The Only Boy At Quebec — Guillaume Hébert

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

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. 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.

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. It was decided that the entire family would migrate there with him, and they became the first European family to permanently live there. When they arrived, a stone house was built outside the Quebec compound and land was cleared for them to farm. 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.

Guillaume’s father died in 1627, 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. Others left Quebec, including the parents of the first European born there, Hélène Desportes. 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. 

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. Two years later, the governor granted Guillaume 19 acres of his own. 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. 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.

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.” The rest of the inventory included basic household items, one of which was “a broken mirror.” 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. Authorities determined that the house where he lived was “uninhabitable” and his widow Hélène moved into another cottage with the children. She remarried just a few months later and raised a second family. Hélène died in 1675.

Guillaume was a direct ancestor of Celine Dion, Jack Kerouac and Jim Carrey.

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

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

3. Angélique Hébert — B. about Aug 1639, Quebec City, New France; D. young

Sources:
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
Hélène’s World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth Century Quebec, Susan McNelley, 2014
Champlain’s Dream, David Hackett Fischer, 2008

A Separation of Church and State — John Lothrop

B. about Dec 1584 in Etton, England
M. (1) 10 Oct 1610 in England
Wife: Hannah Howse
M. (2) 1635
Wife: Anne
D. 8 Nov 1653 in Barnstable, Massachusetts

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. His parents were Thomas and Mary Lothrop. John's father was married three times, and was the father of over 20 children. In spite of John’s large number of siblings and half-siblings, he attended Queens College at Cambridge, earning a B.A. in 1606 and an M.A. in 1609. He was ordained as a minister in the Church of England and assigned to a parish in Egerton, Kent. After he got settled in Egerton, John married a local woman, Hannah Howse (also spelled House) on October 10, 1610. 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. The following year, he became pastor of the First Independent Church in London. Because of the threat of persecution, John had to preach to the 60 members of his congregation in secret. 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. 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. After two years of confinement, everyone was released on bail except for John, because as their leader, he was thought to be a danger. The bishop finally agreed to free him as long as he would leave the country. On September 18, 1634, the ship Griffin arrived in New England carrying John, his 6 surviving children, and many of his congregants from London. 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. 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. 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. Within a couple of years, John had a more substantial house on the harbor. He married a woman named Anne (or Anna) by June 1635, and she gave him five more children; the youngest was born in 1648 when John was 63-years-old.

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. 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.” 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. 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.

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. He was described as being “beloved by his people.”

John died in Barnstable on November 8, 1653. His wife Anne survived him, passing away on February 25, 1687. 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 and Boris Johnson.

Children by Hannah House:
1. Thomas Lothrop — B. about Feb 1612, Eastwell, England; D. 1707, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Learned (1607-1652), 11 Dec 1639, Massachusetts

2. Jane Lothrop – B. 29 Sep 1614, Egerton, England; D. 1659, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Fuller (1608-1683), 8 Apr 1635, Scituate, Massachusetts

3. Anne Lothrop – B. May 1616, Egerton, England; D. Apr 1617, Egerton, England

4. John Lothrop — B. Feb 1618, Egerton, England

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

6. Samuel Lothrop — B. 1622, Egerton, England; D. 19 Feb 1700, Norwich Connecticut; M. (1) Elizabeth Scudder (1625-1690), 28 Nov 1644, Barnstable, Massachusetts; (2) Abigail Doane (1632-1734)

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

8. Benjamin Lothrop — B. Dec 1626, Eastwell, England; D. 3 Jul 1691, Charlestown, Massachusetts

Children by Anne:
1. Barnabas Lothrop — B. Jun 1636, Barnstable, Massachusetts; D. 26 Oct 1715, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. (1) Susannah Clarke (1642-1697); (2) Abigail Button (1644-1715), 1698

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

3. Bathsheba Lothrop — B. Feb 1641, Scituate, Massachusetts; D. 8 Jan 1723; M. (1) Benjamin Bale, about 1668; (2) Alexander Marsh (1628-1698), about 1691

