A Woman of Old Vincennes — Marie-Josephine Levron

B. (probably) about 1759 in Post Vincennes, New France¹
M. about 1777 in (probably) Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory¹
Husband: François Turpin
D. 26 Feb 1835 in Vincennes, Indiana²

In the mid-18th century, a small group of Europeans was already living in what is now Indiana: the French outpost of Vincennes. This is where Marie-Josephine Levron was born and lived for her entire life.

Josephine’s birth is unrecorded, but it’s believed to have been in about 1759.¹ Her parents were Joseph Levron dit Metayer and Marie-Josephe Custeau, and she was the fifth of nine children. The Vincennes of Josephine’s childhood was a place where the Creole culture of the frontier French developed and thrived. Miles away from anything else, the people were pretty much free from outside authority, even after the British took over Canada. Vincennes had a distinct style, with log cabins painted white on narrow zig-zagged paths, and the fields located outside of town. The 60 or so families liked to socialize with each other, practicing their own version of French traditions. 

18th-century Vincennes. (AI-generated image)

In 1763, the priest in Vincennes was sent back to France, leaving them without anyone in charge of their church, and Josephine got married during this time.¹ There’s no record of the event, and indeed her marriage may never have been formalized. Her husband was a mixed-race man named François Turpin (his grandmother had been a Mexican indigenous slave). They started a family with the birth of a son in October 1777;¹ ten more children would follow by 1798. At least five of them died young, which was often the case in such a place.

Not long after Josephine started a family, the American Revolution came to Vincennes. The fort in the village was manned by British regulars, but the Americans knew they weren't such a presence that they could defend an entire region. So a force led by George Rogers Clark, aided by some of the French who signed on as soldiers, easily took Vincennes in February 1779. The fight took place on a single day, and when the English surrendered, it was said that the women of Vincennes prepared a feast for Clark’s men, and entertained them by singing songs.³ It would seem likely that a 20-year-old Josephine was one of them.

After the war, Vincennes started getting settlers who were from places like Kentucky and Virginia. As the original French population became dominated by the newcomers, Josephine lived through a transitional period that saw family and friends selling off land until they had very little left. Her own father went into debt before he died, and in 1799, Josephine and her siblings were sued for the money.⁴ The Levrons lost the case, but it isn’t known if they ever paid what was owed.

On October 1, 1809, Josephine’s husband passed away.⁵ Her final years were during a time that saw the French of Vincennes become a minority in their community. Josephine died in Vincennes on February 26, 1835, and she was buried in the St. Francis Xavier Cemetery.²

Children:
1. François Joseph Turpin — B. 20 Oct 1777, Poste Vincennes, Illinois Country;¹ M. Josephine Guelle, 14 Jul 1805, Vincennes, Indiana Territory⁶

2. Antoine Turpin — B. 13 Jan 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory⁷

3. Jean-Baptiste Turpin — B. 30 May 1782, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;⁸ D. 18 Aug 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory⁸

4. Marie-Josephe Turpin — B. 15 Oct 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;⁹ D. 7 Mar 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory⁹

5. Raphael Turpin — B. 8 Sep 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory¹⁰

6. Louis Turpin — B. 13 Mar 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹¹ D. 8 Aug 1845, Indiana;¹² M. Celeste Joyeuse, 2 May 1830, Vincennes, Indiana¹¹

7. Rosalie Turpin — B. Mar 1791, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹³ M. Charles Grimard (1776-?), 19 Dec 1809, Vincennes, Indiana Territory¹⁴

8. Ursule Turpin — B. 3 Feb 1796, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹⁵ D. 8 Aug 1797, Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹⁶

9. Elizabeth Turpin — B. 12 Nov 1798, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹⁷ D. (possibly) 1835, Vincennes, Indiana;¹⁸ M. François Ravellette (1791-1857), before 4 Oct 1817, (probably) Vincennes, Indiana¹⁹

