Aitken, George

Originally from the parish of Birsay in the Orkney Islands, Aitken entered the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company as a blacksmith in 1836. He served at Stikine in 1842 and on board the Beaver in 1843 before being transferred to Fort Vancouver in 1844. He appears to have been at Fort Victoria only temporarily in late 1846 where he assisted with various metal-working tasks. He retired from the Company and settled in the Willamette Valley in 1852.

Sources:

Hudson's Bay Company Archives. "Aitken, George." Biographical Sheets. http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/biographical/a/aitken_george.pdf.
Watson, Bruce M. “Orkneymen with the Hudson's Bay Company.” http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/OKI/canada.html.

Caitlin Ottenbreit