4. John Lothrop — B. 9 Feb 1644, Barnstable, Massachusetts; D. 18 Sep 1727, Barnstable, Massachusetts; M. (1) Mary Cole (1654-1695); (2) Hannah Morton (1659-1738), 1695

5. Elizabeth Lothrop — B. 27 Mar 1648, Scituate, Massachusetts; D. about 1690, Wallingford, Connecticut; M. John Williams (~1624-1694), 1666, Scituate, Massachusetts

Sources:
John Lothropp (Wikipedia article)
A Genealogical Memoir of the Lo-Lathrop Family in this Country, Elijah Baldwin Huntington, 1884
Sturgis Library website

WikiTree
Find-A-Grave

Big House On The Maine Coast — Agnes Riddle

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

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, the third of their nine children. Early records show that she went by the name "Nancy" when she was young (see below). At the time of her birth, her father was serving as a lieutenant in the American Revolution. The house where they lived still exists today.

Agnes married her husband William French, also a native of Bedford, on February 9, 1807. Within a couple of years, they moved to Prospect, Maine and started a family. 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. 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. Agnes would live there for the rest of her life.

Agnes’ husband William died on March 1, 1847. 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. 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.” 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. The house stayed in the family for many years until it was sold in 1905 to a church who used it for retreats. 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.

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, 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; D. 23 Mar 1857, Stockton Springs, Maine; M. (1) Nancy Riddle French (1811-1848), 13 Sep 1832, Bedford, New Hampshire; (2) Sophia Newell Kittredge (1824-1900), 7 Aug 1849, Nelson, New Hampshire

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

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

4. John Riddle French — B. 15 Dec 1814, Prospect, Maine; M. Eliza Jane Black (1816-?), 29 Aug 1837, Prospect, Maine

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

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

7. Nancy Riddle French — B. 11 Jun 1828, Prospect, Maine; D. 15 Sep 1860, Prospect, Maine; M. Samuel Addison Stowers (1823-1865), 19 Dec 1850, Prospect, Maine

8. Mary Riddle French — B. 11 Jun 1828, Prospect, Maine; D. May 1832

Sources:
The History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737, Rumford Printing Company, 1903
Historical Sketches of Stockton Springs, Faustina Hichborn, 1908
Inventory of the will of John Riddle, 22 Mar 1815
New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources: Bedford Center Historic District, 2013
“A Brief History of French’s Point,” T.P. Dadmin, 2011, French’s Point (website)
Letter from James Riddle French to Sophia Newell Kitredge, June 1849
Find A Grave

Scottish Forenames: Their Origins and History, Donald Whyte, 2005

Married Without a Priest — Barbe-Elizabeth Levron

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

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 Josephe-Amable Cousteau. Fort Frontenac was a remote military post and had few families living there; Barbe’s grandfather was a captain at the fort. 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). 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, 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. 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.

On November 4, 1766, Barbe gave birth to a daughter who was baptized in a makeshift way by a notary. 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. They went on to have 8 more children, with the youngest born in 1788. 

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. 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, 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, and she died on September 11, 1798 at the age of 50.

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. 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; D. about 1835; M. Louis-Favel Ravellette (~1758-1835), 2 Aug 1784, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

2. Marie-Josephe Godere — B. 16 May 1768, Fort Vincennes, New France;  D. 12 Jul 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Honore Denis

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Marie-Louise Godere — B. 2 Oct 1785, Vincennes, Northwest Territory, M. François Cadoret (~1780-?), 28 Jan 1802, Vincennes, Indiana

10. Joseph Godere — B. 22 May 1786; D. 1787

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

Sources:
Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française, George F.G. Stanley, 1954
“Edward Cicotte Ledger 1749-1752,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #3, July 2008
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Marriages and Deaths 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, dar.org

“Who was Madame Godare? Little is known about the namesake of VU residence hall,” Vincennes Sun-Commerical, January 29, 2017

Serving Under George Rogers Clark — Louis Victor Edeline

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

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, 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.

