The Only Boy At Quebec — Guillaume Hébert

B. about 1614 in Paris, France¹
M. 1 Oct 1634 in Quebec City, New France²
Wife: Hélène Desportes
D. 23 Sep 1639 in Quebec City, New France³

Guillaume Hébert was part of the first European family to settle in Canada, and he was its youngest member. He was born in Paris to Louis Hébert and Marie Rollet sometime around 1614.¹ His father was away in North America for much of the time during 1606 to 1613, so there was a big gap in age between Guillaume and his two older sisters. The family was said to live near the Louvre when Guillaume was young.¹

Guillaume’s life was shaped by the relationship his father had with Samuel de Champlain. In 1616, Champlain offered Louis Hébert a large tract of land in return for him to join the new settlement at Quebec.¹ It was decided that the entire family would migrate there with him, and they became the first European family to permanently live there.¹ When they arrived, a stone house was built outside the Quebec compound and land was cleared for them to farm.⁴ Given Guillaume’s age, this was probably the only childhood home he remembered. His sisters were almost old enough to be married, so by 1619, he was the only child in the settlement. Besides the Hébert farm, Quebec was primarily a military post and work camp for men who intended to return to France. It wasn't until 1621 that another boy was born there.⁵

The only boy at Quebec. (AI-generated image)

Guillaume’s father died in 1627,⁵ and shortly after, the English took over Quebec, but the Hébert family decided not to return to France. Besides Guillaume’s married sister, only one other family stayed, plus a handful of single men.¹ Others left Quebec, including the parents of the first European born there, Hélène Desportes.¹ When France regained control of the colony in 1632, Hélène came back, and two years later, she was married to Guillaume. He was a young man of 20 and she was just 14. The wedding took place on October 1, 1634 at a small chapel overlooking the settlement.²

Marriage record of Guillaume and Hélène.

After he came of age, Guillaume received a portion of his father’s property on the outskirts of Quebec; the title was shared with his mother and his sisters.¹ Two years later, the governor granted Guillaume 19 acres of his own.¹ This was around the time his first child, Joseph, was born.

Guillaume and Hélène had two more children before he died on September 23, 1639.³ The cause of his death isn’t known, but he may have contracted smallpox, which was known to have afflicted others in Quebec. After his death, the guardianship of his children was awarded to his sister’s husband, Guillaume Couillard and his wife’s uncle, Abraham Martin.¹

The inventory of his possessions at the time of his death reveal that Guillaume was living a modest existence. His clothing was listed as “an old gray coat, shoes in two parts, hosiery in need of repair, breeches, a few doublets, two white shirts, five shirts of coarser cloth, two wool hats, and three handkerchiefs.”¹ The rest of the inventory included basic household items, one of which was “a broken mirror.”¹ The possessions were sold to other settlers at a sale a couple months after his death (even the broken mirror), bringing in 367 livres for the benefit of his children.¹ Authorities determined that the house where he lived was “uninhabitable,” and his widow Hélène moved into another cottage with the children.¹ She remarried just a few months later,⁷ and she raised a second family. Hélène died in 1675.⁸

Guillaume was a direct ancestor of Celine Dion, Jack Kerouac, Ricky Gervais, Chloë Sevigny, and Jim Carrey.⁹

Children:
1. Joseph Hébert — B. before 3 Nov 1636, Quebec City, New France;¹⁰ D. 1661, New France;¹ M. Marie-Charlotte Depoitiers (1641-1718), 12 Oct 1660, New France¹¹

2. Marie-Françoise Hébert — B. before 23 Jan 1638, Quebec City, New France;¹² D.16 Mar 1716, Montmagny, New France;¹³ M. Guillaume Fournier (~1620-1699), 20 Nov 1651, Quebec City, New France¹⁴

3. Angélique Hébert — B. before 2 Aug 1639, Quebec City, New France;¹⁵ D. young¹

Sources:
1    Hélène’s World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth Century Quebec, Susan McNelley, 2014
2    Marriage record of Guillaume Hébert and Hélène Desportes, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Burial record of Guillaume Hébert, Q., C. P. R.
4    Champlain’s Dream, David Hackett Fischer, 2008, p. 351
5    Baptismal record of Eustache Martin, Q., C. P. R.
6    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Louis Hébert
7    Marriage record of Noël Morin and Hélène Desportes, Q., C. P. R.
8    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Hélène Desportes
9    FamousKin.com listing of Guillaume Hébert xxxx
10  Baptismal record of Joseph Hébert, Q., C. P. R.
11  Marriage record of Joseph Hébert and Marie-Charlotte Depoitiers, Q., C. P. R.
12  Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Hébert, Q., C. P. R.
13  Burial record of Marie-Françoise Hébert, Q., C. P. R.
14  Marriage record of Guillaume Fournier and Marie-Françoise Hébert, Q., C. P. R.
15  Baptismal record of Angélique Hébert, Q., C. P. R.

A Separation of Church and State — John Lothrop

B. before 20 Dec 1584 in Etton, England¹
M. (1) 10 Oct 1610 in England¹
Wife: Hannah Howse
M. (2) before 14 Jan 1635¹
Wife: Ann ______
D. 8 Nov 1653 in Barnstable, Massachusetts¹

During the early 17th century, parts of England were hotbeds of Puritanism, and many followers were led by ministers from the southeast part of the country. With the reign of Charles I, and the effort to colonize America, many of these ministers became leaders in early Massachusetts, and were contributors to the seeds that led to the United States. 

