Plantagenet man fighting to have Crown patent on 12,000 acres of land recognized

What if you discovered that a high-profile relative willed you 12,000 acres of land in a Crown patent that was still active today?

That is the situation Gilbert McGillivray and his family currently find themselves in. McGillivray recently learned that he is a direct descendent of William McGillivray, a Scotland-born fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada.

William McGillivray was born in Dunlichity, Scotland in 1764. In 1784, he travelled to Montreal with his uncle Simon McTavish and began work with the North West Company. By 1793, he had become a partner in McTavish, Frobisher and Company, which controlled the North West Company at that time.

Last year, Gilbert McGillivray's family took a trip to Niagara Falls and although they wanted to stop in and visit Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay at some point on their trip, they decided not to.

"At that time, I had received some information that I might be related to William, but wasn't exactly sure," he told The Review. "We wanted to stop in at Fort William on our trip, but just kept going. When we went back later to visit, I realized we should have stopped there in the first place. That place was the key to many answers I was looking for."

It was at Fort William that McGillivray began perusing through historical archives and unearthed the McGillivray family tree: "Imagine how surprised I was to see my name at the bottom of the tree, under William McGillivray. I was stunned, but very happy and excited at the same time. It was just amazing to find this out."

From there, he learned that William had been granted a 12,000-acre Crown patent for lands located in north and south Plantagenet for his service in the War of 1812. When he died, he left everything to his twin sons, Joseph and Simon. When the twins passed on, they left everything to their remaining heirs, including Gilbert McGillivray.

"The Crown patent is still active, so in reality, that land now belongs to me and my family," McGillivray said. "My family and I were living in The Pas, Manitoba and once we found all of this out, we left everything behind to move to this area. We left our jobs and everything because we wanted to pursue this."

Currently, McGillivray is trying to obtain legal counsel to help him get the ball rolling on the Crown patent. Unfortunately, neither he nor his wife is working and money is tight.

"I know I need a lawyer to figure out what all of this means and what my rights are to this land," he admitted. "I've been trying to get a lawyer to take this on pro bono, but haven't had any success. I know we would win this case because the land is ours. All I want is to build a home on a piece of the land. I don't want to kick anyone off who is already living there. I just want what is rightfully mine."

In addition, McGillivray said, his dream is to build a museum in Plantagenet to recognize the family history.

"I know it seems ambitious, but that's what I want to do," he stated. "No one around here even knows about William McGillivray. There are no streets named after him, nothing. I think the McGillivrays need to be celebrated and recognized for what they did. It's really important to me and I am sure a museum would be perfect for a small village like Plantagenet."

It should be noted there is a museum in Williamstown that pays homage to the North West Company and the instrumental role it played in fur trading. There are numerous artifacts on display there, including some that pay tribute to the McGillivray family.

"I honestly think it's important to have a museum like that in Plantagenet," McGillivray said. "It is one of my goals. I have a long way to go with it, but it's on my list of things I want to do."

William McGillivray was assigned as a clerk to the Rainy River department in 1785 and then traveled west to what is now Saskatchewan to set up a trading post. In 1790, he became a partner in the company, buying the share of Peter Pond, who had retired two years earlier.

Sometime around then, he married a Métis woman named Susan. He was put in charge of the English River (Churchill River) department and then, a year later, the Athabasca department.

He became a member of the Beaver Club at Montreal in 1795.