Louis was still a teen when his mother died on August 25, 1747. 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. On April 28, 1759, Louis married Marie-Joseph Thomas, a woman who was born Philadelphia. 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; 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; he was said to be one of only 12 men in Vincennes who were literate.

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. 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.

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. Louis and the other men took up arms and fought alongside Clark and his forces. 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. 

Surrender of Fort Vincennes.

Captain Helm took command of the Vincennes militia again, and Louis was formally given the rank of second captain. In March, 50 members of the militia went up the Wabash and captured 40 men fighting on the British side. 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. 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. 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.

In 1796, tragedy struck Louis’ family when one of his daughters drowned in the Wabash at age 28; 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, 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.

Louis died in Vincennes on April 28, 1799, 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. 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.

Children:
1. Marie-Louise Edeline — B. 9 Sep 1761, Post Vincennes, New France; D. young

2. Marie-Joseph Edeline — B. Oct 1763, Post Vincennes, New France;  D. 21 May 1796, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. (1) Nicholas Perrot; (2) Jean-François Hamtramck (1756-1803)

3. Marie-Barbe Edeline — B. 13 Dec 1764, Post Vincennes, New France; D. 11 Jan 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

4. Jean-Louis Edeline — B. Jan 1767, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

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

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

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

8. Jacques Edeline — B. 28 Mar 1776, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. about 1798

9. Alexis Edeline — B. 15 Jul 1777, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. about 1808

10. Victoire Edeline — B. 25 Feb 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; D. young

11. Pierre Edeline — B. 21 Feb 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; D. about 1825; M. Françoise LaTour (1796-?), 30 Apr 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory

Sources:
“My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com
Detroit Historical Society (website)
History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana, 1886
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Marriages and Deaths 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, dar.org
“The Tragic Story of Marie Joseph Edeline, First Wife of Jean François Hamtramck,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 32, Karl DeLisle, Jan 2011
Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio 1778-1783, Volume 1, William Hayden English, 1896
François Riday Busseron (Wikipedia article)

Farming On Poor Soil — Robert Fletcher

B. about 1592 in England
M. about 1616 in England
Wife: Sarah
D. 3 Apr 1677 in Concord, Massachusetts

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; 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 and they had a daughter and two sons by the time they arrived in Massachusetts around 1631. 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.” By 1637, a few other families had joined the community, and Robert was appointed the town constable, a post he held for one year.

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. 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. 

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. Robert died in Concord on April 3, 1677. His wife died a month later.

Famous descendants of William Fletcher include Franklin Pierce, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Barbara Bush, Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney and actor Orson Bean.

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

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

3. Luke Fletcher – B. about 1625, England; D.  21 May 1665, Concord, Massachusetts

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

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

Sources:
Fletcher Family History: The Descendants of Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass, Part 1, Edward Hatch Fletcher, 1881
History of Massachusetts Blog (website)

On La Salle’s Expedition — Pierre You de La Découverte

B. 1658 in La Rochelle, France
M. (1) about Apr 1693 in (probably) Native American camp at future site of Chicago
Wife: Élisabeth (of the Miami tribe)
M. (2) 15 Apr 1697 in Montreal
Wife: Madeleine Just
D. Aug 1718 in Montreal, New France

There were few more colorful characters in New France than Pierre You de La Découverte. During his 60 years, he traveled with La Salle, lived off the grid in a camp of Miami Indians, and ran a successful fur trading business in early Montreal. Not everything he did was virtuous, though; he was involved in some illegal business dealings, and in the trading of Native American slaves.

Pierre was from the parish of St-Sauveur in La Rochelle, France, born in about 1658 to Pierre You, a tanner, and Marie-Renée Turcot. Nothing is known of his childhood, or whether or not he had siblings. He came to New France during the 1670s. The earliest record that mentioned Pierre was a 1677 grant of land that was next to his property. The document described him as a sergeant at Fort Frontenac, a military outpost at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The recipient of the land grant was René-Robert La Salle, a man who figured prominently in Pierre’s life.