One of them was John Lothrop (also spelled Lathrop or Lothropp). John was born in 1584 in Etton, East Riding, England, and baptized there on December 20th.¹ His parents were Thomas and Mary Lothrop. John's father was married three times, and was the father of over 20 children.² In spite of John’s large number of siblings and half-siblings, he attended Queens College at Cambridge, earning a B.A. in 1607 and an M.A. in 1609.¹ He was ordained as a minister in the Church of England, and he was assigned to a parish in Egerton, Kent.¹ After he got settled in Egerton, John married a local woman, Hannah Howse (also spelled House) on October 10, 1610.¹ They had 8 children born between 1612 and 1626.

John's signature when he was a minister in Egerton.

By 1623, John had become part of the Puritan movement in England, and that year, he renounced his orders in the Church of England.² The following year, he became pastor of the First Independent Church in London.² Because of the threat of persecution, John had to preach to the 60 members of his congregation in secret.² Under King Charles I, there was a crackdown on such meetings, and on April 22, 1632, John was arrested along with 42 others as they met in a congregant’s home.¹ Their crime was refusing to swear an oath of loyalty to the Church of England and attending an illegal religious meeting. In addition, John was charged with inciting his followers to defy the law. The group was tried in court in what was said to be a sort of inquisition. Because they still refused to take the oath, they were all sentenced to prison, including John.

While he was in prison, John’s wife Hannah became sick and she died.¹ After two years of confinement, everyone was released on bail except for John, because as their leader, he was thought to be a danger.² The bishop finally agreed to free him as long as he would leave the country.² On September 18, 1634, the ship Griffin arrived in New England carrying John, his 6 surviving children, and many of his congregants from London.¹ The bible he brought with him still survives; it was said that he spilled candle wax on one of the pages during the voyage creating a hole, and he patched the words from memory later on.

The page of John's bible where he patched it. (Source: Sturgis Library)

Perhaps because of his experience in England, John strongly believed that a parish should be able to operate independently of higher authorities.³ Within days of his arrival, he went to the small settlement of Scituate, part of the Plymouth colony, bringing his group of followers with him.² A church was formed with John as its minister, and he moved his family into a crude dwelling built by his friends. The home was described as being poles filled in with stones and clay holding up a thatched roof, and with windows made of oiled paper.⁴ Within a couple of years, John had a more substantial house on the harbor.² He married a woman named Ann (or Anna) by June 1635,¹ and she gave him five more children; the youngest was born in 1648 when John was 60-years-old.¹

John didn’t stay at Scituate for long. He had disagreements over beliefs with some of his congregants and decided to split off; he also was unhappy with the quality of the land for farming.³ He wrote to the governor of Plymouth, Thomas Prence, asking permission to move. He asked for a “place for the transplanting of us, to the end that God might have more glory and we more comfort.”³ John and many of his followers arrived at a location on Cape Cod that would become the town of Barnstable on October 11, 1639.

John was assigned four acres in Barnstable, and his house was completed in about 1644.³ It still survives today as a library that includes the bible John brought over from England. It has been said that it's the oldest structure still standing in America “where religious service were regularly held,” and also it's the oldest building in America that houses a library today.⁵

John's house in Barnstable built in 1644.  (Source: Sturgis Library)

For the rest of his life, John preached at his church in Barnstable. He was said to be a proponent of the separation of church and state, an idea that was way ahead of his time. John advocated tolerance of other people’s beliefs, and he felt no one was required to “sign a creed or profession of faith” in order to be a member of any church.⁴ He was described as being “beloved by his people.”⁴

John died in Barnstable on November 8, 1653.¹ His wife Anne survived him, passing away on February 25, 1688.¹ His descendants include Benedict Arnold, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Eli Whitney, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormon church), J.P. Morgan, John Foster Dulles, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Edith (Carrow) Roosevelt, Thomas Dewey, Shirley Temple, Amelia Earhart, Lewis Comfort Tiffany, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Wild Bill Hickock, Georgia O’Keefe, Frederick Law Olmstead, C.W. Post, Marjorie Post, Cecil B. DeMille, Don Knotts, Linda Hunt, Rainn Wilson, Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys), Aaron Carter, Clint Eastwood, Dick Clark, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, George H.W. Bush, Adlai Stevenson III, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Ethan Hawke, Boris Johnson, and Elon Musk.^3,6

Children by Hannah House:
1. Thomas Lothrop — B. before 21 February 1613, Eastwell, England;¹ D. 1707, Barnstable, Massachusetts;⁷ M. Sarah Learned (1607-1652), 11 Dec 1639, Massachusetts¹

2. Jane Lothrop — B. before 29 Sep 1614, Egerton, England;¹ D. 26 October 1683, Barnstable, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Samuel Fuller (1608-1683), 8 Apr 1635, Scituate, Massachusetts¹

3. Anne Lothrop — B. before 12 May 1616, Egerton, England;¹ D. Apr 1617, Egerton, England¹

4. John Lothrop — B. before 22 February 1619, Egerton, England¹

5. Barbara Lothrop — B. before 31 Oct 1619, Egerton, England;¹ M. John Emerson (1615-?), 19 Jul 1638, Duxbury, Massachusetts¹