Sources:
1    Estimated birth year of Josephine and marriage year of François and Josephine based on birth record of her oldest child, François Joseph Turpin, Indiana, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993, Ancestry.com
2    Death record of Josephine Turpin, A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, collected and compiled by Mrs. Alta Amsler
3    Creole (French) Pioneers at Old Post Vincennes, Joyce Doyle, Loy Followell, Elizabeth Kargacos, Bernice Mutchmore, and Paul R. King, 1930s
4    Andre Lacoste dit Languedoc vs. François Turpin and others, Indiana Memory Hosted Digital Collections
5    Death record of François Turpin, Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993, FamilySearch.org
6    Marriage record of François Joseph Turpin and Josephine Guelle, Indiana, Marriages, 1780-1992, FamilySearch.org
7    Baptismal record of Antoine Turpin, I.B.& C.
8    Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Turpin, I.B.& C.
9    Baptismal record of Marie Joseph Turpin, I.B.& C.
10  Baptismal record of Raphael Turpin, I.B.& C.
11  Burial record of Louis Turpin, I.D.& B.
12  Marriage record of Louis Turpin and Celeste Cartier, Indiana, Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012, Ancestry.com
13  Baptismal record of Rosalie Turpin, I.B.& C.
14  Marriage record of Charles Grimard and Rosalie Turpin, I., U.S., S.M.I.
15  Baptismal record of Ursule Turpin, I.B.& C.
16  Burial record of Ursule Turpin, I.D.& B.
17  Baptismal record of Elizabeth Turpin, I.B.& C.
18  “Ravellettes from Indiana Roys, Griffith, etc.,” Genealogy.com
19  Baptismal record of Pierre Ravelette (Elizabeth’s oldest child), I.B.& C.

Survivor of Childhood Tragedies — Marie-Thérèse Maillot

B. 3 Mar 1708 in Montreal, New France¹
M. 11 Aug 1730 in Montreal, New France²
Husband: Antoine Mallet
D. after 25 Oct 1753 in (probably) Post Vincennes, New France³

By the time Marie-Thérèse Maillot had reached her 14th birthday, she had seen the death of both parents and eight of her ten siblings, plus her home was destroyed in a fire. But she survived, and wound up making a life far from where she started out.

Thérèse was born on March 3, 1708 in Montreal to Guillaume Maillot and Marie-Anne Massé.¹ Her father and grandfather were both blacksmiths,^4,5 a vital part of the growing settlement on the St. Lawrence. When she was a child, Thérèse watched as her parents buried infants, one-by-one. Then in 1718, her father died at age 47.⁶

Thérèse’s mother remarried to merchant from France named Pierre Courault de LaCoste,⁷ who became her step-father even though he was just 12 years older than she was. The family continued to live in the house owned by Thérèse’s father, said to be two stories tall and measuring 33 feet by 45 feet.⁸ Unfortunately, it was made of wood, which would come into play one fateful day during 1721.

That June 19th, the people of Montreal had gathered on the streets in celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi, one of many special dates on the Catholic calendar. It’s easy to imagine Thérèse and her sister Marie-Anne joining in the excitement. But then someone fired a gun in the air, with sparks landing on and igniting the roof of a church building. Before anyone could stop it, lower Montreal was engulfed in flames.⁹ The house where Thérèse lived was on Rue Saint-Paul,¹⁰ and wasn’t far from the church. The blaze ended up destroying about 150 homes, and hers was one of them. For the next several months, the family was forced to take refuge in a house located outside of the fire zone.¹¹ 

Map of the 1721 Montreal fire.

Things got worse for Thérèse that year. In September, her mother went through her final labor, delivering a stillborn child — and then she died.¹² Thérèse and Marie-Anne were left under the care of their young step-father, who remarried to someone even younger in March 1722.¹³

It may have been because Pierre Courault de LaCoste was a fur trading merchant¹⁴ that Thérèse ended up moving to the West. Certainly she came into contact with many people in Montreal who had dealings with her step-father, such as Antoine Mallet, a man from Detroit. They were married on August 11, 1730 at Notre Dame de Montreal with Courault de LaCoste in attendance.² Not long after that date, she left the St. Lawrence River area, never to return.¹⁵ Thérèse was able to sign her name on the marriage document, an indicator that she had received some education. 

Signature of Therese.