By 1682, La Salle had already made several expeditions out west, and he was seeking to set up a network of French outposts in the Mississippi River basin. In late January, Pierre joined a group of 23 Frenchmen and 18 Indians led by La Salle, and they set out in canoes from Fort Crèvecœur (present-day Peoria, Illinois). The men navigated south through icy waters, entering the Mississippi River. They passed the mouths of the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, and then camped for a week at the future site of Memphis where they built a small fort. A little ways further down the river, the expedition met up with a group of warriors of the Arkansas tribe who had likely never seen Europeans before. Peace was made and La Salle claimed the region for France. The expedition had several more contacts with natives before they reached the Mississippi River delta. The men had to live off the land, and survived for a time on a diet of potatoes and crocodiles. 

Route of La Salle's 1682 expedition down the Mississippi.

On April 9th, La Salle formally claimed the Mississippi River basin for France; this territory represented roughly a third of what is now the United States. La Salle was dressed in a coat of “scarlet trimmed with gold” as he planted a cross and buried an engraved copper plaque at a site near the mouth of the Mississippi. He also drew up a document that was signed by 12 of his men, including Pierre. Soon after the ceremony, the expedition began their journey home paddling up the river. After participating in La Salle’s expedition, Pierre added “de La Découverte” to his surname, and from then on, he signed himself that way. 

La Salle claiming the Mississippi River Valley for France.

Pierre went on to pursue a life in the remote French outposts of the Great Lakes, and this was how for a time he lived among indigenous people. During the 1690s, a camp of Wea Indians (part of the Miami tribe) was located at the site of present-day Chicago. It was said that Pierre married a Wea woman there in April 1693, although it’s likely that this marriage wasn’t a formal arrangement. His wife was known as Élisabeth, and in about 1694, she bore Pierre’s child, a girl named Marie-Anne.

In 1695, Pierre was known to be an officer in Michilimackinac, an outpost located where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron. It isn’t known if his native family was with him. Not long after, Pierre left his wife and child among Élisabeth’s tribe and moved to Montreal, where he married Madeleine Just on April 15, 1697, a ceremony which was witnessed by Alexandre Turpin and Charlotte Beauvais. Between 1698 and 1706, Pierre and Madeleine had five children, two of whom died young. While married to Madeleine, Pierre had an out-of-wedlock child with a 19-year-old woman. Her name was Marie-Madeleine Drousson dit Robert. It isn't known if she consented to the relationship or not. The baby was a girl born in 1708, and Pierre attended her baptism.

When Pierre lived in Montreal, he had a large house on the Rue Saint-Paul. The house was said to be so big that it looked like a warehouse, a sign that he had acquired some wealth. By 1703, he received a land grant at the far western part of Montreal island so he could more easily engage in fur trading, and he settled with his family there. Pierre conducted much of his business from Île-aux-Tourtres, an island at the junction of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers. He was offering liquor to the Indians which enticed them to stop and trade with him, and this gave him an advantage over other merchants, a practice which was against the law. When other merchants complained about Pierre, the authorities looked the other way because of his connections and his record serving in the military. 

Pierre's signature.

Along with furs and other goods, Pierre also dealt in buying and selling Indian slaves. The slaves often came from tribes in the far west; they were captured by other tribes, then traded until they ended up in New France. One slave named Pascal came into Pierre’s possession while he was living among the Wea tribe during the 1690s; he brought Pascal back to Montreal in 1703, and he was later sold to a man known to treat slaves cruelly. Pierre’s actions suggest a callous indifference to those entrapped by the system of slavery.

Pierre continued conducting his business until he died in Montreal in August 1718. His wife Madeleine survived him, but experienced the huge fire which swept through Montreal on June 19, 1721. A nun named Sister Marie Morin later wrote a memoir of the event describing Madeleine’s reaction to the fire, “Madame La Découverte was the last house in the fire’s path, which was so close that burning sparks fell onto it, but she, wiser than the others, promised God a considerable sum for the salvation of the souls in purgatory, and the fire ceased instantly.” In spite of her efforts, the house on Rue Saint-Paul was destroyed. Madeleine was still alive in 1728, but it isn’t known what became of her after that date.

