Marguerite Solomon’s Accomplished Life

Marguerite Solomon’s (nee Johnson) strength was reflected not only in her work but in the future she helped shape for her Métis family and community.

Determined to provide her children with opportunity, Marguerite ensured her children received the best education she and her husband, William, could manage. Her support enabled her son Lewis to attend specialized schooling where he learned several languages, preparing him to build a successful career as an interpreter and guide throughout the Upper Great Lakes.

Marguerite’s life carried her between Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Drummond Island, and Penetanguishene, throughout which she cultivated a reputation of admiration and respect.

As Marguerite’s son Lewis later recalled, at the end of her accomplished life, Marguerite Solomon was buried with military honors and in the presence of much of her Métis community:

“My mother was buried with military honors. Captain Hays, with a detachment of the 93rd Highlanders, Colonel Sparks, the officers of the Commissariat, Sergeant-Major Hall, Sergeant Brown, the naval officers and the leading gentry of the garrison, besides many others, formed the escort to St. Anne’s cemetery, where she was buried.”

Marguerite Solomon (nee Johnson) stands as a testament to the pride, accomplishments, and reputation of Métis women, whose labour, knowledge, and determination have shaped their families and communities for generations.

See Our Sources

• Migration of Voyageurs From Drummond Island to Penetanguishene

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