Early Life
The daughter of the Irish-French-Canadian fur trader, William Connolly and his Cree wife, Miyo Nipiv, also known as Suzanne, Amelia was born in 1812 at Fort Churchill in what is today Manitoba. Through her early years she lived in many of the fur trading forts throughout central and western Canada as her father rose through the ranks of the Hudson’s Bay Company. She learned to speak both Cree and French from her parents.
Enter James Douglas
It was while she was living in Fort St. James in present day British Columbia that an enterprising young Scot named James Douglas came into her life. Her father was Chief Factor and Douglas was his clerk. She was 16 years old and he was 25 when they married in the spring of 1828 in a traditional native ceremony. Not long afterwards, Chief Kwah of the local Carrier nation stormed into the fort and threatened to kill Douglas in revenge for Douglas’ execution of one of his people for murder. Only the timely intervention of Amelia saved the trader’s life. She stood between the Chief and her husband and offered him trade goods in exchange for his life. Kwah hesitated but in time accepted the goods as payment for the insult on his family.
In January 1830 Douglas was transferred to Fort Vancouver in what is now Washington State. He left at once with instructions to Amelia to follow in the spring after the birth of their first child. Tragically the child died. While living in Fort Vancouver the marriage between James and Amelia was formalized in 1837 according to the rites of the Church of England. Amelia gave birth to ten more children while in Fort Vancouver, five of whom died in infancy.
Amelia's Family
As was Company Custom, the women of the traders seldom left their quarters. This was fine with Amelia, who had been described as "modest as a wood violet", preferring just the company of her husband and children. Amelia made certain that her children were well aware of their first nations ancestry. She taught them the Cree language and customs, told them stories from legends almost as old as the land itself. To her husband she was his premier supporter and aboriginal advisor in matters of politics and tradition.
Fort Victoria
In 1849, after the Oregon Territory and Fort Vancouver had been ceded to the United States, James and Amelia Douglas moved to Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island. The Douglas family rapidly became the most prominent family in British Columbia. Amelia being one of the early pioneer women of Vancouver Island. James Douglas served as Chief Factor and in 1851 was appointed Governor of Vancouver Island.
By now Amelia had given birth to thirteen children, seven having died in infancy. She would see two more predecease her in adulthood. Having suffered herself she was aware of the needs of others and often offered nursing care to the ill and compassionate midwifery when women had difficulty in childbirth.
Still, perhaps due to her problems with the English language or the stigma of her heritage, she remained aloof from the social life of the colony. Her main focus was her family and when her daughter, Cecilia, wife of Doctor John Helmcken, passed away, Amelia stepped forward to look after her three children.
Lady Amelia
In 1863 Governor James Douglas was knighted and his wife became Lady Amelia. Sir James never insisted that his wife perform any of the duties often expected of the Governor of Vancouver Island's wife. On the rare occasions that she did so it was remarked that she had "a gentle and kindly manner".
James Douglas died in 1877 having seen Fort Victoria grow from a trading fort to the capital city of British Columbia. Lady Amelia lived quietly in Victoria, delighting in her four daughters, 16 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren until her death in 1890 at the age of 78.
Bibliography
Stephen Hume - Lilies & Fireweed. Frontier Women of British Columbia - 2004
N. de Bertrand Lugrin - The Pioneer Women of Vancouver Island 1843-1866 - 1928
Alsion F. Gardner – James Douglas - 1976
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