Children by Élisabeth of the Miami tribe:
1. Marie-Anne You — B. about 1695, (probably) Native American camp at future site of Chicago; M. Jean-Baptiste Richard (1682-?), 15 Aug 1718, Montreal, Quebec

Children by Madeleine Just:
1. Pierre You — B. Jan 1698, Montreal, New France; D. May 1703, Montreal, New France

2. Philippe You — B. 2 Nov 1699, Montreal, New France; D. 1736

3. François d’Youville — B. 24 Nov 1700, Montreal, New France; D. 4 Jul 1730, Montreal, New France; M. Marie-Marguerite Dufros (1701-1771), 12 Aug 1722, Montreal, New France

4. Joseph-Paschal You — B. Apr 1702, Montreal, New France; D. Apr 1702, Montreal, New France

5. Marie-Louise You — B. 20 Mar 1706, Montreal, New France; D. 7 Sep 1728, Montreal, New France

Child by Marie-Madeleine Drousson dit Robert:
1. Marie-Catherine You — B. 9 Sep 1708, Montreal, New France; D. 22 Jul 1724, Longueuil, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
Pierre You de La Découverte, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France, Brett Rushforth, 2013
“French-Canadian Exploration, Missionary Work, and Fur Trading in Hudson Bay, the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley During the 17h Century, Part 7,” Diane Wolford Sheppard, 2010
Encyclopedia of Chicago (website)

Tobacco Farmer in Manhattan — Hans Hansen Bergen

B. about 1610 in Bergen, Norway
M. about 1639 in New Netherland
Wife: Sarah Jorise Rapalje
D. 30 May 1654 in Brooklyn, New Netherland

Hans Hansen Bergen was an early immigrant to New Netherland, who was involved in the colony's short-lived period of tobacco farming.

Born in Bergen, Norway in about 1610, Hans had been trained as a ship builder. He left his native country and made his way to the Netherlands, where in 1633, he signed up to be a carpenter on a ship bound for America. The ship was believed to be the Zoutburg, which also carried Wouter Van Twiller, New Netherland’s newly appointed director-general. Van Twiller took over after Peter Minuit was recalled by the Dutch West Indies Company. The Zoutburg was said to be the first war ship to arrive in New Amsterdam; it transported over 100 soldiers “wearing steel corsets, leather jackets, and carrying half pikes and wheel-lock muskets.”

As a Norwegian, Hans fit right into the cosmopolitan community of New Amsterdam. He was sometimes called “Hans Hansen Noorman” in records; other times he was referred to as Hans Hansen Boer because “boer” was Dutch for farmer, his new livelihood. He signed his name with just an initial “H,” suggesting he was probably illiterate.

By 1638, Hans was working as an overseer on a tobacco plantation located in Manhattan near the East River. Director-General Van Twiller had encouraged the development of tobacco farms, and by 1639, there were up to 27 of them in the colony. Hans also partnered with two other men to cultivate a tobacco plantation located in what is now Greenwich Village. Harvesting tobacco required special barns that were larger than normal, and perhaps Hans’ skills as a carpenter were useful in building such structures. He also had a house in New Amsterdam located on what would one-day become Pearl Street. 

1640s illustration depicting tobacco growing in New Amsterdam.

In about 1639, Hans married Sarah Rapalje, who was known as the first European child born in New Netherland. She was only 14-years-old when they got married, and she gave birth to their first child the following year. Between 1640 and 1653, they had 8 children, with the youngest dying as an infant.

