Lieutenant-Colonel John Askin was an Irish-born merchant and militia officer who was instrumental in the establishment of British rule in Upper Canada.
12 Facts About John Askin
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John Askin was born in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone in 1739; his ancestors are believed to have originally lived in Scotland with the surname Erskine.
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In 1767, John Askin started building a post at the Lake Superior end of Grand Portage which became operational the following year.
4.
John Askin's post was among the first to establish Grand Portage as a major redistribution point on the fur trade to the Canadian Prairies and Athabaska country.
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In 1781, he formed a partnership with Robert Hamilton's son Alexander and Richard Cartwright; John Askin was based in Detroit.
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John Askin was involved in a shipping business and land speculation; he was one of the partners involved in the Cuyahoga Purchase along the south shore of Lake Erie.
7.
John Askin was connected to the Family Compact through a number of business and social ties, particularly associating with James McGill, who underwrote much of his debt.
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James McGill 8.
In 1795, John Askin was part of a partnership with Ebenezer Allen and Charles Whitney of Vermont, Robert Randall of Philadelphia and several other British subjects in Detroit including William Robertson, which planned to buy the entire lower Michigan peninsula from the United States government.
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John Askin owned an Odawa woman named Monette or Manette when he lived in Michilimackinac.
10.
John Askin bought and sold Native American and African American slaves.
11.
John Askin actively sought to procure attractive Native American female slave children to satisfy either his personal needs or to satisfy the needs of his clients.
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John Askin had an additional nine children with his wife, and treated his children all the same, including providing them with a good education.