The Final Force From France — Jean-Baptiste Ravellette

B. 14 Dec 1724 in Morannes, Maine-et-Loire, France
M. 25 Sep 1758 in Detroit, New France
Wife: Marie-Françoise Rosalie Fauvel
D. before 1784 in (probably) Vincennes, Virginia Territory

The colony of New France was populated with many people whose families had migrated there in the 17th century, but others came much later, and a lot of them were soldiers. This was the case for Jean-Baptiste Ravellette, whose service brought him to the western frontier just before the English took over.

Jean-Baptiste was born on December 14, 1724 in Morannes, France, a village in the western part of the country. His parents were Marcellus Ravalet and Jane Durandeau; his father was a potter. It’s not known if Jean-Baptiste had any brothers and sisters; his mother died by the time he was 6-years-old, then his father married three more times within 5 years. By 1733, the family lived in Tiercé, a few miles downriver from Jean-Baptiste’s birth place.

Nothing more is known of Jean-Baptiste until he turned up in a marriage record in Detroit at the age of 33. On September 25, 1758, he married Marie-Françoise Rosalie Fauvel, a 17-year-old girl who lived in the area. Jean-Baptiste was identified as a “soldier in the troops of the navy, in the company of Baune.” The date falls right in the middle of the struggle to hold onto New France. As the English threatened even the most remote outposts, Detroit was seen as the last chance to keep anything. Four hundred French soldiers were sent there, and Jean-Baptiste must have been one of them.

Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste.

French soldier in 1750s America.

As the war was ending in defeat for the French, Jean-Baptiste and his young bride made their home at Detroit. Their first child was born near the time they were married, so it’s very likely Françoise was pregnant before their wedding. By 1772, they had five more children, some of whom probably died young. Detroit fell under British authority in 1762, and a census was taken of all of the French inhabitants; Jean-Baptiste wasn’t listed, but it’s possible he was living outside of the area that was enumerated or he was simply missed. 

By early 1767, Jean-Baptiste and his family had moved to Post Vincennes in present-day Indiana. Although the British had a presence at the fort in the village, the French people were free to maintain their community and culture. One of the challenges was the absence of a permanent priest, and the baptisms of some of his children were recorded by the town’s notary. His youngest child, Marie-Therese, was baptized by the visiting priest in 1773 when the girl was nearly a year-old. Later that decade, Vincennes was the site of an important battle in the Revolutionary War. It was said that the French citizens helped the American forces capture Fort Vincennes from the British, but it’s not known if Jean-Baptiste played any role in the fight.

Jean-Baptiste spent the rest of his life in Vincennes, likely dying in about 1783. His wife Françoise died sometime before him. Their descendants continued to live in Vincennes for many generations.

Children:
1. Louis Favel Ravellette — B. about 1758, (probably) Detroit, New France; D. 1835, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Françoise Agnes Godere (1766-~1835), 2 Aug 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory

2. Marie-Madeleine Ravellette — B. before 10 Jun 1760, Detroit, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Lagarde (?-~1790), before 27 Dec 1774, (probably) Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

3. Guillaume Ravellette — B. 1763, Detroit, New France

4. Marie-Joseph Ravellette — B. about Mar 1767, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

5. Marie-Louise Ravellette — B. 10 Apr 1770, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

6. Marie-Therese Ravellette — B. 21 Feb 1772, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

Sources:
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
Compagnies franches de la Marine au Canada 1750-1760 (website)
FichierOrigine.com
WikiTree