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Writer's pictureOntario Métis Facts

Turner Family Pt. 6: Métis Assertions


While Elizabeth, Philip, Charlotte, and Joseph Turner Jr. moved west to establish their lives and careers in various Métis communities across the Homeland, the youngest siblings, Jane and Harriet Turner, stayed in their family’s original home at Moose Factory.


Like their mother Emma before them, Jane and Harriet raised the next generation of their family in Moose Factory. Although they remained in Moose Factory, the Turner sisters maintained strong ties with their siblings and their ever-expanding network of relatives across the Métis Homeland. These connections greatly influenced the lives and aspirations of Jane and Harriet, as well as their Métis children.


Jane’s sons, George and William McLeod, for example, grew up knowing about their extensive Métis family network, including their uncles, Philip and Joseph Jr., who had pursued long careers with the Hudson’s Bay Company in the west.


George and William were clearly aware that their aunt Charlotte Harper (nee Turner) successfully applied for and received Métis scrip as a “Half-breed head of a family” in St. Andrew’s Manitoba in 1875, and that their cousin Joseph A. Turner, Philip Turner’s son, also received Métis scrip in Alberta in 1886.


Inspired by their relatives’ successes, George and William sought similar recognition for themselves and other Métis in Moose Factory. In 1905, they petitioned the government for the issuance of Métis scrip to their community, citing the successes of their western relatives and highlighting the precedent set by their “Halfbreed” relatives in the North West Territory.


Their efforts underscored the Turner family's legacy of resilience and unity, affirming Moose Factory’s enduring connections and place within the Métis Homeland.


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