In 1647, Hans was granted land in Wallabout Bay, which is a part of present-day Brooklyn, and he moved his family there. His property had 400 acres and was adjacent to his father-in-law, Joris Rapalje. There was a story handed down in the Bergen Family, told by descendant Teunis Bergen in an 1876 book. It was said that when Hans was clearing his land, he was chased up a tree by some Indians. Out of fear, he began to sing, and the natives were so charmed by his voice, they let him go without harming him. It’s not known if there’s any truth to this at all.

Hans died at his farm on May 30, 1654, leaving his widow Sarah with seven underage children. Later that year, she married a second husband, Teunis Bogaert, and had another eight children. Sarah died in 1675.

Hans’ name lives on today in Brooklyn with Bergen Street and Bergen Beach. Some also think that Bergen County in New Jersey was named for Hans and his family, but this is not proven. He was also the ancestor of James Spader.

Children:
1. Anneken Hansen Bergen — B. 12 Jul 1640, Flatlands, New Netherland; D. 1677, Long Island, New York; M. (1) Jan Clerq (~1641-1661), 8 Jan 1661, Flatbush, New Netherland; (2) Derck Jansen Hooglandt (~1635-1728), 8 Oct 1662, Flatbush, New Netherlands

2. Brecktje Hansen Bergen — B.  before 27 Jul 1642, New Netherland; M. Aert Theuniszen Middagh (~1635-~1687), 1662, Brooklyn, New Netherland

3. Jan Hansen Bergen — B. before 17 Apr 1644, New Netherland; M. Jannetje Teunis (1648-?)

4. Michiel Hansen Bergen — B. before 4 Nov 1646, New Netherland; D. 22 Jan 1731; M. Femmetje Denyse (1650-1734)

5. Joris Hansen Bergen — B. before 18 Jul 1649, (probably) Brooklyn, New Netherland  D. 22 Jan 1731, Brooklyn, New York; M. Sara Stryker (1649-1736), 11 Aug 1678, New York

6. Maritje Hansen Bergen — B. before 8 Oct 1651, (probably) Brooklyn, New Netherland  D. 9 Sep 1722, Brooklyn, New York; M. Jacob Rutsen (1651-1730), Ulster, New York

7. Jacob Hansen Bergen — B. before 21 Sep 1653, Brooklyn, New Netherland; M. Elsje Frederiks (1658-1720), 8 Jul 1677, Brooklyn, New York

8. Catalyntje Hansen Bergen — B. before 21 Sep 1653, Brooklyn, New Netherland; D. 20 Nov 1653, Brooklyn, New Netherland

Sources:
The Bergen Family: The Descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, Teunis G. Bergen, 1876
The Colony of New Netherland: A Dutch Settlement in Seventeenth century America, Jaap Jacobs, 2009
Hans Hansen Bergen (Wikipedia article)

Shoemaker and Church Beadle — Charles Edeline

B. about 1641 in (probably) Paris, France
M. 16 Oct 1675 in Boucherville, New France
Wife: Jeanne Braconnier
D. 27 Oct 1711 in Montreal, New France

Among the settlers in the early Montreal area was a shoemaker named Charles Edeline. And remarkably he helped plant a seed that became a modern urban cathedral. 

The only information about Charles' origins came from his marriage record which stated that he was from the parish of Saint-Jaques-de-la-Boucheire in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France, and was the son of David Edeline and Noelle Lambert. Charles' birth year is estimated to be 1641. Nothing more is known about his childhood, or whether he had any brothers and sisters.

At some point, Charles migrated to New France. He wasn’t listed in the 1666 or 1667 censuses, but had settled in Montreal by 1669, where he was mentioned as a witness to a wedding. Charles made his living as a shoemaker. By 1675, he acquired land in Longueuil, which was across the river from Montreal. On October 16th of that year, he married Jeanne Braconnier, a pregnant woman who had recently lost her husband. Jeanne gave birth to a baby girl who was baptized in January. Two years later, Jeanne had her first child with Charles; between 1677 and 1693, they had a total of 10 children.

