M. 11 Jun 1826 in Vincennes, Indiana
Wife: Isabelle Hunter
D. Mar 1849 in Vincennes, Indiana
Jean Baptiste Edeline came from a strong French heritage in Vincennes, Indiana. Both of his grandfathers served in the American Revolution, one as a captain in the army and the other as a man who helped guide George Rogers Clark to Fort Vincennes. But by the time John came along, the glory days of French Vincennes were in the past.
Jean was born in Vincennes on January 25, 1802 to Joseph Marion Edeline and Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers. He was baptized the next day at St. Francis Xavier Church, with Alexis Edeline and Therese Godere Edeline as godparents (his uncle and his aunt by marriage). Jean had one older brother who died young, and seven younger siblings, several of whom also appear to have died young.
By the time John was 17, both of his parents had died. It wasn’t until seven years later that Jean got married; his wife was Isabelle Hunter who was neither French nor Catholic, and the two were married in a civil ceremony on June 11, 1826. Isabelle soon became pregnant and gave birth to a son the following year. Their family grew to include six more, with the youngest born in 1848.
Jean’s life represented a transitional time in Vincennes as the Creoles co-existed with a population that was more and more non-French. With a wife whose heritage was English/Scots-Irish, French may not have been spoken in their home. Jean’s own name was indicated as “John” on some records (such as some land grants he received in 1837), and many of his children also had Anglicized names. Still, his culture may have dominated hers, in that the families living on neighboring farms were mostly French. It’s interesting that of Jean’s five children who later married, only one chose a spouse who was non-French.
1837 land grant for "John" Edeline of Knox County.
Something happened to Jean in early 1849 that caused him to write a will on January 22nd, and he died in March. The 1850 census showed the surviving members of his family presumably still on the farm he had owned, and it was valued at $1,500, a great deal more than any other around them. By 1860, the family’s farm was worth a lot less money. Jean’s wife, Isabelle, passed away in 1872.
Children:
1. Joseph Edeline – B. 21 Oct 1827, Vincennes, Indiana; D. Jan 1842, Vincennes, Indiana
2. Marie Jeanne Edeline – B. 5 Oct 1829, Vincennes, Indiana; D. about 1851, Indiana; M. Paul D. Richardville (~1825-?)), 21 Sep 1850, Knox County, Indiana
3. Robert A. Edeline – B. 26 Sep 1831, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Suzanne Queret (~1840-?), 14 Jan 1861, Vincennes, Indiana
4. John Edeline — B. 9 Dec 1833, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 23 May 1896, Cairo, Illinois; M. Eliza Joyce (~1836-~1873), 19 Feb 1855, Vincennes, Indiana
5. Patience Naomi Edeline – B. 10 Feb 1838, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 4 Oct 1838, Vincennes, Indiana
6. Isabelle Edeline – B. 10 Apr 1840, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 24 Mar 1895, Vincennes, Indiana; M. John Richard Glass (1830-1908), 25 Jul 1858, Vincennes, Indiana
7. William L. Edeline — B. 1848, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 1876, Indiana; M. Mary Louise Ravellette (1850-1918), 24 Nov 1868, Knox County, Indiana
Sources:
“My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com
“A New Document Bearing on the History of George Rogers Clark in Vincennes,” Indiana Magazine of History, Stephen L. Cochran, 1998
1840, 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census
Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
Indiana Church Marriages, 1780-1993, FamilySearch.org
