Eyewitness to the Death of Crazy Horse — Charles Roubideaux

The following is from my continuing study of two distant Robidoux cousins: 

LOUIS ROUBIDEAUX (1847-1914), half Sioux and half French, US Army Indian Scout, Rosebud Reservation Police Captain, and US Government Interpreter.

AND, his brother 

CHARLES ROUBIDEAUX (1854-1931), half Sioux and half French, US Army Indian Scout.

Camp Robinson, Nebraska 1877

Both brothers were stationed at Camp Robinson, Nebraska, in 1877-1878.

They both served in the US Army, as INDIAN SCOUTS (USS), under General Crook during the time period known as the Great Sioux War of 1876 (aka the Black Hills War) which was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred between 1876 and 1877 involving the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and the United States.

The cause of the war was the desire of the U.S. government to obtain ownership of the Black Hills, Dakota Territory.

THE DEATH OF CRAZY HORSE

Charles Roubideaux was standing next to Crazy Horse when he was killed on September 5, 1877.

To learn more about events at Fort Robinson in the late 1870s, and the death of Chief Crazy Horse I recommend reading, “The Death of Crazy Horse : A Tragic Episode in Lakota History,” by Richard Hardoff.

LINEAGE BACK TO ANDRE ROBIDOU DIT L’ESPAGNOL

Charles Robidoux (Roubideau) Indian Scout 1854-1931

(my 6th cousin 4x removed)

Joseph Sellico Robidoux 1815-1864 -- Father of Louis C Robidoux (Roubideau) Interpreter

Francois (François) Robidoux (1788-1856) early California explorer 1788-1856 -- Father of Joseph Sellico Robidoux

Joseph Robidoux III 1750-1809 -- Father of Francois (François) Robidoux (1788-1856) early California explorer

Joseph Robidou II 1722-1771 -- Father of Joseph Robidoux III

Joseph Robidou 1701-1778 -- Father of Joseph Robidou II

Guillaume (William) Robidou 1675-1754 -- ather of Joseph Robidou

Andre Robidou dit L’Espagnol 1643-1678 -- Father of Guillaume (William) Robidou

Be sure to check for other posts on my other blog at https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/

For Mary, Many Days WHITE CLOUD — All Roads Lead Back to La Prairie

Mary (Many Days) Robidoux nee WHITE CLOUD, was the first generation of one of the main families of what is referred to as the Métis people, the offspring of European men who married Native American women. 

Métis people would play a major role in the 19th century fur trade in Missouri and Kansas.

Joseph Robidoux IV statue at Robidoux Row, St Joseph, MO

Mary (Many Days) Robidoux was the daughter of Joseph Robidoux IV (1783–1868), founder of St. Joseph, Missouri — a prominant Fur Trader, and an Otoe-Ioway Woman whose name is unknown.

Mary (Many Days) Robidoux 1805–1884 (5th cousin 5x removed)

BIRTH ABT. 1805 • Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa, USA

DEATH 29 JUNE 1884 • Horton, Brown, Kansas, USA

Mary was the 4x great granddaughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol one of the pioneers of La Prairie

According to Tanis C. Thorne’s book, “The Many Hands of My Relations: French and Indians on the Lower Missouri,” University of Missouri Press, 1996…

“Here in 1805 Joseph Robidoux fathered a child, Mary, by an Indian woman. This daughter would marry Chief White Cloud of the Ioway, producing a chiefly line among that tribe. ... The kinship networks established between St. Louis independent traders and ranking native families in the years between 1800-1825 consolidated authority among the clan leaders linked to trader interests.”

Joseph Robidoux’s French-Ioway daughter, Mary (Many Days), married Ioway Chief Francis (Mahaska II) (The Younger) White Cloud (1811–1856) (image above).

They had at least four children:

James (The gro wo nung) White Cloud Ioway Chief (1847–1940) (6th cousin 4x removed)

BIRTH ABT 1847 • Kansas, USA

DEATH 1940 • Iowa Reservation, Brown Co., Kansas

Jefferson White Cloud Ioway Chief (1846–1893) (6th cousin 4x removed)

BIRTH 1846 • Iowa Point, Doniphan, Kansas, USA

DEATH 9 FEBRUARY 1893 • Ioway Indian Reservation, Brown, Kansas, USA

Two daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth White Cloud, both of which married Joseph Tesson.

Following the death Chief Francis White Cloud Mary married a second time to Francis X. Dupuis. 

From “History of Nebraska,” Page 23 (FX Dupuis)

Francois Xavier (Frank) Dupuis (1810–1897) (3rd cousin 4x removed)

BIRTH 05 DEC 1810 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada

DEATH 17 NOV 1897 • Reserve, Brown, Kansas, USA

He was one of the earliest trappers in Richardson County, Nebraska.