Charles played a role in the beginnings of the parish of Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil. During its first few years, Longueuil's inhabitants were served by the parish of neighboring Boucherville, and the parish in Montreal. When his first son was born in 1678, Charles feared the newborn baby would not survive a trip to another town, so a baptism was arranged at the house of Longueuil’s seigneur Charles Le Moyne. It was performed by a missionary priest and was the very first baptism in Longueuil. Charles Le Moyne was an important leader in early Montreal, who was the father of several prominent men, including the founder of New Orleans.

Charles LeMoyne (source: Jean Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The first chapel in Longueuil was built five years later, but the parish of Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil wasn’t officially established until 1698. Charles became the church’s beadle, a post he seems to have filled until his death. A beadle was a minor church officer who sometimes helped with services. Between 1701 (when the registers begin) and 1711, Charles’ name was given as a witness to many burials and a few marriages.

On February 20, 1711, Charles’ wife Jeanne died at the hospital in Montreal. Later that year, on October 27th, he died at the same place. Charles' name lived on in many descendants; some used the name Edeline, Edligne or Edline, but others altered it to Deline or Delisle.

As for the parish Charles had worked for, it later became Co-Cathedral of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue, a Gothic revival structure built in the 1880s. It’s known for its collection of religious art and objects. 

Co-Cathedral of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue in Longueuil.

Children:
1. Catherine-Therese Edeline — B. 15 Feb 1677, Longueuil, New France; 26 Apr 1715, Montreal, New France; M. Bertrand DeBlunche dit La Serre (1675-1720), 24 Jul 1697, Boucherville

2. Charles Edeline — B. 15 Nov 1678, Longueuil, New France; D. 3 Apr 1726, Longueuil, New France; M. Helene Charron (1682-1738), 7 Feb 1701, Longueil, New France

3. François Edeline — B. 3 Aug 1680, Longueuil, New France

4. Pierre-Jean Edeline — B. 9 Dec 1681, Longueuil, New France; D. 14 Dec 1681, Montreal, New France

5. Pierre Edeline — B. 30 Jun 1683, Longueuil, New France; D. 18 Jun 1742, Vercheres, New France; M. Louise-Catherine Patenaude (1694-1742), 21 Feb 1718, Longueuil, New France

6. Marie-Anne Edeline — B. 26 Jul 1685, Longueuil, New France; D. Feb 1739, L’Assomption, New France; M. (1) Etienne Parseillier dit LaChappelle (?-1713), 16 Oct 1702, LaPrairie, New France; (2) Louis Douvier dit LaMarche (?-1735), 20 Nov 1715, Repentigny, New France

7. Angelique Edeline — B. 19 Apr 1687, Longueuil, New France; D. 8 Jun 1687, Boucherville, New France

8. Agathe Edeline — B. 11 Aug 1688, Longueuil, New France; D. 22 Aug 1741, Montreal, New France

9. Louis-Antoine Edeline — B. 22 Sep 1690, Longueuil, New France; D. 4 May 1758, Fort Detroit, New France; M. Marie-Madeliene Drousson (1689-1747), 15 Jan 1720, Longueuil, New France

10. Jean-Baptiste Edeline — B. 3 Jan 1693, Longueuil, New France; D. 14 Aug 1715, Montreal, New France; M. Marie-Marguerite Benoit dit Livernois (1694-1734), 29 May 1712, Longueuil, New France

Sources:
“My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
Co-Cathedral of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue (Wikipedia article) 

Raising a Family at a Trading Post — François Godere

B. about 1700 in (probably) Contrecœur, New France
M. about 1735
Wife: Agnes Richard
D. between 1752 and 1756 in Illinois Territory, New France

In the early days of New France, French men traded for furs in places like Montreal. But as time went on, a man had to make expeditions further and further west for his product, until it just made sense to move permanently to a remote outpost. This is what happened with François Godere.

François’ father was Antoine Emery dit Coderre, a Carignan-Sallières Regiment soldier born in 1643, and his mother was Antoine’s second wife, Marie-Anne Favreau. The Emery dit Coderre family lived at various times in Contrecœur and Boucherville. Antoine had 11 children with his first wife and 10 with his second, but the Contrecœur parish records are missing between 1698 and 1700, and that fits with the period of time François was likely born and baptized.

