Collection is open for research.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
A native of Scotland, James Birnie migrated to Canada in 1816. In 1818, he was employed by the Northwest Company and sent to Fort Spokane. After the consolidation of the Northwest Company with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, Birnie was sent to Fort George, near present-day Astoria, Oregon, where he performed the tasks of Indian trader and bookkeeper until 1831. He then went to Fort Simpson in British Columbia to assist in the completion of the fort; after two years there, he was sent back to Fort George, where he oversaw the trading post until 1845. In that year he left the Hudson's Bay Company and settled with his family in Cathlamet, Washington Territory, where he opened a store, which he ran until his death.
Birnie was married to Charlot Beaulieu, a Métis woman born in Red River, Manitoba, and they had 14 children, one of whom died in infancy. Birnie also became the legal guardian of the two young sons of James A. Scarborough, a ship captain and longtime employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, after Scarborough's death in 1855. Scarborough had taken a donation land claim on Chinook Point on the north shore of the Columbia River, and Birnie administered Scarborough's holdings until 1856, when he sold the property to another Hudson's Bay Company employee, Rocque Ducheney. James Birnie died in Cathlamet in 1864.
James Birnie papers, Mss 920, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Papers of Alexander D. Birnie, Mss 921, are also held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The materials in this collection of James Birnie's papers date mainly from 1845-1864 and relate primarily to his business ventures and real estate holdings in Cathlamet, Washington. Materials in Series 1, Financial statements, include tax statements, accounts, and a ledger, which covers a five-year period and provides detailed documentation of Birnie's investments. Also included is an extensive collection of bills and receipts related to Birnie's store.
Series 2, Correspondence, includes justice of the peace verifications and real estate manuscripts, as well as correspondence related to construction of a wharf in Cathlamet.
Series 3, Vendors, contains various documents from vendors to the Cathlamet store. These include the Hudson's Bay Co., Leonard & Green, and Allan, Lowe & Co. of San Francisco. Documents in this series include invoices, financial statements, letters regarding receipt of goods, and letters regarding shipments and payments. The letters from Allan, Lowe & Co. provide details of shipping and commerce between San Francisco and the Columbia River area.
Series 4, Bound volumes, consists primarily of accounts, but also includes Birnie's letterpress copy book, which contains copies of his outgoing correspondence from 1853 to 1858. Also in this series are two volumes detailing transactions of the estate of James Scarborough, including expenses for Scarborough's sons.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Additional financial records are located in Series 4, Bound volumes.
Also see additional correspondence in the letterpress copybook located in Series 4, Bound volumes.
Includes short biography of Birnie, land claim for property, letter to Julie Birnie, and index to journal of "J. B. & Co."
Contains register to lots in Cathlamet, Washington, owned by James Birnie.