After a long trek by canoe and foot, Thérèse and Antoine set up their household at Detroit.¹⁵ Established in 1701, the French outpost was already a lively place of fur trading leading to places further west. Thirty years after its founding, it still was a rough existence, and of the ten children Thérèse gave birth to, only four survived. Her child-bearing spanned the years 1731 to 1743.

Thérèse moved one more time in her life. In 1750, her 15-year-old daughter was married at Post Vincennes,¹⁶ which is in present-day Indiana. Thérèse’s name was on a Post Vincennes baptism dated October 25, 1753, and she was described as a widow.³ Most likely, Antoine had died after they both moved there, but there is no record of his death. The baptism was the last mention of Thérèse, and she probably passed away during the 1750s.

Children:
1. Marie-Therese Mallet — B.about 3 May 1731, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. Jan 1734, Detroit, New France¹⁵

2. Marie-Catherine Mallet — B. about 22 Oct 1732, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. Oct 1732, Detroit, New France¹⁵

3. Marie-Therese Mallet — B. about 12 Apr 1735, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. 19 Sep 1763, Post Vincennes, New France;¹⁶ M. Jean-Baptiste Renaud dit Deslauriers (1708-?), 26 Oct 1750, Post Vincennes, New France¹⁷

4. Jacques-Louis Mallet — B. about 15 Apr 1736, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. 14 Jun 1794, Vincennes, Indiana Territory;¹⁸ M. Marie-Louise Crepeau (1758-1825), about 1778, Post Vincennes, Illinois Country¹⁸

5. Joseph Mallet — B. about 26 Aug 1737, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. Apr 1739, Detroit, New France¹⁵

6. Jean-François Mallet — B. about 11 Oct 1738, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. before 25 Jul 1806, Vincennes, Indiana Territory;¹⁹ M. Marie-Charlotte Levron dit Metayer (1756-1814), 30 Jan 1770, Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory¹⁹

7. Marie-Timothea Mallet — B. about 6 Sep 1739, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. Dec 1739, Detroit, New France¹⁵

8. Angelique Mallet — B. about 9 Dec 1740, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. Dec 1740, Detroit, New France¹⁵

9. Antoine Mallet — B. about 12 Feb 1742, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ M. Catherine Bordeleau (1759-1818)²⁰

10. Augustin Mallet — B. about 12 Apr 1743, Detroit, New France;¹⁵ D. Apr 1743, Detroit, New France¹⁵

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Marie-Therese Maillot, Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Antoine Mallet and Marie-Therese Maillot, Q., C. P. R.
3    Baptismal record of Marie-Therese Renaud dit Deslauriers, “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901, p. 209
4    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Martin Masse
5    Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Vol. 6, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
6    Burial record of Guillaume Maillot, Q., C. P. R.
7    Marriage record of Pierre Courault de LaCoste and Marie-Anne Massé, Q., C. P. R.
8    Montreal Fire 1721, Google Groups
9    Torture and the Truth: Angélique and the Burning of Montreal (website)
10  Property sale record, 9 Jul 1721 to 30 Jan 1722, BAnQ
11  Inventory of property of Pierre Courault de LaCoste, 23 Sep to 16 Oct 1721, BAnQ
12  Burial record of Marie-Anne Massé, Q., C. P. R.
13  Marriage record of Pierre Courault de LaCoste and Marguerite Aubuchon, Q., C. P. R.
14  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Pierre Courault de LaCoste
15  Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region, 1701-1936, Christian Dennison, 1987, p. 783
16  Burial record of Therese Mallet, “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901, p. 325
17  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Therese Mallet
18  WikiTree listing of Jaques Louis Mallet
19  WikiTree listing of Jean François Maillet
20  WikiTree listing of Antoine Maillet

On Both Sides of the Wabash — Joseph Gaile

B. 18 Nov 1788 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹
M. before 18 Oct 1818 in (probably) Vincennes, Indiana²
Wife: Archange Baillargeon
D. May 1835 in Lawrence County, Illinois³

The story of Joseph Gaille is like that of many of the Creoles in early 19th century Vincennes, Indiana: his time was divided between two sides of the Wabash River. Joseph was born in Vincennes on November 18, 1788 to Charles Diel and Elizabeth Clermond Dubord,¹ the sixth of their ten children; only three of the children are known to have survived childhood. Although Joseph’s family name was “Diel,” for some reason, it evolved in a way that wasn’t quite phonetic; after 1800, it appeared as Gaile or Guile, in several variations of spelling. Joseph came from a long line of fur traders, but those days were long over, and he spent his childhood on a small farm, likely on the outskirts of Vincennes.