He is descended from Pinsonneau, Dupuis, and Bourassa pioneers in La Prairie.

André Robidou dit L’Espagnol — Voyageur from Spain

Twenty-two year old Andre Robidoux dit L’Espagnol arrived at New France in 1665.  

Andre was known as dit L’Espagnol because he was born and christened in Ste. Marie, Galice, Burgos, Spain about 1640. 

The 1666 census for the town of Québec lists Andre as a sailor… it’s there that he began working as a voyageur for Eustace Lambert, a prominent interpreter, settler and fur trader.  Working for Lambert, Andre ferried goods and supplies up and down the St. Lawrence for a cents a day plus lodging and board.

On May 16, 1667 he married Jeanne Denot(e), a ‘fille du roi’, in Québec City.  From France, a fille du roi would agree to travel to the new settlements in North America and marry a settler there in exchange for a dowry from the King.   They usually married within a few days or weeks of the contract signing, something that was often brokered by the priests or Ursuline nuns.

Jeanne was the fifth daughter of Antoine Denote and Catherine Leduc of St. Germain of Auxerre, Paris, France. For Jeanne, there was little hope of a decent life in France where poverty was rampant and the rich and powerful ceded little or nothing to the lower classes.

By June 1670 Andre and Jeanne had settled in a farmstead in the concession of St. Lambert in the parish of La Prairie de Magdeleine, along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River across from Ville Marie (current day Montréal). 

They were among the first 35 settlers in La Prairie, and possibly one of the first four families there.   The area was still mostly unsettled forest; all settlements before were restricted to the northern shores, in part for protection from invading Iroquois tribes.

Most likely this relocation was based upon ties of employment, consociation and allegiance within a vast and competitive fur-trade network. 

Andre and Jeanne had five children:  Romaine, Marguerite, +Jeanne, Guillaume and Joseph.  Guillaume, the eldest son, would carry the family name west and south heading to Detroit and eventually St. Louis in order to evade the restrictions of governmental law of New France. All of Andre’s descendants can be traced from three of his children: Jeanne, Guillaume and Joseph.  

Andre died at the age of 35 years, April 1, 1678 and was buried in Montréal.  His death is recorded in the parish register as the fifth entry for the year 1678, and states simply, "A este entterre Andre, dit L’espagnol, notlhabitant de laprairie de la Magdelgne, age de trente cinq ans ou environ prei chez Monsieur Fromlanch, Chirugine."  

With no recourse but to re-marry to provide for her family, Jeanne married Jacques Suprenant dit Sanssoucy on August 16, 1678, and became the founding mother of not one, but two of Canada’s largest families.

NOTES FOR JEANNE DENOTE

Jeanne Denot(e) is born, the daughter of Antoine Denot and Catherine Leduc. She is baptized at Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois, Paris, France.

13 May 1666, Jeanne Denote leaves from La Rochelle as a Fille Du Roi aboard Le Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a ship originally hailing from Dieppe.

between circa 11 August 1666 & 17 June 1667, Jeanne Denot resides at a house on the grounds of the Ursuline monastery, Quebec.

16 May 1667, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot contract for marriage in Quebec.

17 June 1667, Andre Robidoou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot marry at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec, Quebec. 

11 July 1669, Romaine Robidou, daughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol & Jeanne Denot, is born, and is baptized the same day at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. She is named after her godmother Romaine Boudet.

circa 1671, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol, Jeanne Denot, and Marie Romaine Robidou move to the seigneury of LaPrairie, Nouvelle-France, acquiring property within the village of LaPrairie.

10 November 1671, Marguerite Robidou, daughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot, is born, and is baptized the same day at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie. She is named after her godmother Marguerite Tenard.

15 January 1672, Sepulture (burial) for Marguerite Robidou (age 2 months) at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie.

prior to 02 June 1672, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol acquires property on Cote de la Riviere Saint-Jacques, LaPrairie.

04 December 1672, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol exchanges with Jean Caillault the property on Cote de la Riviere, Saint-Jacques, LaPrairie, for property on Cote de la Tortue, LaPrairie. He also sells the property in the village of LaPrairie to Pierre Lefebvre.

22 January 1673, The prior concession to Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol by the Compagnie de Jesus of the property on Cote de la Riviere Saint-Jacques, LaPrairie, is confirmed.

