B. 20 Jun 1708 in Montmagny, New France
M. (1) 31 Jul 1731 in Detroit, New France
Husband: Jean-Baptiste Casse dit St-Aubin
M. (2) 20 Jul 1735 in Detroit, New France
Husband: Vital Caron
D. before 1755 in (probably) Detroit, New France
When Marie-Madeleine’s fur trading husband died in the prime of his life, she was left alone to handle his finances. Marie-Madeleine was born in Montmagny, New France on June 20, 1708 to Jean Pruneau and Suzanne Emond. Her father was a native of France and she was one of at least 8 children in the family.
It isn’t known how or why Marie-Madeleine ended up in Detroit. She appeared there as the bride of a fur trader, Jean-Baptiste Casse dit St Aubin, married at the remote outpost on July 31, 1731. The following year, Marie-Madeleine gave birth to a son, but the child died young, and in February of 1733, her husband died of smallpox. Two years passed before she married another fur trader named Vital Caron. The wedding took place July 20, 1735 at Detroit, and they began a family in May 1736 with the birth of son. They had six more children, with the youngest born in 1746; four of their children died young.
During their married life, Vital worked as a fur trading merchant in Detroit, and Marie-Madeleine seemed to take part in the business. The Huron mission in Detroit ran a store in the settlement which also kept a detailed ledger book, and in addition to naming Vital, it also referred to “Madame Caron” in a few of the transactions. On July 3, 1746, she was said to owe the store for “wampum beads” and 500 nails, and in a separate note, that she had paid the store money owed to Hyacinth Reaume, a shoemaker.
Vital bought a tract of land from the mission in 1746 for 100 pistoles; the property had a house, and was over 66 acres with 2 arpents of frontage on the Detroit River. Unfortunately, Vital died on April 18, 1747, and Marie-Madeleine was left with the debt. For the next couple of years, the mission priests kept a record of the progress she made. On February 15, 1748, it was noted that she had made payment of 112 livres, and on April 20, 1749, another 30 livres. Finally, on May 20, 1750, the priest wrote in the ledger, “I have been paid in full for the land sold the late M. Caron by his widow.”
After the death of her husband, Marie-Madeleine conducted her own business with the mission store. In 1751, she sold them 15 pounds of beef; in other undated transactions, she sold 144 pounds of pork, and 32 pounds of pelts. One time she took money for a pig she agreed to fatten. All this was done while raising her surviving three children by herself.
It’s unknown when Marie-Madeleine died, but it was before 1755. The farm she briefly operated came to be owned by another French family, and passed through several owners before being subdivided in the mid-19th century as part of downtown Detroit. Today the land holds the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino and a portion of 5th Street.
Children by Jean-Baptiste Casse dit St-Aubin:
1. Jean-Baptiste Casse dit St-Aubin — B. 11 Jun 1732, Detroit, New France; D. young
Children by Vital Caron:
1. Vital Caron — B. 23 May 1736, Detroit, New France; D. young
2. Marie-Catherine Caron — B. 10 Apr 1738, Detroit, New France; M. Antoine Bordeleau (1730-1793), 29 Jan 1758, Post Vincennes, New France
3. Alexis Caron — B. 30 Jan 1740, Detroit, New France; D. 4 Feb 1740, Detroit, New France
4. Marie-Louise Caron — B. 14 Feb 1741, Detroit, New France; M. Antoine Robert Lefebvre (1729-?), 25 Jan 1757, Post Vincennes, New France
5. Zacharias Caron — B. 25 Nov 1742, Detroit, New France; D. young
6. Pierre Caron — B. 21 Oct 1744, Detroit, New France; D. 27 Oct 1744, Detroit, New France
7. Jean-Baptiste Caron — B. 8 Jun 1746, Detroit, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region, 1701-1936, Christian Dennison, 1987
Cadillac’s Village, Clarence Monroe Burton, 1895
Account Book of the Huron Mission at Detroit and Sandwich (1740-1781), Pierre-Philippe Poiter
Indiana Church Marriages, 1780-1993, FamilySearch.org
Online Database of Voyageur Contracts
Corktown History (website)
