M. (1) 18 Feb 1799 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory
Wife: Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers
M. (2) 22 Feb 1819 in Vincennes, Indiana
Wife: Cecile Delisle
D. 16 Mar 1819 in Vincennes, Indiana
Among the French who lived in Vincennes, Indiana after the Americans took over, were some who didn't seem to want to live by the law. One was Joseph-Marion Edeline, who was charged with several crimes.
Born on August 28, 1774 to Louis Victor Edeline and Marie-Joseph Thomas, Joseph was baptized at St. Francis Xavier Church in Vincennes, Indiana. He had ten siblings, of which three died young. Joseph was only 4-years-old when George Rogers Clark led American forces in capturing Vincennes; his father was serving as a captain in the army at the time. As he grew up, he saw his father take a leadership role as one of three judges appointed in town. Louis Edeline was one of the few French settlers who was literate, but this wasn’t passed on to his son Joseph who couldn’t sign his own name.
When Joseph was about 16-years-old, he served in the militia in Vincennes, and for this he was granted 100 acres of land by the new American government. He sold this land to a non-French settler by 1806, a common thing among Creole people needing money for living expenses. On February 18, 1799, Joseph married 19-year-old Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers. She gave birth to their first child by the end of the year; the couple had eight more children by 1817.
Joseph was in his 30s when he turned up in several court cases in Vincennes. In 1804, he was accused of mutilating a cow belonging to Antoine Bordeleau, which was valued at $18. The incident was described as Joseph trespassing on Bordeleau’s farm, capturing the cow, and cutting off its ears. The case was dismissed “at the defendant’s expense” probably meaning it was settled out of court because he was guilty. It isn’t known what motivated Joseph to cut off a cow’s ears. Antoine Bordeleau was likely a cousin of his wife because her grandfather had the same name.
When Joseph was about 16-years-old, he served in the militia in Vincennes, and for this he was granted 100 acres of land by the new American government. He sold this land to a non-French settler by 1806, a common thing among Creole people needing money for living expenses. On February 18, 1799, Joseph married 19-year-old Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers. She gave birth to their first child by the end of the year; the couple had eight more children by 1817.
Joseph was in his 30s when he turned up in several court cases in Vincennes. In 1804, he was accused of mutilating a cow belonging to Antoine Bordeleau, which was valued at $18. The incident was described as Joseph trespassing on Bordeleau’s farm, capturing the cow, and cutting off its ears. The case was dismissed “at the defendant’s expense” probably meaning it was settled out of court because he was guilty. It isn’t known what motivated Joseph to cut off a cow’s ears. Antoine Bordeleau was likely a cousin of his wife because her grandfather had the same name.
1804 court record of Bordeleau vs. Edeline.
The following year, Joseph was sued in another case by a man named Pierre Grimard. This time, he was accused of breaking an agreement to build a fence for a house and property he had occupied for a year, and not leaving it in a good condition. The damages asked for by the plaintiff were $200, which was a lot of money in 1806. This case was also settled before coming to trial.
Then in December 1811, he was charged with a serious crime, that of assaulting a woman. Details of the incident are sketchy in the court records. Her name was Margrette Cardinal, who was described as a spinster, although in one place the record mentions a husband François Cardinal. It was said that Joseph had used “force and arms” upon her and that he “did beat, wound and ill treat [her] so that her life was greatly despaired of." It’s unclear what relationship Joseph might have had with Margrette, but his brother-in-law was named Jacques Cardinal, and she may have been a member of his family. Joseph was tried before a jury and they found him not guilty.
One more court case involved Joseph, this time for the estate of his father. It had been almost ten years since Louis Edeline had died in 1799 and the division of his property had still not been settled. At the time of his death, there had been five living children and a sixth who was deceased, but left behind children (Joseph’s mother had died before his father and so was not an heir). The land consisted of three plots: two that were farmland outside of Vincennes and one that was a tiny lot with an old house on it.
Partial ownership of the land was a useless title, so Joseph tried to buy out the others, which he was able to do from his brothers Pierre and Alexis. His sister Barbe had received her share of the estate during her father’s lifetime, so wasn’t claiming any of the land. The other two shares belonged to his brother Nicholas and the two children of his deceased sister Josephine. Nicholas was said to be “out of the country,” and the guardian of the two children wouldn’t sell their share to Joseph. This man was none other than the governor of the Indiana Territory, and future president of the United States, William Henry Harrison. The court ruled that all of the land had to be auctioned and the money divided into five shares. The total sale was a little under $200, and when the court costs and other fees were subtracted, it was $172.50. Joseph ended up with $103.50 as his inheritance.
Joseph’s wife died in about 1818 and he remarried to Cecile Delisle on February 22, 1819. Their marriage was a short one because Joseph passed away less than a month later on March 16th.
Children (all by Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers):
1. Louis Edeline — B. 5 Dec 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; D. 2 Oct 1802, Vincennes, Indiana Territory
2. Jean-Baptiste Edeline — B. 25 Jan 1802, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; D. Mar 1849, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Isabelle Hunter (~1803-1872), 11 Jun 1826, Vincennes, Indiana
3. Joseph Edeline — B. 16 Jan 1804, Vincennes, Indiana Territory
4. Genevieve Edeline — B. 14 Aug 1806, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; D. 22 Mar 1864, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Jean-Baptiste Grimard (1806-1839), 7 May 1837, Vincennes, Indiana
5. Victoire Edeline — B. 17 Sep 1807, Vincennes, Indiana Territory
6. Marie-Louise Edeline — B. 23 Aug 1810, Vincennes, Indiana Territory
7. Françoise Edeline — B. 7 Jan 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; D. 27 Dec 1832, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Pierre Godere (~1813-?)
8. Samuel Edeline — B. 2 Mar 1815, Vincennes, Indiana Territory
9. Julie Edeline — B. 30 Apr 1817, Vincennes, Indiana
Sources:
“My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com
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
Wabash Valley Visions & Voices Memory Project, visions.indstate.edu
American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States, Part 8, Volume 7, 1860