20 September 1673, +Jeanne Robidou, daughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot, is baptized at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie. She is named after her godmother Jeanne Roinay. She married Gabriel Lemieux (1663–1739) 5 Décembre 1690 at La Prairie, Québec. From Michigan’s Habitant Heritage (MHH), Vol. 35, #1, 17th Century Engagé Contracts to the Great Lakes and Beyond - 20 May 1682 to 15 May 1690 - Part 1, we find "8 May 1690, Jean Baptiste Migeon, sieur de Bransat, hired Gabriel Lemieux for a voyage to the Ottawa Indians [Antoine Adhémar]."

circa 1674, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol receives a concession of land on Cote Saint-Lambert, LaPrairie, from the Compagnie de Jesus, and gives up his concession of land on Cote de la Tortue, LaPrairie.

08 December 1674, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol's concession of land on Cote Saint-Lambert, LaPrairie, is confirmed by the Compagnie de Jesus.

28 November 1675, Guillaume Robidou, son of Andre Robidou and Jeanne Denot, is baptized at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie. He is named after his godfather Guillaume Brunet.

08 November 1677, The Compagnie de Jesus, as seigneur of LaPrairie, inventories all of the concessions, which inventory lists the 08 December 1674 concession to Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol. 

15 January 1678, Joseph Robidou, son of Andre Robidou and Jeanne Denot, is baptized at Saint-Francois-Xavier, LaPrairie. He is named after his godfather Joseph Boyer.

01 April 1678, Sepulture (burial) for Andre Robidou dit L'espagnol (age between approximately 38 and 42 years) at Notre-Dame, Montreal, wherein he is noted as residing at LaPrairie. He had fathered five children. (Note - the priests records his death, but no cause is given)

16 August 1678, Jacques Suprenant dit Sanssoucy and Jeanne Denot marry at Saint-Francois-Xavier, LaPrairie.

NOTES FOR JACQUES SUPRENANT DIT SANSOUCY

Jacques Suprenant dit Sansoucy was a soldier of the Carignan Salieres Regiment of 1665. 

He was born circa 1644, at St. Martin-du-Vieux-Belleme, Orne, France; he died July 16, 1710 in La Prairie, QC, Canada

He was the son of Jacques Surprenant and Louise Boquet/Roquet

The children of Jacques Suprenant dit Sansoucy and Jeanne Denot(e) are:

i. Jean Suprenant dit Sansoucy b. December 4, 1679, died 1680

ii. Marguerite Suprenant dit Sansoucy, b.5 June 1681, La Prairie, Québec, Canada, d. 26 July 1684 , La Prairie, Québec, Canada 

iii. Pierre Suprenant b.21 January 1683, La Prairie, Québec, Canada, d. 2 June 1739 , Montréal, Québec, Canada

iv. Laurent Suprenant b.abt. 1685, Québec (Quebec) Province, Canada (New France), d. 2 December 1752, Montréal, Québec, Canada 

v. Catherine Suprenant b.29 July 1686, La Prairie, Québec, Canada, d. 26 February 1762 , La Prairie, Québec, Canada

vi. Claude Suprenant b.21 September 1688, La Prairie, Québec, Canada, d. 9 September 1689, La Prairie, Québec, Canada

vii. Marie Suprenant (b.abt. 1690, Québec (Quebec) Province, Canada (New France), d. 20 February 1717, La Prairie, Québec, Canada

ix. Anne Suprenant b.21 January 1692, La Prairie, Québec, Canada, d. 1 February 1693, La Prairie, Québec, Canada

• MY LINEAGE FROM ANDRE ROBIDOU DIT L’ESPAGNOL

• Andre Robidou dit L’Espagnol 1643-1678 -- 9th great-grandfather
  
  Jeanne Robidoux 1673-1736 -- Daughter of Andre Robidou dit L’Espagnol
  
  Marie Anne Lemieux 1706-1777 -- Daughter of Jeanne Robidoux
  
  Marie Josephe Poupart 1725-1799 -- Daughter of Marie Anne Lemieux
  
  Pierre Barette dit Courville 1748-1794 -- Son of Marie Josephe Poupart
  
  Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville 1779-1815 -- Daughter of Pierre Barette dit Courville
  
  Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé (Lagace) 1808-1883 -- Daughter of Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville
  
  Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau) 1836-1917 -- Daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé (Lagace) -- my 2nd great-grandmother

Sources: Ancestry.com and Robidoux Chronicles : French-Indian Ethnoculture of the Trans-Mississippi West", written by Hugh M. Lewis.

BIOGRAPHY OF EUSTACHE LAMBERT 

Source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography

EUSTACHE LAMBERT, donné, interpreter, settler, fur-trader; b. c. 1618, probably near Boulogne in France; d. 6 July 1673 at Quebec.

The donné Eustache Lambert, who came to New France probably in the early 1640s, appears for the first time in Canadian history in August 1646, on the occasion of a return journey to Sainte-Marie-des-Hurons. This was his second or third trip to the mission, and he seems to have remained in the service of the Jesuits at least until 1651, when we find him accompanying Father Chaumonot to the Île d’Orléans and to Tadoussac.