6. Samuel Lothrop — B. about 1622, (probably) Egerton, England;¹ D. 28 Feb 1700, Norwich Connecticut;⁹ M. (1) Elizabeth Scudder (1625-1690), 28 Nov 1644, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Abigail Doane (1632-1734)¹

7. Joseph Lothrop — B. before 11 Apr 1624, Eastwell, England;¹ D. 7 Apr 1702, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹⁰ M. Mary Ansell (1629-1713), 11 Dec 1650, Barnstable, Massachusetts¹

8. Benjamin Lothrop — B. before 24 Sep 1626, Eastwell, England;¹ D. 3 Jul 1691, Charlestown, Massachusetts¹¹

Children by Ann _______:
1. Barnabas Lothrop — B. before 6 Jun 1636, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ D. 26 Oct 1715, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹² M. (1) Susannah Clarke (1642-1697), 3 Nov 1658, Plymouth, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Abigail Button (1644-1715), 15 Nov 1698, Boston, Massachusetts¹

2. Abigail Lothrop — B. before 2 Nov 1639, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ M. James Clark (1636-?), 7 Oct 1657, Plymouth, Massachusetts¹

3. Bathsheba Lothrop — B. before 27 Feb 1642, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ D. 8 Jan 1723, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹³ M. (1) Benjamin Bale, about 1669;¹ (2) Alexander Marsh (1628-1698)¹

4. Elizabeth Lothrop — B. about 1643, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ M. John Williams (~1624-1694)¹

5. John Lothrop — B. before 18 May 1645, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹ D. 18 Sep 1727, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. (1) Mary Cole (1654-1695), 3 Jan 1672, Plymouth, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Hannah Morton (1659-1738), 1695¹

Sources:
1    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
2    A Genealogical Memoir of the Lo-Lathrop Family in this Country, Elijah Baldwin Huntington, 1884
3    John Lothropp (Wikipedia article)
4    Ancestry of Thomas Chalmers Brainerd, 1948, pp. 198-200 

5    Sturgis Library (website)
6    FamousKin.com listing of John Lothrop
7    Find-a-Grave listing of Thomas Lothrop
8    Find-a-Grave listing of Jane (Lothrop) Fuller
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Samuel Lothrop
10  Find-a-Grave listing of Joseph Lothrop
11  Find-a-Grave listing of Benjamin Lothrop
12  Find-a-Grave listing of Barnabas Lothrop
13  Find-a-Grave listing of Bathsheba (Lothrop) Marsh
14  Find-a-Grave listing of John Lothrop Jr.

Big House On The Maine Coast — Agnes Riddle

B. 5 Jan 1781 in Bedford, New Hampshire¹
M. 9 Feb 1807 in Bedford, New Hampshire²
Husband: William French
D. 20 Jun 1852 in Prospect, Maine¹

For most of her life, Agnes Riddle made her home in a place so beautiful, it’s used today for destination weddings. She was born on January 5, 1781 in Bedford, New Hampshire to John Riddle and Agnes McAffee,¹ the third of their nine children. Early records show that she sometimes went by the name “Nancy” when she was young (see below).³ At the time of her birth, her father was serving as a soldier in the American Revolution.⁴ The house where they lived still exists today.⁵

Town record showing Agnes as “Nancy French.”

Agnes married her husband William French, also a native of Bedford, on February 9, 1807.² Within a couple of years, they moved to Prospect, Maine and started a family.⁶ Between 1809 and 1828, Agnes gave birth to 8 children with the youngest two being twin girls. Six of the children were given her maiden name as their middle name.

In 1814, the family moved into a house Agnes’ husband purchased that was located on 100 acres of farmland.⁷ The property was near where the mouth of the Penobscot River widens into a bay, and the place became known as French’s Point. It’s likely that the family added onto the original house, which was said to be built sometime in the late 18th century.⁸ Agnes would live there for the rest of her life. 

The house at French’s Point. (AI-generated image)

Agnes’ husband William died on March 1, 1847.⁹ In June 1849, Agnes was “very sick” according to her son James, who was writing to his fiancé saying that he needed to visit his mother before she dies.¹⁰ She continued on for a few more years. In 1850, she was listed in the census as head of the household with the occupation of “farmer.”¹¹ She had three unmarried children living with her ages 38, 25 and 22. Her estate was valued at $2,400, one of the wealthiest of the people in the area.

On June 20, 1852, Agnes died at her home in Prospect.¹ The house and property stayed in the family for many years until it was sold in 1890 to a church who used it for retreats.⁸ Today, French’s Point is owned by a family who rents it for destination weddings. A newer house on the property is used for services and receptions, but the house where Agnes lived is where the wedding guests can stay overnight. It is said to be the oldest wooden building in Waldo County, Maine.⁸

Agnes' house as it appears today.

The interchangeable names Agnes and Nancy
It was a Scottish tradition that girls named Agnes or Nancy often changed back and forth between the two names,¹² which sometimes makes identifying relationships challenging. Agnes’ birth record is missing from Bedford town records, but other vital records starting with the birth of oldest son James Riddle French gave her name as Nancy. It’s believed that Agnes’ maternal grandmother was named Nancy; she was long dead, so perhaps this name was in her honor. The switch to using Agnes came later in life, and this may have been after her daughter Nancy was born in 1828. The name Nancy got passed along to granddaughter Nancy Sophia French, born in 1856, but by this time, the tradition of interchangeable names seems to have been phased out.