When war broke out with England in 1812, many young men in Vincennes joined the fight, and Joseph was one of them. While there may have been a spirit of patriotism with their enlistments, it’s likely that many signed up for the money. Records show that Joseph served two stints in the war. During his first enlistment from August 13th to November 18th of 1812, he was a private in the 1st Regiment of the Indiana Militia.⁴ On September 12th, Joseph’s unit arrived as reinforcements to a siege at Fort Harrison, a stockade at the site of present-day Terre-Haute.⁵ It isn’t known if he saw any action, but the enemy retreated soon after. Joseph was later noted as being AWOL along with 9 other men in his company;⁴ it isn’t known if he faced discipline for it, or simply got docked some of his pay. Early the following year, he signed up again in the same regiment, this time for two months starting on February 15th.⁴

Following the war, Joseph got married, but the date of his wedding is unknown. His wife was Archange Baillargeon, who had recently been widowed, and she brought two young children into the marriage. Joseph and Archange first appeared in records as a couple on the baptism of their first child, dated October 18, 1818.² The baby was noted as having been born on March 10th, so it’s likely they had been married at least 9 months before that date. Between 1822 and 1835, six more children are known to have been born to them. It’s interesting that all of their children’s baptisms took place at St. Francis-Xavier Church in Vincennes, but each child was several months old. It suggests that the family probably lived a long distance from the church, and it’s known that during some of that time, they were across the Wabash River in Illinois.

During the early 19th century, French families from Vincennes began setting up small farms in Edwards County, Illinois (which became Lawrence County in 1821); they tended to stick together in their new communities, but kept their ties to Vincennes. As proof that Joseph was there, he was listed on the 1820 census residing in Edwards County with his wife and three small children.⁶ There was also an 1821 receipt from a man named John Small which showed that Joseph helped build a dam on the Embarras River by supplying some lumber for it.⁷

Map of the region where Joseph lived. St. Francisville was a French community first settled in about 1810.

Receipt for Joseph's lumber that was supplied for John Small's dam at Smallville.

By 1827, the family seems to have moved back to the Indiana side of the Wabash.² But later, Joseph was back in Lawrence County, where he died in May 1835;³ Archange passed away in 1849.⁸ Although their children ended up primarily in Vincennes, they continued to move over the years back and forth across the Wabash, a connection of the two communities which lasted all the way into the 20th century.

Children:
1. Marie Gaile — B. 10 Mar 1818, (probably) Edwards County, Illinois;² D. 29 Jul 1879, St. Francisville, Illinois;⁹ M. Amable Grimard (1812-1904), 12 Feb 1838, Vincennes, Indiana¹⁰

2. Henry Gaile — B. 29 Aug 1822, (probably) Lawrence County, Illinois;¹¹ D. before 1860, (probably) Vincennes, Indiana;¹² M. Elizabeth Dauphin (~1826-?), 24 Oct 1842, Vincennes, Indiana¹³

3. Susanne Gaile — B. 26 Mar 1827, Vincennes, Indiana;¹⁴ D. 29 Oct 1869, St. Francisville, Illinois;¹⁵ M. (1) François Louis Ravellette (1819-1863), 23 May 1842, Vincennes, Indiana; ¹⁶(2) Charles Moyse (1821-1878), 22 Oct 1866, St. Francisville, Illinois¹⁷

4. Elizabeth Gaile — B. 14 Jul 1824, Vincennes, Indiana;¹⁸ M. William Chapard (1820-?), 19 Feb 1844, Vincennes, Indiana¹⁹

5. Charles Gaile — B. 21 Jul 1829, Vincennes, Indiana²⁰

6. Barbe Gaile — B. 21 Jul 1829, Vincennes, Indiana;²¹ D. after 19 Nov 1850, (probably) Vincennes, Indiana;²² M. Jean Baptiste Chapard (1823-?), 12 Nov 1849, Vincennes, Indiana²³

