Samuel Hearne and Matonabbee's Trek to the Arctic Ocean

Early Life

Samuel Hearne was born in 1745, in London, England. He moved to Dorset when his father died in 1748. He received some elementary schooling, but at the age of eleven joined the British navy. In 1766, he joined the Hudson's Bay Company as a mate aboard the ship Churchill.

Hudson's Bay Company job posting Copyright/Source

Samuel Hearne was chosen for his youth, navigational skills, and his ability to use snowshoes, when he went to work for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1766 as mate for the Churchill.