In 1653 Eustache Lambert acquired a tract of land at Pointe-Lévy, in the seigneury of the Lauson family. It was there that he built the house which he named Sainte-Marie in honour of his youth spent in the Huron country, and which became a favourite meeting-place for the Huron and Algonkin fur-traders passing through Quebec. 

Lambert hunted and fished there fairly successfully, it seems, for in 1671 he managed to free himself from his seigneurial dues by paying a sum of 300 livres, half in money, half in beaver. He was also said to be the owner of a merchants’ bank, a house in the Lower Town of Quebec, in Sault-au-Matelot street, and a dwelling at Saint-Joseph de Beauport. In 1653, at Quebec, he was the commander of a flying column of 50 men, and on 8 Aug. 1669 he became a churchwarden of the parish of Notre-Dame. Eustache Lambert married Marie Laurence in 1656. They had a large number of descendants.

Lambert was buried on 7 July 1673 at Quebec.

J. Monet

ASQ, Paroisse de Québec, 124; Polygraphie, XVI, 26. JR (Thwaites), passim. JJ (Laverdière et Casgrain), passim. Claude de Bonnault, “Le Canada militaire, état provisoire des officiers de milice, de 1641 à 1760,” APQ Rapport, 1949–51, 294. A. De Léry Macdonald, “La famille Lambert Du Mont,” RC, XIX (1883), 633. J.-E. Roy, “Eustache Lambert, frère donné et interprète,” La Kermesse, X (25 nov. 1892), 136–40; Histoire de la seigneurie de Lauzon, I, 254.

Revisions based on:
Bibliothèque et Arch. Nationales du Québec, Centre d’arch. de Québec, CE301-S1, 7 juill. 1673.

General Bibliography

© 1966–2019 University of Toronto/Université Laval

Voyageurs Moccasins — Souliers De Boeuf

CW Jefferys, Voyageurs and Raftsmen on the Ottawa about 1818

As my followers know I have been studying all aspects of Voyageurs lives for many years. 

Not long ago I came across the term, “Souliers De Boeuf,” and I was sure I had seen it on one of my great-grandfathers engagement contracts.

Sure enough, I found it on my 4th great-grandfather — Gabriel Pinsoneau’s 1797 contract with Jacques and François Lasselle for a trip to Detroit.

His contract notes state, “uen couverte 3 ptes, six aunes de cotton, une pr souliers de boeuf,” meaning (I believe) 3 pants, 6 shirts, and a pair of Beef Shoes.

So what exactly are “Souliers De Boeuf” (Beef or Oxen Shoes)? It turns out they were a heavy cowhide moccasin made by Montreal cordonniers (English: shoemakers) for use by the voyageurs.

The idea behind Souliers De Boeuf was the result of the blending Native American moccasins with French colonial shoes. 

The Beef Shoe from Musée de la Gaspésie

Apparently French inhabitants saw the practicality of deerhide moccasins, and decided to use very thick cowhide to make them stronger and more durable.

Coureur des Bois and North men or "hivernants" most likely wore moccasins made by their Native and Mixed-Blood 'country wives' some of these probably had elaborate beadwork.

Indian Moccasins by CW Jefferys

Native women living in New France or at trading posts often made moccasins for sale to voyageurs, soldiers, and other inhabitants.

Reproduct moccasins are still available from makers like Loyalist Arms

http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com/oxhideshoes18thcentury.html

SOURCES:

NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art

http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/moctext.html

Gabe the Shootist

https://gabetheshootist.com/2012/02/21/souliers-de-boeuf/

Posted February 21, 2012

Mlle Canadienne

http://mllecanadienne.blogspot.com/2016/06/souliers-de-boeuf.html

mercredi 22 juin 2016

French Coureurs des Bois, Voyageurs and Tattooing

In the 18th century Native Americans (or First Nations People) commonly practiced tattooing as a form of personal identity. We know nearly all Iroquois men’s tattoos were distinct to them. 

Here’s an interesting example of how tattooing was used as identification…

“According to the account book of Dutch trader Evert Wendell dated August 13, 1706, a young Seneca brave named Tan Na Eedsies visited Wendell in Albany, New York, and completed his transaction by drawing a pictograph next to his order. This drawing identifed Tan Na Eedsies, and the tattooed patterns on his face, neck, and chest were considered equivalent to his personal signature. 

Tan Na Eedsies’ facial marks are consistent with the ethnographic record and include a serpent manitou, a series of bird manitous skirting his hairline, scalp-tally markings running along a bar that crossed his nose and other neck and V-shaped sternum markings.”