Children:
1. James Riddle French — B. 18 Jun 1809, Prospect, Maine;⁵ D. 23 Mar 1857, Stockton Springs, Maine;¹³ M. (1) Nancy Riddle French (1811-1848), 13 Sep 1832, Bedford, New Hampshire;¹⁴ (2) Sophia Newell Kittredge (1824-1900), 7 Aug 1849, Nelson, New Hampshire¹⁵

2. Sarah Ann French — B. 27 Nov 1810, Prospect, Maine;¹⁶ D. 28 May 1839;¹⁷ M. Nathan Cutler (1799-1881), 12 Jun 1834, Prospect, Maine¹⁸

3. William Riddle French — B. 27 Feb 1812, Prospect, Maine;¹⁹ D. 3 Mar 1880;²⁰ M. Augusta Maria Eustis (1827-1909), 13 Dec 1855, Prospect, Maine²¹

4. John Riddle French — B. 15 Dec 1814, Prospect, Maine;²² D. 17 Nov 1878, Solano County, California;²³ M. Eliza Jane Black (1816-?), 29 Aug 1837, Prospect, Maine²⁴

5. Dolly Coburn French — B. 17 Apr 1818, Prospect, Maine;²⁵ D. 17 Jul 1905, Stockton Springs, Maine;²⁵ M. Alexander Black (1814-1890), 6 Feb 1842, Prospect, Maine²⁶

6. Robert Riddle French — B. 28 Dec 1824, Prospect, Maine;²⁷ D. 11 Oct 1890, Stockton Springs, Maine;²⁷ M. Frances A. Stowers (1827-1908), 13 Sep 1850, Maine²⁸

7. Nancy Riddle French — B. 11 Jun 1828, Prospect, Maine;²⁹ D. 15 Sep 1860, Prospect, Maine;²⁹ M. Samuel Addison Stowers (1823-1865), 19 Dec 1851, Prospect, Maine³⁰

8. Mary Riddle French — B. 11 Jun 1828, Prospect, Maine;³¹ D. May 1832³¹

Sources:


1    Find-a-Grave listing of Agnes (Riddle) French
2    Marriage record of William French and Agnes Riddle, New Hampshire, Marriage Records, 1637-1947, FamilySearch.org
3    Town record showing the births of her children with the name Nancy, FamilySearch.org
4    The History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737, Rumford Printing Company, 1903
5    New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources: Bedford Center Historic District, 2013 (PDF)
6    Birth record of James Riddle French, Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900, FamilySearch.org
7    Historical Sketches of Stockton Springs, Faustina Hichborn, 1908
8    “A Brief History of French’s Point,” T.P. Dadmin, 2011, French’s Point (website)
9    Death record of William French, Maine, Deaths and Burials, 1841-1910, FamilySearch.org
10  Letter from James Riddle French to Sophia Newell Kittredge, June 1849
11  1850 U.S. Census, Waldo County, Maine
12  Scottish Forenames: Their Origins and History, Donald Whyte, 2005
13  Death record of James R. French, M., D. & B.
14  Marriage record of James R. French and Nancy French, N.H., M.
15  Marriage record of James R. French and Sophia N. Kittredge, N.H., M.
16 Birth record of Sarah Ann French, M., B. & C.
17  Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah Ann (French) Cutler
18  Marriage record of Nathan Cutler and Sarah Ann French, Maine, Marriages, 1771-1907, FamilySearch.org
19  Birth record of William Riddle French, M., B. & C.
20  Burial record of William French, Maine, Nathan Hale Cemetery Collection, 1780-1980, FamilySearch.org
21  Marriage record of William French and Augusta M. Eustis, M., M.
22  Birth record of John Riddle French, M., B. & C.
23  Burial record of John R. French, California, Solano County Genealogical Society, Burial Records, FamilySearch.org
24  Marriage record of John R. French and Eliza Jane Black, M., M.
25  Find-a-Grave listing of Dolly Coburn (French) Black
26  Marriage record of Alexander Black and Dolly C. French, M., M.
27  Find-a-Grave listing of Robert Riddle French
28  Marriage record of Robert French and Francis A. Stone, N.H., M.
29  Find-a-Grave listing of Nancy Riddle (French) Stowers
30  Marriage record of Samuel A. Stowers and Nancy R. French, M., M.
31  FamilySearch listing of Mary French

Married Without a Priest — Barbe-Elizabeth Levron

B. 20 Dec 1748 in Fort Frontenac, New France¹
M. 8 Feb 1770 in Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory²
Husband: Louis Godere
D. 11 Sep 1798 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory³

When Barbe-Elizabeth Levron wanted to get married, there was no priest around to conduct the ceremony, so she and her hopeful husband had to find another way to make their vows. 

Barbe was born on December 20, 1748 at Fort Frontenac to Joseph Levron dit Metayer and Marie-Josephe Cousteau.¹ Fort Frontenac was a remote military post and had few families living there; Barbe’s grandfather was a captain at the fort.⁴ When she was 2-years-old, her parents moved with her to the area around Fort Detroit, and they lived for the next few years starting a farm on the south shore of the Detroit River (present-day Windsor, Ontario).⁵ She seems to have had a slightly older brother who died at Fort Frontenac in January 1751; perhaps the boy was sick and her parents had left him in the care of his grandfather. While in Detroit, two more girls were born. By 1759, the family moved to Post Vincennes, where a younger sister was born,⁶ and four more children were born by about 1770.

