The Solomons were one of the first Métis families to battle the rough fall waters of Georgian Bay from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene, as part of their Métis community’s relocation after the international border was imposed upon the Upper Great Lakes following the War of 1812.
Before their journey to Penetanguishene, William Solomon, his Métis wife Marguerite Johnston of Mackinaw, and their children lived on Drummond Island, having been employed there as an interpreter for the British.
In 1828, William Solomon joined others working with the British military on a voyage to Penetanguishene on the British brig, Wellington, ahead of the main community relocation in 1829.
William’s son, Lewis Solomon, later recounted that a second ship, the Hackett, was needed to transport the family’s personal effects, which included: “two spans of horses, four cows, twelve sheep, eight hogs, harness, and household furniture.” The ship was lost in a November storm off the southernmost point of Manitoulin Island.
The remaining Solomon family members, including Marguerite, Lewis, his brother Henry, and other eight children, made the journey from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene the following spring.
Despite their losses, alongside the rest of their relocated community, the resilient Solomon family rebuilt their lives in Penetanguishene, contributing to the Georgian Bay Métis Community’s enduring legacy.
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