M. 29 Jan 1758 in Post Vincennes, New France2
Wife: Marie-Catherine Caron
D. 29 Oct 1793 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory3
When we think of the American Revolution patriots who contributed to the founding of the country, we usually imagine the people who lived in the 13 colonies. But there was a group outside of this region who also made a commitment to the cause of American independence, and Antoine Bordeleau was part of this group.
Antoine was a native of Quebec City, born there on April 24, 1730 to Antoine Bordeleau and Marie-Madeleine Savari.1 He was one of four children, but his father died when he was just 5 years-old.4 At some point after Antoine came of age, he left the St. Lawrence River area and ended up in the remote outpost of Vincennes (present-day Indiana). It doesn’t appear any of his family came with him, and there's no record of Antoine in any French settlements in between, like Montreal or Detroit, typical migration points for those who ended up in Vincennes. On January 29, 1758, Antoine married Marie-Catherine Caron,2 and between 1759 and 1777, they had nine children, all baptized in the parish of St. Francis Xavier in Vincennes.
During the 1760s, after New France fell to England, British soldiers came to occupy Fort Vincennes. They were still there years later as the American colonies fought for independence in the east, The French people of Vincennes didn’t like being governed by the English, and they feared their religion and culture wouldn’t be protected if that side prevailed in the war. The territory priest who served Vincennes, Father Pierre Gibault, thought it would be wise for the French settlers to show support for the Americans. So on July 20, 1778, he came to town and gathered up all of the men, encouraging them to swear allegiance to the American cause.5
Antoine was one of many French men who made their mark on the Oath of Inhabitants of Vincennes, a document that still survives. The oath reads: “I swear that I will not do or cause anything or matter to be done which can be prejudicial to the liberty or independence of the said people, as prescribed by Congress, and that I will inform some one of the judges of the country of the said state of all treasons and conspiracies which shall come to my knowledge against…the United States of America.”6
The Oath of Inhabitants of Vincennes and detail showing Antoine's mark.
The following year, Fort Vincennes was captured by American forces led by George Rogers Clark, and the British were forced to vacate the area. The battle was over in a day, largely because of the cooperation of the French people of Vincennes, some of whom joined in the fighting. The victory for the Americans gave an important foothold in the west, preventing the English from holding a front that may have altered the course of the war.7
For Antoine and the other French people of Vincennes, the aftermath of the American Revolution brought changes to their community. After the war, Vincennes had an influx of new settlers from places like Kentucky and Virginia, and they soon came to dominate the region. The French settlers' claims to the land they had owned for decades had not been well-documented. An attempt was made to rectify this; the new U.S. government ruled that each French inhabitant who was the head of a Vincennes household in 1783 was entitled to 400 acres. Antoine was one of the 143 men who received a grant of land.8
Nothing in Vincennes was business as usual, and one issue that came up was the right of free trade and duties on merchandise imposed by the local Indians. So in October 1792, Antoine made his mark on a petition to President Washington regarding this. The petition was forwarded to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson.9 This gives a sense that Antoine and Vincennes were truly becoming a part of the American way of doing things.
Antoine died about a year later on October 29, 1793,3 and he appears to have been in some debt at the time of his death. There was a claim that he owed a man named Francis Bizayon $500, a debt that was said to be incurred in May 1792. By the time the case was tried in court, Biyazon had also died, so it was one estate suing another estate.10 The ruling went against the Bordeleau estate, and Antoine's son Pierre was forced to sell 48 acres of land to pay off the debt.
Children:
1. Catherine Bordeleau – B. 23 Dec 1759, Post Vincennes, New France;2 M. Antoine Mallet (~1742-?)11
2. Marie-Madeleine Bordeleau – B. 23 Oct 1761, Post Vincennes, New France;2 D. 21 Feb 1819, Vincennes, Indiana;12 M. Jean-Baptiste Renaud dit Deslauriers (1754-1834), 9 Jul 1779, Vincennes, Northwest Territory2
3. Antoine Bordeleau — B. 22 Sep 1763, Post Vincennes, New France2
4. Michel Bordeleau — B. about Nov 1765, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory;2 M. Ursula Le Cointe, 3 Jul 178613
5. Archange Bordeleau – B. Jun 1767, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory;13 M. Alexander Sanson (~1765-1803), 3 Oct 1785, Vincennes, Virginia Territory13
6. Therese Bordeleau — B. 3 Jun 1769, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory2
7. Jean-Baptiste Bordeleau — B. 30 Apr 1770, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory2
8. Charles Bordeleau — B. 10 Jun 1772, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory2
9. Pierre Bordeleau — B. 16 Jul 1774, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory2
10. Angelique Bordeleau — B. 16 Apr 1777, (probably) Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory13
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Antoine Bordeleau, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901
3 Find-a-Grave listing of Antoine Bordeleau
4 Burial record of Antoine Bordeleau (older), Q.C.P.R.
5 Pierre Gibault (Wikipedia article)
6 “The Oath of Vincennes,” The American Catholic Historical Researches, Vol. 7, No. 4, 1911
7 Siege of Fort Vincennes (Wikipedia article)
8 “French and British Land Grants in the Post Vincennes (Indiana) District, 1750-1784,” Selections from The American State Papers, No. 1., 2004
9 “To George Washington from the Citizens of Vincennes, 6 October 1792,” National Archives
10 Ettienne Bizayon (admin) of Francis Bizayon (deceased) vs. Pierre Bordeleau (exec) of Antoine Bordeleau, Wabash Valley Visions & Voices Memory Project
11 Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region, 1701-1936, Christian Dennison, 1987
12 A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, collected and compiled by Mrs. Alta Amsler
13 Roster of Soldiers & Patriots in the American Revolution Buried in Indiana, compiled and edited by Mrs. Roscoe C. O’Byrne, 1938-1966
