Amelia, Lady Douglas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Amelia Connolly 1 January 1812 |
| Died | 8 January 1890 (aged 78) James Bay Community, British Columbia, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian - British subject |
| Other names | Amelia Connolly Douglas |
| Occupation(s) | Trapper, midwife |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 13 (6 lived to adulthood), including James W. Douglas |
Amelia, Lady Douglas (née Connolly; 1 January 1812 – 8 January 1890) was a Métis woman significant in the early history of Canada as the wife of the first governor of the Colony of British Columbia.
Born to a French-Irish trapper and his Cree wife, she spent her early childhood moving frequently between fur trading stations in Manitoba. When her father was promoted to factor (i.e. manager) of Fort St. James in what would later become British Columbia, she met a mixed-race trapper of Scottish and Bajan Creole heritage, who would become her husband. As he progressed from clerk to Chief Factor and governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island and later the Colony of British Columbia, she served as a nurse and midwife at his various posts. She gave birth to thirteen children, raising six to adulthood. Her children were brought up in the Victorian European style, though she insured that they were schooled in the cultural heritage of their First Nations ancestors.