7. Marcelline Gaile — B. 23 Feb 1835, (probably) Lawrence County, Illinois²⁴

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Joseph Diel, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
2    St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
3    Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993, FamilySearch.org
4    Muster, pay and receipt rolls of Indiana territory volunteers or militia of the period of the War of 1812  
5    Fort Harrison, Indiana (Wikipedia article) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Harrison,_Indiana
6    1820 U.S. Census
7    Receipt for the work Joseph Gaile did for John Small, 1 Aug 1821
8    Indiana Diels Descended from Philippe Diel and Marie Anquetin (website)
9    Find-A-Grave listing for Marie Guielle Greemore  
10  Marriage record of Amable Grimard and Marie Gaile, Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992, FarmilySearch.org
11  Baptismal record of Andre [Henry] Guile Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
12  1860 U.S. Census
13  Marriage record of Andre [Henry] Guile and Elizabeth Dauphin, Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992, FarmilySearch.org
14  Baptismal record of Susanne Guile, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
15  Burial record of Susanne Guelle, Diocese of Belleville, Illinois Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956, FamilySearch
16  Marriage record of François Louis Ravallette and Susanne Guile, Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992, FarmilySearch.org
17  Marriage record of Charles Moyse and Susanne Guile, Diocese of Belleville, Illinois Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956, FamilySearch
18  Baptismal record of Elizabeth Guaile, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
19  Marriage record of William Chappart and Elizabeth Guaile, Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992, FarmilySearch.org
20  Baptismal record of Charles Guaile, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
21  Baptismal record of Barbe Guaile, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
22  Baptismal record of Marie Louise Chapard, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
23  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Chapard and Barbe Gauile, Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992, FarmilySearch.org
24  Baptismal record of Marcelline Gaile, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org

An Unknown Route to Vincennes — Nicolas Baillargeon

B. 24 Mar 1740 in St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France¹
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.

1773 baptism in Vincennes. (AI-generated image)

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

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.

Pure French in 19th Century Midwest — Susanne Gaile

B. 26 Mar 1827 in Vincennes, Indiana
M. (1) 23 May 1842 in Vincennes, Indiana
Husband: François Louis Ravellette

M. (2) 22 Oct 1866 in St. Francisville, Illinois

Husband: Charles Moyse
D. 29 Oct 1869 in St. Francisville, Illinois

Susanne Gaile had a heritage that was 100% French-Canadian—a descendant of Indiana settlers from before the American Revolution. She was born in Vincennes on March 26, 1827 to Joseph Diel and Archange Baillargeon, the third of their seven known children (the surname Diel changed to Gaile sometime during the early 1800s). Susanne likely never attended school, and she grew up poor.

Susanne was only 15 when she got married. Her husband was François Louis Ravellette, and the wedding took place on May 23, 1842 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Vincennes. It was the same church where her parents and grandparents had been married, and her marriage was likely celebrated in a traditional Creole style. Often engagements happened just before Lent, with weddings taking place later in the spring; they were lively occasions followed by receptions with music and dancing. 

Vincennes wedding. (AI-generated image)

Susanne gave birth to her first child in 1844; the family grew to include eleven children, with four dying young. Two little girls died a week apart in April 1860, suggesting that they had the same illness.

Like other people of French descent in Vincennes, the 1860 census showed that Susanne and her husband didn't own much land, and their children didn't attend school. A Creole dialect of French was likely spoken in their home instead of English; one of their daughters was known to be able to speak French as an adult. Susanne’s husband died in December 1863 at the age of 44; she was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a baby girl about two months later. 

With several underage children, Susanne needed a husband and on October 22, 1866, she remarried to Charles Moyse, a widower living across the Wabash River in St. Francisville, Illinois who was also her cousin. In September of 1868, she gave birth to one more child, a baby girl. Susanne died about a year later on October 29, 1869 at St. Francisville. Second husband Charles passed away in 1878.