Source above: “Tattooed War Clubs of the Iroquois” by Lars Krutak

Contact between French Voyageurs and First Nations resulted in influencing the customs of each group

The French began to appropriate indigenous manners, as the First Nations peoples had to adjust to the arrival of the colonizing force. The adoption of Native tattooing practices by the coureurs de bois and the French voyageurs may be seen, to a certain degree, as an imitation of a Native practice. Europeans who lived among various First Nations peoples year round began to copy the customs of the peoples with whom they shared a way of life.

Many French, especially the voyageurs, who often travel across Canada for the fur trade, take pleasure in following the example of the savages; the white man never tattoos his face like the savage man, but only other small parts of their bodies like the chest, back, arms and especially their legs.

The French ordinarily let the savages execute the work as they are the masters of the art.

Documented Testimony

A testimony making reference to the coureurs de bois' tattoo images exists in a passage recorded by Tonti, a voyageur and trading post commander, who explained that:

“The fur traders often adopt tattooing, covering nearly their entire body with pictures Indian style. Some mixed Christian symbols with Indian, using an image of the Virgin, Christ Child, and a large cross on the stomach.”

This adoption of Native body marking practices by the coureurs de bois and voyageur is reiterated in an excerpt taken from Marquis de Montcalm's journal. On October 8, 1758 Montcalm stated:

“We found nine hundred and Fifty Canadians and this detachment was of a good sort, almost all voyageurs. We easily recognized them due to their size and that they all had tattooed their bodies with images of some plant or animal. The image was traced by pricking the skin with a needle and printing was done by burning powder in the holes.”

Source above: “Body Marking Within New France: A Contemporary Perspective” by Carolyn Christina Cross

Permanent tattoos using vermilion and gun powder were applied to punctured wounds and the colors are differentiated under the skin. Common designs included the sun, crosses, religious symbols, animals, flowers and anything else they wish.

Daniel Joseph Amiot dit Villeneuve’s Tattoos

Daniel Joseph Amiot dit Villeneuve, our 8th great-uncle, was a Voyageur and Coureur de Bois who married Domitilde Oukabe Nepveuouikabe LaFourche an Ottawa woman whose father was a chief named Kewinaquot "Returning Cloud.” 

The record suggests Daniel was already tattooed before he married Domitilde. I believe Coureurs des Bois, like Daniel, used tattooing as a means of acceptance to help fit into Native American culture.

In the book “Masters of Empire: Great Lakes Indians and the Making of America” by Michael A. McDonnell we find a reference on page 107 to the tattooing on Daniel’s back…

Above image from the author’s library.

Read more about Daniel Joseph Amiot dit Villeneuve:

Great-Uncle Daniel Amiot Canoes to the Gulf of Mexico

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/07/great-uncle-daniel-amiot-canoes-to-gulf_3.html

Chapter Four, Quebec's Amiot Family

http://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-chapter-four-amiot-family.html

GENERAL BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT, A PAINTING BY EDWIN WILLARD DEMING

“An important event of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) was commissioned in 1903 by Robert Laird McCormick, president of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Charles Langlade, the Green Bay fur trader is on the left directing the attack with Indians from Wisconsin and Michigan (Ottawa, Chippewa, Menominee, Winnebago, Pottawatomie, and Huron). The commander-in-chief of the British Army in America, General Edward Braddock, is just falling from his horse, and Major George Washington is catching its bridle.” Source: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM1900

CHARLES DE LANGLADE WAS BORN AT FORT MICHILIMACKINAC (PART OF NEW FRANCE THAT WOULD BECOME MICHIGAN).

MICHILIMACKINAC AND A CAST OF CHARACTERS IN OUR FAMILY…

In 1715 French soldiers constructed Fort Michilimackinac.  This fortified community became the great fur trade center of the Northwest until its relocation to nearby Mackinac Island in 1781.  It was here where fur traders and Indians rendezvoused, French and British officers organized war parties and explorers began their journeys into the vast western unknown.

Source: https://www.mackinacparks.com/more-info/history/individual-site-histories/colonial-michilimackinac-history/

RENE BOURASSA DIT LARONDE 1688–1778 

7th great-uncle

BIRTH 21 DEC 1688 • Laprairie, Quebec, Canada

DEATH 7 SEP 1778 • Mackinac Island, Mackinac, Michigan, USA

SEE: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bourassa_rene_4E.html

AND: https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-from-la-prairie-voyageur-canoes_77.html

CHARLOTTE AMBROISINE BOURASSA 1735–1818 

1st cousin 7x removed

BIRTH 14 JUN 1735 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada

DEATH 1818 • Green Bay, Brown, Wisconsin, United States

Daughter of Rene Bourassa dit LaRonde

SEE: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mouet_de_langlade_charles_michel_4E.html