This was a time when England defeated France in the French and Indian War, and Vincennes came under British control. In 1764, the French authorities, along with the parish priest, left town, and French settlers were left to manage on their own.⁷ Barbe was 17 or 18 when she was betrothed to Louis Godere. Without anyone to perform the marriage, they recited vows before witnesses and began living as husband and wife.⁸

On November 4, 1766, Barbe gave birth to a daughter who was baptized in a makeshift way by a notary.⁹ She had two more children before a priest came to Vincennes, and on February 8, 1770, her marriage to Louis was legitimized along with the baptisms of her children.² They went on to have 8 more children, with the youngest born in 1788.¹⁰

Transcript copy of 1766 Vincennes parish register with notary Phillibert officiating.

Some sources have claimed that Barbe was the “Madame Godare” who famously sewed a flag for George Rogers Clark during the American Revolution, but it's more likely that the wife of her husband’s brother François was this woman.¹¹ Barbe may have supported the American cause in other ways. On the night after liberating Vincennes from the British, the women of Vincennes welcomed the American troops by preparing them a feast,¹¹ and she may have been a part of that celebration.

Barbe continued raising her family in the years after the war. Her husband Louis died on June 14, 1794,¹³ and she died on September 11, 1798 at the age of 50.³

Erroneous Honor

In spite of the fact historians have shown there is no way to really identify Madame Godare, the University of Vincennes decided to proclaim it was Barbe, and they named a residence hall after her. In January 2017, a writer for the Vincennes Sun-Commerical looked into the evidence supporting this, and the facts cited by the school are completely mangled.¹⁴ They claimed Madame Godare was 54-years-old, the mother of an 11-year-old girl named Marie-Joseph, and that her name was “Marie-Elizabeth Leveron.” There was even a portrait painted of Madame Godare that now hangs in the lobby of the building.

Sign in front of University of Vincennes residence hall. (Source: Google Street Views)

Children:
1. Françoise-Agnes Godere — B. 4 Nov 1766, Fort Vincennes, New France;¹⁰ D. about 1835;¹⁵ M. Louis-Favel Ravellette (~1758-1835), 2 Aug 1784, Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹⁶

2. Marie Joseph Godere — B. 16 May 1768, Fort Vincennes, New France;⁸ D. 12 Jul 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹⁷ M. Honore Denis, before 19 Oct 1785, (probably) Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹⁸

3. Louis Godere — B. about 1770, Fort Vincennes, New France;¹⁹ D. 11 Jan 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory²⁰

4. Felicité Godere — B. 20 Nov 1773, Fort Vincennes, New France;²¹ D. 25 Feb 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²² M. Alexander Vallé, 23 May 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory²³

5. Pierre Godere — B. 6 Nov 1775, Fort Vincennes, New France²⁴

6. Jean-Baptiste Godere — B. 1 Aug 1777, Fort Vincennes, New France²⁵

7. François Godere — B. 13 Sep 1779, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²⁶ D. 24 Feb 1837, Vincennes, Indiana;²⁷ M. (1) Marie Boneau (1786-1831), 30 Jan 1804, Vincennes, Indiana;²⁸ (2) Genevieve Carie (1789-1855), 27 Dec 1832, Vincennes, Indiana²⁹

8. Elizabeth Godere — B. 9 Sep 1781, Vincennes, Northwest Territory³⁰

9. Marie-Louise Godere — B. 2 Oct 1785, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;³¹ D. Oct 1820, Lawrence County, Illinois;³² M. François Cadoret (~1780-?), 28 Jan 1802, Vincennes, Indiana³³

10. Joseph Godere — B. 22 May 1786, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;³⁴ D. 16 Sep 1787, Vincennes, Northwest Territory³⁴