Children by François Louis Ravellette:
1. Joseph Ravellette — B. 5 Mar 1844, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 7 Sep 1845, Vincennes, Indiana

2. Elizabeth Ravellette — B. about 1845, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 1880, St. Francisville, Illinois; M. Jacob Charles Valle (1845-1899), 30 Dec 1872, St. Francisville, Illinois

3. François Ravellette — B. 2 Apr 1848, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 20 May 1913, St. Francisville, Illinois; M. (1) Mary Channet (1848-1871); (2) Josephine Elizabeth Greemore (1853-1921), 15 Feb 1872, Knox County, Indiana

4. Mary Louise Ravellette — B. 3 Oct 1850, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 2 May 1918, Vincennes, Indiana; M. (1) William L. Edeline (1848-1876), 24 Nov 1868, Knox County, Indiana; (2) Robert James Wilhite (1850-1938), 3 Sep 1880, Vincennes, Indiana

5. William Ravellette — B. 3 Oct 1850, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 10 Dec 1929; M. Melissa Gharst (1870-1952)

6. Angelique Ravellette — B. 1 Dec 1853, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 24 Apr 1860, Vincennes, Indiana

7. Rosanna Ravellette — B. 11 Mar 1855, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 10 Apr 1855, Vincennes, Indiana

8. Suzanne Archange Ravellette — B. 20 Oct 1856, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 17 Apr 1860, Vincennes, Indiana 

9. Andrew Ravellette — B. 13 Oct 1858, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 28 Mar 1931

10. Eliza Ravellette — B. 26 Jun 1861, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 23 Feb 1941, Vincennes, Indiana; M. (1) Robert Baker (~1842-?), 15 Nov 1880, Vincennes, Indiana; (2) William H. Erton (1865-1940), 31 Aug 1919, Vincennes, Indiana

11. Marguerite Helene Ravellette — B. 10 Feb 1864, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 22 Sep 1908, Lawrenceville, Illinois; M. Oliver Levi Stangle (1859-1923), 2 Apr 1883, Vincennes, Indiana 

Child by Charles Moyse:
1. Frances Moyse — B. 25 Sep 1868, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 1 Jun 1933, Vincennes, Indiana; M. (1) Peter Delisle (1857-1889), 11 Sep 1887, Knox County, Indiana; (2) John Baptist Stangle (1862-1899), 7 Apr 1891, Vincennes, Indiana; (3) Henry Louis Wheatley (1864-1935), 14 Feb 1905, Vincennes, Indiana 

Sources:
“Ravellettes from Indiana Roys, Griffith, etc.,” Genealogy.com
Creole (French) Pioneers at Old Post Vincennes, Joyce Doyle, Loy Followell, Elizabeth
1860 U.S. Census

Returning to her Tribal Land — Marie-Anne You

B. about 1695 in (probably) Native American camp at future site of Chicago
M. 15 Aug 1718 in Montreal, Quebec
Husband: Jean-Baptiste Richard
D. after 4 Nov 1766 in (probably) Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

Marie-Anne You was a Métis woman who grew up among her mother’s tribe, and later married a French man in Montreal. But she found that she preferred the place she knew as a child, and she was allowed to move back.

Marie-Anne’s mother (called Elisabeth) was a member of the Wea tribe, a branch of the Miami people who lived in what is today western Indiana. During the late 17th century, the Wea were among several other tribes who were pushed west by aggression from the Iroquois, and during the 1690s, two camps were settled near the mouth of the Chicago River. It was here that Marie-Anne’s parents must have met.

The father of Marie-Anne was a French fur trader named Pierre You de La Découverte, who had traveled with LaSalle on his 1682 expedition down the Mississippi River. During the 1690s, he lived for a time at one of the two Native American camps on the Chicago River, and he was said to take a Native American wife in April 1693. Typically such an arrangement was not a formal one, and it was of mutual benefit to both parties. Marie-Anne’s father likely wanted to gain a good relationship with the people of the camp in order to trade with them. But her mother may have also been seeking an alliance for trade purposes—it gave better access for the goods offered by a fur trader to her people.

Marie-Anne was born about 1695, and her parents didn’t stay together very long after that. Pierre You returned to the Montreal area and married a French woman on April 15, 1697. As for Marie-Anne, she remained with her mother. 