AND: https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-from-la-prairie-voyageur-canoes_77.html

CHARLES MICHEL DE LANGLADE 1729–1801 

husband of Charlotte Ambroisine Bourassa 1st cousin 7x removed (son-in-law of Rene Bourassa our 7th great-uncle)

He is known as the father of Wisconsin, SEE: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS1667

BIRTH 7 MAY 1729 • Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States

DEATH 26 JULY 1801 • Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States

SEE: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mouet_de_langlade_charles_michel_4E.html

AND: https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-from-la-prairie-voyageur-canoes_77.html

DOMITILDE OUKABE NEPVEUOUIKABE LAFOURCHE 1690–1782 

mother of Charles Michel De Langlade and widow of Daniel Joseph Amiot (Amyot) Dit Villeneuve8th great-uncle

BIRTH ABT. 1690 • Near, Michilimackinac, New, France

DEATH 1 JAN 1782 • Green Bay, Brown, Wisconsin, United States

SEE: https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-chapter-four-amiot-family.html

AND: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mouet_de_langlade_charles_michel_4E.html

DANIEL JOSEPH AMIOT (AMYOT) DIT VILLENEUVE 1665–1725 

8th great-uncle

BIRTH 4 OCT 1665 • Québec, Quebec, Canada

DEATH 1725 • Michillimackinac, Michigan, United States

SEE: https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/07/great-uncle-daniel-amiot-canoes-to-gulf_3.html

AND: https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-chapter-four-amiot-family.html

KEWINAQUOT "RETURNING CLOUD" OTTAWA CHIEF 1660–1717

father-in-law of Daniel Joseph Amiot (Amyot) Dit Villeneuve 8th great-uncle and grandfather of Charles Michel De Langlade

BIRTH ABT. 1660 • Penobscot, Maine, United States

DEATH AFT. 1717

SEE: https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/03/ripples-from-la-prairie-voyageur-canoes_77.html

NISSOWAQUET KEWINAQUOT NEVEU LA FOURCHE OTTAWA CHIEF 1715–1797

brother-in-law of Daniel Joseph Amiot (Amyot) Dit Villeneuve 8th great-uncle and uncle of Charles Michel De Langlade

BIRTH ABT. 1715 • Near, Michilimackinac, New, France

DEATH 1797 • Michigan

SEE: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/nissowaquet_4E.html

Fort Michilimackinac, 18th-century French fort and trading post at the Straits of Mackinac

Built around 1715, and abandoned in 1783, it was located along the Straits, which connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan of the Great Lakes of North America.

The primary purpose of the fort was as part of the French-Canadian trading post system, which stretched from the Atlantic Coast and the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes, and south to the Mississippi River through the Illinois Country. The fort served as a supply depot for traders in the western Great Lakes.

The French had first established a presence in the Straits of Mackinac in 1671 when Father Marquette established the Jesuit St. Ignace Mission at present-day St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 1683, they augmented the mission with Fort de Buade. In 1701, Sieur de Cadillac moved the French garrison to Fort Detroit and closed the mission.

By 1713, however, the French decided to re-establish a presence along the Straits of Mackinac, and built the wooden Fort Michilimackinac on the northern tip of the lower peninsula. They sent Constant le Marchand de Lignery with a contingent of soldiers and workmen in 1715 to accomplish the job.

Over the decades, they made several modifications and expansions to the palisade walls. Chevalier Jacques Testard de Montigny, who was a Lt. and a Knight of the Order of St. Louis, was appointed in 1730 and served for three years as commandant of the fort. He was previously commandant of Fort La Baye (Green Bay, Wisconsin).

The French relinquished the fort, along with their territory in Canada, to the British in 1761 following their loss in the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years' War. 

The British continued to operate the fort as a major trading post, but most residents were French and Métis (Ojibwe-French), who spoke predominately French and worshipped at Sainte Anne Church in a small log structure. Other civilian residents included British fur traders, some of whom resided within the fort in the southeastern row house.

The Ojibwe in the region resented British policies as harsh. On June 2, 1763, as part of the larger movement known as Pontiac's Rebellion, a group of Ojibwe staged a game of baaga'adowe (a forerunner of modern lacrosse) outside the fort as a ruse to gain entrance. After entering the fort, they killed most of the British inhabitants. They held the fort for a year before the British regained control, promising to offer more and better gifts to the native inhabitants of the area.

The British eventually determined that the wooden fort on the mainland was too vulnerable. 

In 1781 they built a limestone fort on nearby Mackinac Island. Now known as Fort Mackinac, it was apparently also initially named Fort Michilimackinac. The British then moved related buildings to the island by dismantling them and moving them across the water in the summer and over ice in winter to the island during the next two years. Ste. Anne's Church was also moved. Patrick Sinclair, the lieutenant governor of Michilimackinac, ordered the remains of the southern Fort Michilimackinac to be destroyed after the move.

