alexander's works have been used as a primary reference for local history in the past, but it is important to note that he writes from a personal perspective and is not a highly reliable narrator. He wrote extensively on his negative opinions about the Indigenous peoples whom he lived alongside (including his own family members) due to their non-conformity with European ideals and religions. 
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Alexander Ross died on the 23rd of October 1856, at the age of 73. ​