| Notes |
- Robert Stuart was born 20 FEB 1785 in Ruscachan in Strathyre, in Balquhidder parish bordering on Callander parish in Perthshire, Scotland. He was son of John Stewart, schoolmaster in Callander, shown above; born with the traditional Scottish spelling of Stewart. Robert adopted the English spelling of Stuart upon emigration. (Several accounts mistakenly indicate that Robert was born in Callander. It would be more correct to say that he probably grew up in Callander.)
Balquhidder and Callander parishes were at that time strong Gaelic communities, and, as the son of a schoolmaster, Robert was raised with a strong knowledge of both Gaelic and English. There is a disputed and doubtful claim that he was later educated in Paris and was fluent in French. Correspondence shows that his French was merely passable.
Robert was allegedly named after Gen. Robert Stuart of Rait and Powblack of the East India Company. A family letter describes the General as a "relative" but it was not known how close. Gen Stuart of Rait was of the Annat family of Stewarts and paternally related, but very distantly so. However he was a cousin by marriage to the Monachyle branch of Glenogle, above, and appears to have been in close contact with this branch. According to the same family letter, Robert was originally intended for service in the East India Company under Gen. Stuart, however Robert's mother strenuously objected and Robert chose instead to go to Canada.
Robert's uncle, David Stuart (shown above), had immigrated to Canada prior to 1805 following his cousin, John Stuart (also above) where they both worked for the North West Company (see note above). When Robert was 22 his uncle, David Stuart, invited Robert to join him in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1810, Robert and his uncle were enticed away from The North West Company by J.J. Astor to help establish The Pacific Fur Company, which became the chief American rival to The Hudson Bay Company. In the same year Robert took the ship Tonquin on an expedition to the Columbia River and aided in laying the foundation of the city of Astoria, Oregon.
However, Robert is most famous for his discovery of the Oregon Trail. In June 1812, Robert and a company of explorers left Astoria, Oregon to make the return trip east by land across the Rockies to St. Louis, Missouri. They travelled by horse, canoe and on foot over 3800 miles and finally reached St. Louis ten months later in April 1813. The trail marked out by Robert's party on this journey would later become the Oregon Trail. This was one of the most important events for opening up the western United States to settlement. Meanwhile, ironically, Robert and his party had missed out on the entire War of 1812 between the USA and Britain (in what would later become Canada.)
After returning from this journey Robert travelled to New York where he married in 1813 to Emma Elizabeth Sullivan. They would go on to have 9 children.
In 1817 (another account says 1819) Robert went to Mackinac, Michigan, USA where he was managing partner of the American Fur Company's entire Northwest operations from 1817 to 1834. His residence there is now a museum.
Rev. Ferry takes credit for "converting him to Christianity." (It's more likely that Ferry merely won Robert into his congregation, as Robert was clearly already Christian.) And it was through Robert?s urging that Ferry in 1833 made a circuit of Lake Michigan, beginning and ending at Mackinac, but stopping at the mouth of the Grand River along the way. Robert supplied much of the capital needed for the Grand Haven settlement that followed shortly. Ferry wished to name the community ?Stuart? in his honour, but Rix Robinson already had registered the name Grand Haven. In 1833, Robert was in Chicago for the Indian Treaty and presented a request for $17,000 for losses allegedly suffered by the company though Indian activities since 1812. In 1834 Stuart was an equal partner with Robinson and Ferry of the Grand Haven Company for the purpose of buying pinelands, erecting mills, lumbering, etc, at which time he moved to Detroit. In 1835 Stuart was Government Indian Agent for the Northwest. In 1846 he and his wife conveyed Block 13 of Akeley?s Addition to Ottawa County for public buildings. The county court house, offices, and jail were built on this site. Robert was also secretary to David Leavitt and Capt. William Swift, trustees for Illinois and Michigan Canal.
Robert invested largely in real estate, was a director of the old Bank of Michigan and served as state treasurer in 1840, a position he held for a year. He was a ruling elder in the First Presbyterian Church (Detroit).
Robert died suddenly on a business trip to Chicago on October 29, 1848. Robert Stuart Junior High School in Twin Falls, Idaho is named after him. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
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Abt 1785 - 1848 (~ 63 years)