Source above: Wikipedia

A recommended good read:

“Michilimackinac: A Tale of the Straits,” by David A. Turrill, 1989, 466 pages

"Michilimackinac: A Tale of the Straits," incorporated the real-life story of how Indians staged a "friendly" lacrosse game just outside the fort walls as a guise to lay siege and massacre all the English soldiers.

A rich and captivating historical novel that captures the events and occupants of Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan from the 1720s through 1763, and the French and Indian War. 

Detailed descriptions of the Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibway tribes, and their partnerships with French trappers, the intrusion of the English and the resulting bloodshed are skillfully shared in this gripping tale of the Straits.

Author’s note:

"This is a work of fiction. I make no claim on Dame History other than to use the characters and events She has so generously provided. My primary concern in writing this novel has been to bring the story of Michilimackinac to life and to rescue its ghosts from the penitential fires of obscurity. 

On occasion, this task has required some 'truth enhancement' - what writers like to call 'poetic license.' 

What happens in this book is very closely to what really occurred, but to me, the 'sense' of drama is more crucial to understanding than the accurate portrayal of individual lives. The whole, in other words, is superior to its parts. I have supplied the dialogue and applied some make-up, but "the play's the thing.”

Reviews:

An incredible amount of digging has gone into reconstructing life during French and British rule. It's lively reading. -- Detroit Free Press

Turrill breathes life into the ghosts of Michilimackinac. He creates a living history lesson, adding rich detail of pioneer life. -- The Saginaw News

Uncle Jean Tavernier dit Laforest — Killed in the Battle of Long Sault

Jean Tavernier dit Laforest dit la Hochetière, my 10th great-uncle, (Armurier or gunmaker)

Born: 1632 Chateau Richer, Quebec

Died: May 1660), at the Battle of Long Sault

Jean Tavernier was the second companion of Dollard des Ormeaux, who volunteered to defend the colony of the Iroquois peril in 1660. The day before his departure for the Long Sault, he had made his will by which he bequeathed at the church of Montreal four acres of land

From Wikipedia: 

THE BATTLE OF LONG SAULT occurred over a five-day period in early May 1660 during the Beaver Wars. It was fought between French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, against the Iroquois Confederacy.

Adam Dollard des Ormeaux was a 25-year-old commander of Ville-Marie's garrison. In April 1660, Dollard requested permission from Governor Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve to lead an expedition up the Ottawa River to attack a war party of Iroquois. 

Many Iroquois warriors were encamped along the Ottawa and were preparing to destroy the settlements of Ville-Marie, Quebec and Trois-Rivières. So in order to prevent this, Dollard would surprise and ambush the Iroquois before they could begin their campaign. 

Assembling a force of sixteen volunteer riflemen and four Algonquin warriors, including Chief Mituvemeg, the expedition left Montreal in late April with several canoes, filled with food, ammunition and weapons.

The journey through the waterways to the Long Sault rapids was slow, it reportedly took a week to get past the strong current just off of Montreal island and they had to pass through what is today known as the Lake of Two Mountains, and then the Ottawa. 

It was on or about May 1, 1660 when the expedition finally reached their destination. Deciding the area to be a good place for an ambush, the French and their allies occupied an old Algonquin fort along the Ottawa made up of trees planted in a circle and cut down to trunks. 

Forty Hurons, under their chief Etienne Annahotaha, arrived at the fort not long after the French, they were happily greeted and joined the garrison for defence. Dollard ordered his men to reinforce the fortification by building a palisade around the wall of tree trunks but preparations were not entirely completed by the time the Iroquois arrived.

THE BATTLE

Over 200 Iroquois warriors were camped a few miles from Long Sault, they first made their appearance by advancing down the Ottawa in a fleet of canoes. Among the 200 were several Huron slaves who fought alongside their captors. 

Two canoes carrying five warriors were spotted by the French so Dollard decided to lay an ambush at a place where the Iroquois were most likely to land. Assuming correctly, Dollard's men drove off the enemy with musket fire and four of the Iroquois were killed or wounded. 

After this first skirmish, the fleet of canoes came in sight and began landing men. An immediate assault was made upon the fort but the Iroquois were repulsed, they then started preparing for a siege by building their own fort and siege works. 

But first they requested a parley. Suspecting it to be a ruse for a surprise attack, Dollard refused to consult with the Iroquois. In response the Iroquois attacked the French canoes. Undefended, the canoes were broken into pieces, set on fire and then used in a second assault to burn the walls of the French fort. 