11. Françoise Godere — B. 31 Mar 1788, Vincennes, Northwest Territory³⁵

Sources:
1    Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française, George F.G. Stanley, 1954
2    Marriage record of Louis Godere and Elizabeth Levron, Indiana, Marriages, 1780-1992, FamilySearch.org
3    Death record of Barbe Levron, Indiana, Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993, FamilySearch.org
4    Online database of voyageurs contracts, Centre du patrimoine, Saint-Boniface, Manitoba
5    “Edward Cicotte Ledger 1749-1752,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #3, July 2008
6    Estimated birth year of Josephine and marriage year of François and Josephine based on birth record of her oldest child, François Joseph Turpin, Indiana, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993, Ancestry.com
7    From November 1765 to February 1770, baptisms and marriages in the St. Frances Xavier church were witnessed by a notary, not a priest. Baptisms were allowed to be conducted by non-clergy, but marriages needed a priest to be official.
8    Baptism of Marie Joseph Godere (Barbe’s second oldest child), with marriage described as clandestine, “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901, p. 208
9    Baptism of Agnes Godere, “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901, p. 205
10  Baptismal record of Françoise Godere, Indiana, Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
11  There were three women in Vincennes married to men named Godere. One of the others, Marie-Therese (Campagnot) Godere (~1745-1803), makes a better fit for the story, and anecdotes passed down through her family credits her as being Madame Godere. This is mentioned in the book in footnote 11.
12  Creole (French) Pioneers at Old Post Vincennes, Joyce Doyle, Loy Followell, Elizabeth Kargacos, Bernice Mutchmore, and Paul R. King, 1930s  
13  Find-a-Grave listing of Louis Godere
14  “Who Was Madame Godare,” Vincennes Sun-Commerical, 29 Jan 2017
15  Ravellette’s from Indiana Roys, Griffith, etc, Orval L. Ravellette, genealogy.com
16  Marriage record of Louis Ravallet and Agnes Codere, I. M.
17  Death record of Marie Godere, widow of Honore Dany, A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, collected and compiled by Mrs. Alta Amsler, 1975, p. 302
18  Baptismal record of Honore Denis, I., B & C.
19  Baptism of Louis Godere, “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901, p. 205
20  Death record of Louis Gaudere, A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, p. 300
21  Baptismal record of Felicité Coder, I., B & C.
22  Burial record of Felicite Gaudere, I., D. & B.
23  Marriage record of Alexander Valeix and Felicite Coder, I. M.
24  Baptismal record of Pierre Coder, I., B & C.
25  Baptismal record of Jean Baptist Coder, I., B & C.
26  Baptismal record of François Godere, I., B & C.
27  WikiTree listing of Pierre François Godere
28  Marriage record of François Godere and Marie Boneau, I. M.
29  Marriage record of François Godere and Genevieve Carie, I. M.
30  Baptismal record of Elizabeth Godere, I., B & C.
31  Baptismal record of Marie Louise Coder, I., B & C.
32  Burial record of Marie Louise Godere, I., D. & B.
33  Marriage record of François Cadoret and Marie Louise Godere, I. M.
34  Baptismal record of Joseph Codere, I., B & C.
35  Baptismal record of Françoise Codere, I., B & C.

Serving Under George Rogers Clark — Louis Victor Edeline

B. 23 Dec 1730 in Longueuil, New France¹
M. 14 May 1759 in Fort Detroit, New France²
Wife: Marie-Joseph Thomas
D. 28 Apr 1799 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory³

During the Revolutionary War, many Frenchmen living at Vincennes in the Illinois Territory aided American forces in the takeover of their town. A few also formally enlisted with the army, and one of them was Louis Victor Edeline.

Louis was born in Longueuil, New France on December 23, 1730 to Louis Antoine Edeline and Marie-Madeleine Drousson,¹ the youngest of their four children, two of whom died young. Both of his parents were over 40 when he was born. Louis’ father was a fur trader who was frequently away from home, but his parents saw that he received an education, at least enough so that he could read and write.⁴

Louis was still a teen when his mother died on August 25, 1747.⁵ Within a couple of years, young Louis joined his father at Detroit. In return for making a commitment to farm there, they received land, supplies and rations of food. Their land was on the south shore of the Detroit River in present-day Windsor, Ontario.

As Louis came of age, he found himself in a country at war. During the 1750s, England was fighting France, and one thing at stake was control of territory in North America. Detroit became a key stronghold, and the French sent 400 men to man the fort. It’s not known if Louis had any role in the defense of Detroit, but given his later military status, it’s likely he did.

Before the war was over, Louis’ father died in 1758.⁶ On April 28, 1759, Louis married Marie-Joseph Thomas, a woman who was born Philadelphia.² She had been living in Detroit for two years at the time of their wedding; the story of how she ended up there isn’t known. The French were defeated in the war, and in 1760, British troops took charge of Fort Detroit. It was around this time that Louis and his wife left, moving to the settlement at Vincennes. Their first child was born the following year;⁷ between 1761 and 1786, they had 11 children.

Although the British controlled Vincennes, life for the French settlers went on pretty much as it had before. For a brief time in 1774, a governor came and went, but things really changed during the American Revolution. In July 1778, Americans under George Rogers Clark took over nearby Kasaksia, and the priest who served there, Father Gibault, was committed to the cause. The priest came to Vincennes and convinced the French men to sign an oath of allegiance to the Americans. Louis’ signature is prominent on the document;⁴ he was said to be one of only 12 men in Vincennes who were literate.⁴

Louis' signature on the Vincennes Oath of Allegiance.

At the same time that the people of Vincennes pledged support for the Americans, Clark sent one of his men, Captain Leonard Helm, to take charge of the fort. He organized a militia of French men, and it’s likely that this is when Louis signed up to serve. In December, a British force took the fort back without a fight.⁸ Captain Helm was imprisoned and the men of the militia were ordered to give up all of their ammunition. The men cooperated, though some of them buried their gunpowder rather than turn it in.⁹

When George Rogers Clark made his sneak attack in February 1779, the militia men eagerly volunteered to help him. The gunpowder they had hidden was offered to Clark, whose own powder had been ruined when his soldiers trekked through water up to their necks.¹⁰ Louis and the other men took up arms and fought alongside Clark and his forces.⁹ The Americans captured the fort, freeing Captain Helm, and hauling away those on the British side as prisoners of war. On a personal note, Louis’ wife gave birth to a daughter on the day after the battle; the baby was appropriately named Victoire.¹¹

Surrender of Fort Vincennes.

Captain Helm took command of the Vincennes militia again, and Louis was formally given the rank of second captain.¹² In March, 50 members of the militia went up the Wabash and captured 40 men fighting on the British side.¹³ It’s not known if Louis was on this mission, but presumably he was. Clark soon left Vincennes and a lieutenant from Virginia was sent to oversee the town. He appointed four French men as judges, one of whom was Louis.⁹ He would hold a judgeship in Vincennes for most of the rest of his life.