The first couple of decades of the 18th century were a lively time in the area where François grew up, with convoys leaving every year for trading posts in the Great Lakes area. After his father passed away in 1716, François and some of his brothers were known to have signed up as voyageurs, young men hired to paddle canoes out and back. Older brother Louis went to Michillimackinac in 1717. We also know of two expeditions François made — one to an unspecified location out west in 1720, and one to Detroit in 1721. It’s likely that there were other fur trading trips not represented in surviving records.

By about 1735, François was living in Fort Ouiatenon, a French outpost on the Wabash River in what is now Indiana. We can presume that at some point he made a choice to not return to Canada. At Ouiatenon, François met and married Agnes Richard, the daughter of the outpost’s blacksmith. François and Agnes were known to have eight children born between about 1736 and about 1752. The five oldest were boys and the youngest three were girls; their ages have been calculated here from later records.

It’s been estimated that Ouiatenon had a population of up to 3,000 people during the years François was a resident, many of them being from local tribes or of mixed-races (wife Agnes was mixed-race). Life centered around the fur trade, which was conducted inside the stockade walls of the fort. There was also a trading of cultures, with French traditions blending with that of the Wea tribe. This had an affect on many things, from the clothes they wore, the food they ate, and even the way they communicated. 

Typical French fur traders in early 18th-century America. (Artist: Francis Back)

In 1750, the Godere family seems to have traveled to a settlement down the Wabash River, Poste Vincennes. One of François’ children was recorded there that year in a parish record — daughter Agnes was less than a year old when she drowned in the Wabash “15 leagues” from Vincennes. The record also stated that François and Agnes were still living in Ouiatenon at the time. Although one more child was born in about 1752, baby Agnes’ burial was the last record of François. His wife Agnes married another man on August 28, 1756 in Vincennes, so he must have died before that date. All of his surviving children lived in Vincennes, where most of them got married and raised families.

Proof that François Godere was the son of Antoine Emery dit Coderre
The evidence showing that François was one of Antoine’s offspring came in two records. On April 29, 1720, “François Émery” was hired by Jean Quesnel for an expedition from Montreal to the Great Lakes. The following year, on August 6th, Alphonse de Tonty hired a “François Émery dit Coderre of Contrecoeur” for a trip to Detroit. The only Emery dit Coderre family in Contrecœur was Antoine’s, so therefore we can safely conclude he was François’ father. 

Children:
1. Rene Godere — B. about 1736, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 9 Feb 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Catherine Campeau, 3 Mar 1761, Vincennes, New France

2. Pierre Godere — B. about 1737, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 24 May 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Susanne Bolon (1740-?), 5 May 1760, Vincennes, New France

3. François Godere — B. about 1739, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 12 Jul 1779, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Marie-Therese Campagnot (~1745-1803), 18 Jan 1773, Vincennes, New France

4. Louis Godere — B. about 1740, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 15 Jun 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Barbe-Elizabeth Levron (1748-1798), 8 Feb 1770, Vincennes, New France

5. Toussaint Godere — B. about 1746, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 30 Oct 1792, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Barbe Chapart (1758-?), about 1775, Vincennes, New France

6. Ursule Godere — B. about 1748, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 12 Nov 1756, Vincennes, New France

7. Agnes Godere — B. 17 Oct 1750, Illinois Territory, New France; D. 6 Dec 1750, Illinois Territory, New France

8. Marie-Josephe Godere — B. about 1752, Ouiatenon, New France; M. Amable-Charles Bolon (~1750-?), 26 Jan 1773, Vincennes, New France

Sources:
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Marriages and Deaths 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
“Filles du Roi – Part 5 – Marie Madeleine Deschamps to Michell Duval,” Diane Wolford Sheppard, Michigan Habitant Heritage, Vol. 35, January 2014
Quebec Catholic Parish Records, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.com