Again the French and their warrior allies resisted and defeated the attacking Iroquois. Many natives were killed in the second attack, including the Seneca commander.

When the Seneca chief fell dead, a few Frenchmen fought their way out of the fort to the chief's body where they cut his head off and placed it on the palisade. After their chief was killed, the Iroquois launched a third attack but it was also repulsed and as result, a canoe was sent up the river to another war party of 500 men, who were on their way to sack Ville-Marie. 

Abandoning the advance towards Ville-Marie, the 500 warriors proceeded to Long Sault. When they arrived, it was the fifth day of fighting, the natives constructed mantelets made from three logs attached together to form a shield from musketry. 

Before the arrival of reinforcements, the Huron slaves shouted to the Hurons within the fort, assuring them that they would be treated well if they abandoned the French. All of the Hurons, except the chief, deserted at this point and joined the Iroquois and their Huron slaves. Deserting proved to be a mistake, all but five of the Hurons were killed, the remaining returned to Ville-Marie where they relayed the story of the defeat to the French colonists. 

When a fourth and final attack was launched, the Iroquois advanced with their mantelets ahead of them. The French and their allies could not hold out any longer, their corn dust food and muddy water was nearly exhausted. When within range, the French opened fire but the mantelets were capable of stopping the incoming musket balls.

With knives and axes the Iroquois hacked a breach through the fort's walls and started pouring in while others climbed on top of the structure for the attack. 

Standing atop one of the walls, Dollard ignited a keg of gunpowder which he intended to throw over the wall onto the Iroquois but when the bomb left his hands, it struck the palisade and exploded within the fort, killing or wounding many of the defenders. 

When the Iroquois were finally inside, Dollard and the others were quickly overpowered. Four Frenchmen were found alive: three of them were seriously wounded and burned alive within the fort, and the fourth was taken prisoner before being tortured and killed later on.

See the rest of the story at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Sault#/media/File:Battle_of_Long_Sault_1660.jpg

LINEAGE:

Jean Tavernier dit Laforest dit la Hochetière (1632 - 1660) — 10th great-uncle

Eloi Tavernier (1596 - 1651) — Father of Jean Tavernier dit la Hochetière

Marguerite Tavernier (1627 - 1697) — Daughter of Eloi Tavernier

Pierre Gravel (1647 - 1677) — Son of Marguerite Tavernier

Augustin (Lieutenant ) Gravel (1677 - 1736) — Son of Pierre Gravel

Joseph Placide Gravel (1721 - 1769) — Son of Augustin (Lieutenant ) Gravel

Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere (1757 - 1779) — Daughter of Joseph Placide Gravel

Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier) dit Lagacé (Lagasse) (1776 - 1840) — Son of Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere

Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé (Lagace) (1808 - 1883) — Daughter of Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier) dit Lagacé (Lagasse)

Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau) (1836 - 1917) — Daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé (Lagace) — my 2nd great-grandmother

Confessions of an Obsessive Compulsive Genealogist

I’ve never actually been diagnosed with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I do tend to do things with extreme passion.

Since the 1970s I’ve had a passion for canoeing and studying North America’s fur trade.

As far as canoeing is concerned I’ve managed to do canoe trips on a number of lakes and rivers.

The most notable being Canada’s Algonquin Park, Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Montana’s Upper Missouri River, as well as National Parks including the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Canada’s Jasper Park.

My interest in the fur trade led me get involved in historical rendezvous reenactments during the 1980s and 1990s.

I participated in rendezvous camps in several states including California, Arizona, Wyoming and Montana.

Over the years I’ve also acquired a huge collection of books dealing with the North American Fur Trade, its history, art and fiction.

Then, about a decade ago I discovered my previously unknown French-Canadian Voyageur Heritage.

Since then I’ve studied and written extensively about more than 125 relatives involved in the fur trade during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Most recently I’ve collected documentation for more that two dozen direct great-grandfather voyageurs.

Fur trade collectibles, both historical and replicas, are expensive and hard to come by.

Now, in my late 70s, my options for adventure and exploration are limited, so my passion has turned to collecting.

I am intrigued and consumed with collecting fur trade accoutrements such as trade beads, trade silver, assumption sashes, beaded and quilled knife sheaths, trade knives, canoe cups and replica voyageur clothing items like capotes, tuques and sashes. 

I’ve even managed to get some copies of great-grandfathers’ voyageur contracts. I have one for a great-uncle that is signed by Alexander MacKenzie the famous Canadian explorer.

My kids have no interest in learning about their genealogy and Fur Trade Heritage, but maybe when they are forced to sell my collection, they’ll find something worth knowing.

In case you’ve been following my blogs you know my other passions include horses and Western movies.

I hope you are lucky enough to find some silent places that can only be reached by paddle and portage.