After the war, Louis and the other Vincennes judges turned their attention to apportioning land. The documentation of the original grants to the French settlers of Vincennes was somewhat sloppy and everything needed to be formalized. The judges were said to have given themselves generous plots of public land in the process. They did this in a system of having three of the four awarding the other one lands, taking turns doing this, so that they divided up the public land between them.¹⁴ After complaints were made to the authorities back east, the judges claimed they were only following the Vincennes custom of assigning themselves the authority over the land so they could then give it to new settlers as they saw fit.¹⁴

In 1796, tragedy struck Louis’ family when one of his daughters drowned in the Wabash at age 28;¹¹ she was said to be traveling from Fort Wayne to see her parents and siblings. Her second husband was a prominent military commander named Jean François Hamtramck,¹¹ and his wife’s death left him with two young girls to raise. After Hamtramck’s death in 1803, the girls’ guardian was William Henry Harrison, the governor of the Indiana Territory and future president of the United States.¹¹

Louis died in Vincennes on April 28, 1799,² and he was buried in the Old French Cemetery at St. Francis Xavier Church. It isn’t known when his wife died; she didn’t seem to be living at the time of his death. Louis’ estate consisted of three pieces of property; he had what was described as "an old house" on a tiny lot in Vincennes, and two tracts of farmland outside of town.¹⁵ Nothing was settled between his heirs until about 10 years later when a court ordered that everything needed to be auctioned in order to split into shares. After the sales were done and the court fees paid, the total from all three properties was $172.50.¹⁵

Children:
1. Marie Louise Edeline — B. 9 Sep 1761, Poste Vincennes, New France;⁷ D. before 28 October 1770¹⁶

2. Marie Joseph Edeline — B. before 21 Oct 1763, Poste Vincennes, New France;¹⁷ D. 21 May 1796, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹¹ M. (1) Nicolas Perrot, 24 Jul 1778, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country;¹⁸ (2) Jean-François Hamtramck (1756-1803)¹¹

3. Marie Barbe Edeline — B. 13 Dec 1764, Poste Vincennes, New France;¹⁹ D. after 11 Dec 1809, Vincennes, Indiana;²⁰ M. Jacques Cardinal (1756-1810), 2 Aug 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory²¹

4. Jean Louis Edeline — B. before 9 Jan 1767, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country²²

5. Marie Louise Edeline — B. before 28 Oct 1770, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country;¹⁶ D. Jan 1793;¹⁶ M. Joseph Joyeuse (1769-?), 15 Feb 1791, Vincennes, Northwest Territory²³

6. Nicholas Edeline — B. 2 Nov 1772, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country;²⁴ M. Therese Godere (1778-?), 10 Aug 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory²⁵

7. Joseph Marion Edeline — B. 28 Aug 1774, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country;²⁵ D. 16 Mar 1819, Vincennes, Indiana;²⁷ M. (1) Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers (1779-~1819), 18 Feb 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²⁸ (2) Cecile Delisle, 22 Feb 1819, Vincennes, Indiana²⁹

8. Jacques Edeline — B. 28 Mar 1776, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country³⁰

9. Alexis Edeline — B. 15 Jul 1777, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country³¹

10. Victoire Edeline — B. 25 Feb 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory¹¹

11. Pierre Edeline — B. 21 Feb 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;³² M. Françoise LaTour (1796-?), 30 Apr 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory³³

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Louis-Victor Edeline, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    “Edward Cicotte Ledger, 1749-1752, Containing Accounts of French Settlers at Detroit,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #3, Jul 2008

3    Find-a-Grave listing of Louis Victor Edeline
4    Vincennes Oath, 1778, Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, Illinois Library
5    Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Drousson, Q., C. P. R.
6    Burial record of Louis Antoine Edeline, Québec, Genealogical Dictionary of Canadian Family (Tanguay Collection), 1608-1890
7    Baptismal record of Marie Louise Edeline (older), Indiana, Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
8    Forts of Vincennes, Indiana (Wikipedia article)
9    History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana, 1886
10  Siege of Fort Vincennes (Wikipedia article)
11  “The Tragic Story of Marie Joseph Edeline, First Wife of Jean François Hamtramck,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 32, Karl DeLisle, Jan 2011
12  Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution in Indiana, V. II, compiled by Mrs. Roscoe C. O’Byrne, 1966
13  Leonard Helm (Wikipedia article)
14  The Colonial History of Vincennes, Under the French, British, and American Governments, John Law, 1858, pp. 111-112
15  Edeline, Louis partition of estate 1809, Indian Memory Hosted Digital Collections
16  Baptismal record of Marie Louise Edeline (younger), I., B. & C.
17  Baptismal record of Marie Josephe Edeline, I., B. & C.
18  Marriage record of Nicolas Perrot and Marie Josephe Edeline, Indiana, Church Marriages, 1780-1992, FamilySearch.org
19  Baptismal record of Marie Barbe Edeline, I., B. & C.
20  Marriage record of Jean Baptiste Cardinal (Barbe’s son) and Genevieve Campeau, Indiana, Marriages, 1780-1992, FamilySearch.org
21  Marriage record of Jacques Cardinal and Marie Barbe Edeline, I., C. M.
22  Baptismal record of Jean Louis Edeline, I., B. & C.
23  Marriage record of Joseph Joyeux and Marie Louise Edeline, I. M.
24  Baptismal record of Nicolas Edeline, I., B. & C.
25  Marriage record of Nicolas Edeline and Therese Godere, I., C. M.
26  Baptismal record of Joseph Edeline, I., B. & C.
27  Find-a-Grave listing of Joseph Marion Edeline
28  Marriage record of Joseph Edeline and Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers, I., C. M.
29  Marriage record of Joseph Edeline and Cecile Delisle, I., C. M.
30  Baptismal record of Jacques Edeline, I., B. & C.
31  Baptismal record of Alexis Edeline, I., B. & C.
32  Baptismal record of Pierre Edeline, I., B. & C.
33  Marriage record of Pierre Edeline and Françoise LaTour, I., C. M.

