 With his older brother, Alexander, William also went into fur trading in upstate New York, dealing with the six nations of the Iroquois and other tribes around the southern part of the Great Lakes.In 1774 the brothers moved to Detroit (now Michigan, USA) as agents for Phyn & Ellice, fur traders in Schenectady, who sold them their stock for that site.Trading here since the 17th century, French Canadians were fiercely competitive in the area, but the young men felt they had a good start.