Métis Marriages: Charles Douglas Swanson & Isabella Mabel Saunders

On October 20, 1920, Charles Douglas Swanson and Isabella Mabel Saunders were married in Chapleau, uniting two Métis families already long connected through shared marriage, mutual support, and kinship within the Abitibi Inland Métis Community.

Charles Douglas was born around 1892 near James Bay. Like his brother William, his early life was centred within the Abitibi Inland Métis Community. By 1901, Charles was living with his Métis family in Chapleau, where he later grew into adulthood and worked as a trapper. An active member of his Métis community, Charles served as a witness to multiple Métis marriages, including his brother William Henry’s marriage to Ester Edna Saunders in 1916.

Isabella Mabel Saunders was born in Missanabie in 1898, the younger sister of Ester Edna Saunders and the niece of Métis storyteller and clergyman, John Saunders. She grew up with strong Métis family ties across the Abitibi region. In 1916, alongside Charles Douglas, Isabella witnessed the marriage of her sister Ester Edna to William Swanson, further reflecting the close interconnection between their Métis families and community.

Following their own marriage, Charles Douglas and Isabella Mabel Saunders remained in Chapleau, where they were surrounded by their Métis community and sustained by generations of mutual support, shared history, and enduring family connections.

See Our Sources

• Swanson - Robinson VMFL

• Saunders - Leblanc VMFL

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