Farming On Poor Soil — Robert Fletcher

B. about 1592 in England¹
M. about 1616 in England²
Wife: Sarah ________
D. 3 Apr 1677 in Concord, Massachusetts¹

When the Puritans first settled in New England, their main concern was setting up a religious haven for themselves. But as a practical matter, they also needed to grow their own food, and many soon found out that the soil of their new home wasn't ideally suited for that. This was a fact that played into the story of Robert Fletcher. 

Robert was born in about 1592 in England;¹ some have speculated he was from Yorkshire, but his name is too common to say that conclusively. Later documents showed that he couldn’t sign his name, so he was likely uneducated. Robert married a woman named Sarah,² and they had a daughter and two sons by the time they arrived in Massachusetts around 1631.³ Two more sons were born during the next few years.

During the early 1630s, the population of the colony grew quickly, and the people looked to form new towns. In 1635, Concord, Massachusetts became the first settlement to be established inland, and it’s likely that the Fletchers were among the original 12 families. The settlers arrived late in the year, setting up some rough dwellings for the winter. The following year, they formalized ownership of the land by paying the Indians for it with “wampum, hatchets, hoes, knives, cotton-cloth and shirts.”⁴ By 1637, a few other families had joined the community,⁴ and Robert was appointed the town constable, a post he held for one year.⁵

Wampam belts — the currency of early New England.

It wasn’t a certainty that the town of Concord would last. Quite a number of people left within the first few years, moving to newer communities in Connecticut.⁴ Those who stayed struggled to make a profit with their farms. In 1645, Robert joined 11 other men in a petition to the governor and General Court of the colony, asking that their “common charges” be lowered due to their poverty. The petition described the “badness and wetness of the meadows,” and that no matter how hard they worked, they couldn’t produce good crops.³

Robert and the other settlers stuck it out, and Concord survived. He lived out his life there, his name appearing in various other petitions and documents over the years. He wrote a will in 1672 mentioning his three living sons, William, Samuel and Francis.⁶ Robert died in Concord on April 3, 1677.¹ His wife died a month later.⁷

Famous descendants of William Fletcher include Franklin Pierce, First Lady Abigail (Powers) Fillmore, and Billie Jean King.⁸

Children:
1. Grizelle Fletcher — B. about 1618, England;⁹ D. 9 Jul 1669, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;⁹ M. (1) Thomas Jewell (~1608-~1654), about 1641;¹⁰ (2) Humphrey Greggs, 1 Nov 1655, Braintree, Massachusetts;¹¹ (3) Henry Kibbe (1611-1661), 8 Oct 1657, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹² (4) John Gurney, 12 Nov 1661, Braintree, Massachusetts;⁹ John Burge, 3 Jul 1667, Chelmsford, Massachusetts¹³

2. Luke Fletcher — B. about 1625, England;³ D. 21 May 1665, Concord, Massachusetts¹⁴

3. William Fletcher — B. about 1622, England;⁵ D. 6 Nov 1677, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. Lydia ________ (~1622-1704), 7 Oct 1645, Concord, Massachusetts¹⁶

4. Samuel Fletcher — B. about 1632, (probably) Massachusetts;⁵ D. 9 Dec 1697, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁷ M. Margaret Hailstone (~1639-~1697), 14 Oct 1659, Concord, Massachusetts⁵

5. Francis Fletcher — B. 1636, Massachusetts;¹⁸ D. aft 14 Jun 1704;¹⁹ M. Elizabeth Wheeler (1635-1704), 11 Oct 1656, Concord, Massachusetts²⁰

Sources:
1    Find-a-Grave listing of Robert Fletcher
2    Estimated marriage date based on estimated birth year of oldest child Grizelle
3    Fletcher Family History: The Descendants of Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass, Part 1, Edward Hatch Fletcher, 1881
4    History of Massachusetts Blog (website)
5    Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass., 1637, Winifred Lovering Holman, 1930
6    Probate record of Robert Fletcher, Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, Ancestry.com
7    Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah Fletcher
8    FamousKin.com listing of Robert Fletcher
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Grissell (Fletcher) Burge
10  Marriage date based on birth of Hannah Jewell, Grissell’s oldest child, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
11  Marriage record of Humphrey Griggs and Grissell Griggs, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
12  Marriage record of Henry Kibbe and Grissell Jewell, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13  Marriage record of John Burge and Grissell Gurney, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Death record of Luke Fletcher, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Marriage record of William Fletcher and Lydia Bates, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Death record of William Fletcher, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Death record of Samuel Fletcher, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18  Birth record of Francis Fletcher, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Find-a-Grave listing of Francis Fletcher
20  Marriage record of Francis Fletcher and Elizabeth Wheeler, M., T. C., V. & T. R.