Entryway
Meet the Inksters
In the entryway of Seven Oaks House, there is an ancestor wall which exhibits portraits of the Inkster Family who built and resided in Seven Oaks House. John Inkster and Mary Sinclair are central in circular frames.
|
|
John Inkster originated from the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland and immigrated to the Red River Settlement in 1821 to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Mary Sinclair was born at Oxford House in northern Manitoba. Her mother, Nahovway Margaret Sinclair was Métis and had Ininiwak (Swampy Cree) ancestry. Her Scottish father William Sinclair was an important trader with the Hudson's Bay Company. He established Oxford House in 1798, became Chief Factor of the Winnipeg District in 1810, and controlled the port at York Factory.
In 1826, John and Mary were wed in the church of St. John’s, and by 1831, they settled in the Seven Oaks area on this very land. John first worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, but he quickly built his own farm and became a merchant. By the time this house was built, the Inksters were a very wealthy and powerful family. John served as a judge and sat on the Council of Assiniboia – the local government before Manitoba existed. Mary ran the store and was known for her ability to teach the settlers Indigenous languages.
John and Mary had 11 children, nine of which survived to adulthood.
Their son, Colin, is the most well-known member of the family. He was a provincial politician and served as the Sheriff of Manitoba for over 50 years. His home, called Bleak House, is also a historic site that still stands nearby along Main Street.
Their daughter Mary, nicknamed Marak, inherited the house. When she died in 1912, she gave her family’s homestead to the City of Winnipeg to create this park. The museum was later restored by the community and it has been open to the public since 1958.
Other extended family members lived here which are not pictured, including: Nahovway ‘Margaret’ Sinclair, Mary Sinclair Inkster’s mother, and ‘Captain’ Colin Robertson Sinclair, Mary Sinclair Inkster’s brother.
In 1826, John and Mary were wed in the church of St. John’s, and by 1831, they settled in the Seven Oaks area on this very land. John first worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, but he quickly built his own farm and became a merchant. By the time this house was built, the Inksters were a very wealthy and powerful family. John served as a judge and sat on the Council of Assiniboia – the local government before Manitoba existed. Mary ran the store and was known for her ability to teach the settlers Indigenous languages.
John and Mary had 11 children, nine of which survived to adulthood.
Their son, Colin, is the most well-known member of the family. He was a provincial politician and served as the Sheriff of Manitoba for over 50 years. His home, called Bleak House, is also a historic site that still stands nearby along Main Street.
Their daughter Mary, nicknamed Marak, inherited the house. When she died in 1912, she gave her family’s homestead to the City of Winnipeg to create this park. The museum was later restored by the community and it has been open to the public since 1958.
Other extended family members lived here which are not pictured, including: Nahovway ‘Margaret’ Sinclair, Mary Sinclair Inkster’s mother, and ‘Captain’ Colin Robertson Sinclair, Mary Sinclair Inkster’s brother.
Seven Oaks House Museum & Ross House Museum sit on Treaty One land: The traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg and Ininíwak, the land of the Dakota and the homeland of the Red River Métis.
Contact us:
Tracey Turner - Curator / Manager
[email protected]
[email protected]
Seven Oaks House Museum204-339-7429
[email protected] 50 Mac Street, Winnipeg, MB
|
Ross House Museum204-942-5396
[email protected] 140 Meade Street North, Winnipeg, MB
|
Operated with support from
|
|
|
|