M. 24 Jul 1778 in Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory2
Wife: Françoise Plichon
D. 6 May 1803 in Vincennes, Indiana Territory3
Most early French settlers of present-day Indiana followed a progression of migration from the Montreal and the Great Lakes areas. But Nicolas Baillargeon, who was born near Quebec City, left no records in either of those places.
Nicolas began life in St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, a settlement on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. He was born there on March 24, 1740, the second child of Nicolas Baillargeon and Marie-Madeleine Proulx.1 Through his mother he descended from the founders of Quebec, including Louis Hebért and Hélène Desportes. Nicolas’ father tragically drowned near their home when he was just a baby,4 and his mother remarried to a man named Ignace Dessaint.5 That marriage gave Nicolas two half-brothers, then his mother died when he was about 13-years-old.6
What Nicolas did for the next 20 years is a mystery. He would have come of age about the time England took over Quebec during the French and Indian War; perhaps he fought among the French, and afterwards, sought to make a life on the frontier. He turned up in Post Vincennes by the beginning of 1773, where he was named as godfather to a child of Louis Victor Edeline on January 23rd of that year.7 The infant was also named Nicolas, suggesting Nicolas may have been close friends with Edeline.
During the 1760s and 1770s, Vincennes’ fort was manned by British forces, who let the French settlers continue much as they had been under French rule. But the presence of the Catholic church was diminished, and the church had no permanent priest. Settlers had to wait for the priest from nearby Kaskaskia, Father Pierre Gibault, to make a visit in order to receive the sacraments. So when Father Gibault came to Vincennes during the summer of 1778, Nicolas was able to get married. His bride was Françoise Plichon, the 18-year-old daughter of a Detroit farmer, and the wedding took place at St. Francis Xavier Church on July 24th.2
St. Francis Xavier Church in Vincennes.
Father Gibault had come to Vincennes for another reason: he wanted to get the support of the French people for the Americans who were fighting for independence in the East.8 He was convinced that if the Americans won, the right of the settlers to practice the Catholic religion would be protected. During his visit, he asked all of the men to sign an oath of allegiance, pledging their support for the Americans, and Nicolas put his mark on the document, an act which qualified him as a patriot. The following February, a force under George Rogers Clark successfully captured Fort Vincennes with the help of the people who lived there.
In December 1779, Nicolas saw the birth of his first child.9 Over the next twenty years, he became a father ten more times, but six of the children seem to have died young. During the prime of his life, Nicolas owned a lot of land in and around Vincennes. At some point early on, he was granted 300 acres, part of which was likely where he operated his farm.
In 1790, the U.S. government gave 400 acres of land to anyone who had been head of a family in Vincennes at the end of the American Revolution.10 Nicolas was awarded property on the Embearas River (in present-day Illinois), but the title was disputed years later after he sold it someone else.11 In 1806, the government was invalidating land claims if there was no proven development of the land. During the investigation, a woman testified that in about 1784, Nicolas had gone out to his tract, built a cabin, and cleared an acre of land. Unfortunately for the new owner, the testimony was ruled to be hearsay and the title was rejected.
Nicolas died on May 6, 1803 at the age of 63,3 leaving behind his wife Françoise with a couple of young daughters. She lived on for many years as a widow, passing away in 1837.12
Children:
1. Françoise Baillargeon — B. 14 Dec 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;9 M. Charles Moyse, 23 May 1796, Vincennes, Northwest Territory13
2. Nicolas Baillargeon — B. 10 Feb 1782, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;14 M. Pelagie Vallé, 23 May 1808, Vincennes, Indiana Territory15
3. François Baillargeon — B. 21 Jan 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory16
4. Barbe Baillargeon — B. 20 Jan 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;17 D. 1 Aug 1850, Vincennes, Indiana;18 M. André Lacoste (1788-?), 1 Oct 1810, Vincennes, Indiana Territory19
5. Eustache Baillargeon — B. 2 Feb 1788, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;20 D. 18 Sep 1788, Vincennes, Virginia Territory21
6. Archange Baillargeon — B. 21 Oct 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;22 D. before 11 Dec 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory23
7. Victoire Baillargeon — B. Jun 1790, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;24 D. 20 Feb 1793, (probably) Vincennes, Northwest Territory25
8. Archange Baillargeon — B. 11 Dec 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;23 D. 28 May 1849, Vincennes, Indiana;26 M. (1) Joseph Sansouci, 1 Oct 1810, Vincennes, Indiana Territory;27 M. (2) Joseph Gaile, about 1817, Vincennes, Indiana28
9. Jean Baillargeon — B. 11 Dec 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory29
10. Marie-Josephe Baillargeon — B. 6 Feb 1797, Vincennes, Northwest Territory30
11. Victoire Baillargeon — B. 8 Nov 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;31 M. Isadore Cartier, 25 Apr 1820, Vincennes, Indiana32
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Nicolas Baillargeon, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Nicolas Baillargeon and Françoise Plichon, Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992, FamilySearch.org
3 Find-a-Grave listing of Nicholas Baillargeon
4 Burial record of Nicolas Baillargeon (his father), Q.C.P.R.
5 Marriage record of Ignace Dessaint and Marie-Madeleine Proulx, Q.C.P.R.
6 Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Proulx, Q.C.P.R.
7 Baptismal record of Nicolas Edeline, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
8 Pierre Gibault (Wikipedia article)
9 Baptismal record of Françoise Baillargeon, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
10 American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States, Part 8, Volume 7, 1860, p. 678
11 American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States, Part 8, Volume 7, 1860, p. 687
12 Burial record of Françoise (Plichon) Baillargeon, Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993, FamilySearch.org
13 Marriage record of Charles Moyse and Françoise Baillargeon, I.M.
14 Baptismal record of Nicolas Baillargeon (son), I.B.& C.
15 Marriage record of Nicolas Baillargeon and Pelagie Vallé, I.M.
16 Baptismal record of François Baillargeon, I.B.& C.
17 Baptismal record of Barbe Baillargeon, I.B.& C.
18 Burial record of Barbe (Baillargeon) Lacoste, A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, collected and compiled by Mrs. Alta Amsler
19 Marriage record of André Lacoste and Barbe Baillargeon, I.M.
20 Baptismal record of Eustache Baillargeon, I.B.& C.
21 Burial record of Eustache Baillargeon, Roster of Soldiers & Patriots in the American Revolution Buried in Indiana, 1938
22 Baptismal record of Archange Baillargeon (older), I.B.& C.
23 Baptismal record of Archange Baillargeon (younger), I.B.& C.
24 Baptismal record of Victoire Baillargeon (older), I.B.& C.
25 Burial record of Victoire Baillargeon, Indiana, Knox County: A Complete Survey of Cemetery records, p. 276
26 Death Record of Archange (Baillargeon) Gaile, Ravellettes from Indiana Roys, Griffith, etc., www.genealogy.com
27 Marriage record of Joseph Sansouci and Archange Baillargeon, I.M.
28 Marriage date of Joseph Gaile and Archange Baillargeon based on baptismal record of oldest child Marie, I.B.& C.
29 Baptismal record of Jean Baillargeon, I.B.& C.
30 Baptismal record of Marie-Josephe Baillargeon, I.B.& C.
31 Baptismal record of Victoire Baillargeon (younger), I.B.& C.
32 Marriage record of Isadore Cartier and Victoire Baillargeon, I.M.
