Ka cika wannan jumla: An haifi Erlandson a shekara ta 1790 a Copenhagen, Denmark. Shi da mahaifinsa sun yi aiki a matsayin masassaƙa a cikin tashar jiragen ruwa na Copenhagen, wanda duk da rashin daidaito na Denmark, Birtaniya ta kai farmaki a lokacin yakin Copenhagen na biyu a 1807, farkon yakin basasa.
Gunboat da yaƙe-yaƙe na Anglo-Rasha. A watan Disamba na 1813, a tsakiyar Yaƙin Ƙungiyar ta shida, Royal Navy ta kama Erlandson yana da shekaru 23 yayin da yake aiki a matsayin ma'aikacin jirgin ruwa a Kattegat. An tsare shi a cikin jirgin kurkuku a Chatham, Kent. Rashin jituwa tsakanin Britaniya da Denmark ya ƙare a shekara ta gaba, kuma Kamfanin Hudson's Bay ya ɗauki Erlandson da wasu Scandinavians don yin aiki a arewacin da yammacin Kanada.