Living in a Wea camp. (AI-generated image)

By 1700, the Miamis abandoned the camps at Chicago, and the Wea set up new villages on the Wabash River in what is today northern Indiana. This area became known as Ouiatenon and was the tribe’s main settlement throughout the 18th century. The Wea were said to have a summer camp close to the river so they could fish, and a winter camp that was a hunting ground. They also grew corn in the prairie land. During the time that Marie-Anne was a child, the camps were sometimes visited by fur traders, and this was how she came in contact with the man she would marry, Jean-Baptiste Richard.

It’s uncertain when Jean-Baptiste met Marie-Anne. He was a blacksmith and interpreter who in 1717, arrived with seven other men to build a fort near their settlement; the outpost was at the request of the tribe who wanted protection from their enemies when they engaged in fur trading. But Marie-Anne’s relationship with her future husband may have begun years earlier—there is a record of the baptism of a 15-year-old Native American girl at Detroit who was identified as Jean-Baptiste’s slave. The event occurred on May 22, 1710.

Could this have been Marie-Anne? It's possible that Jean-Baptiste had acquired her when traveling on his own to her village at Ouiatenon. But the name on the baptism was “Marie-Jeanne,” so it can’t really be proven. If it was her, it’s important to note that slaves in New France were sometimes more like servants. The French usually allowed slaves to live in their houses, had them baptized in their churches, and often paid them a wage. French fur traders sometimes even married the Indian slaves they had previously owned.

Whatever the circumstances were, Marie-Anne and Jean-Baptiste were living as a married couple, and had a baby girl who was born about 1717 or 1718. They journeyed back to Montreal and were married there on August 15, 1718. Their daughter was baptized on the same day; it’s interesting that one of Marie-Anne’s half-brothers, Philippe You de La Découverte, served as the godfather. Her father, Pierre, died within a couple weeks of her wedding, and was buried at the same church where she had been married.

Marie-Anne had two more children by the end of 1721, but she didn’t adapt well to living on the St. Lawrence River. Whether it was the climate or the culture, she was “continually ill,” and wanted desperately to go back to Ouiatenon. The fort needed an interpreter, creating an opportunity for Jean-Baptiste to return, but the offer didn’t include his wife and children. So Jean-Baptiste asked the governor for permission to have his his family join him, and it was granted. In September 1722, Marie-Anne, along with her husband and three very young children, traveled by canoe from Montreal to northern Indiana. The family brought with them three men to help paddle and enough supplies to set themselves up in their new home. 

Permission granted by the governor of New France for Marie-Anne’s journey.

For the next couple of decades or so, Marie-Anne and her family lived at Ouiatenon. At some point she gave birth to another child, but no records survive from that time. The fort remained an active trading post with the Wea tribe living nearby, and the population swelled to as much as 3,000. Jean-Baptiste seems to have died before 1750, and later, Marie-Anne and her daughters appeared in church records at Post Vincennes, another French fur trading site with people of mixed races. Marie-Anne was still living in Vincennes when it fell into British control. The last known record of her was as godmother for her great-granddaughter, Françoise-Agnes Godere, on November 4, 1766. She likely died within a few years of that date.

As for the Wea tribe, their sense of security at Ouiatenon came to an end in 1791 when President Washington ordered military action against them. A large American force made a surprise attack, killing many people, taking women and children as prisoners, and burning their village. Over the next couple generations, the Wea population declined, and in 1854, many of the tribe were relocated to Oklahoma.

Children:
1. Marie-Suzanne Richard — B. about 1718, New France; D. Jan 1800, River Raisin, Northwest Territory; M. (1) Albert Gilbert Parent (1703-1750), 1733, Montreal, New France; (2) Charles Barthelemy dit Rose (1722-?), 9 Jul 1759, Detroit, New France

2. Agnes Richard — B. 7 May 1719, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; before Jul 1778; M. (1) François Godere (~1701-?), about 1735; (2) Jean-Baptiste Vaudry (1726-?), 28 Aug 1756, Post Vincennes, New France

3. Jean Richard — B. 20 Nov 1721, Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec; D. Jun 1807, Amherst Island, Ontario; M. Alida Connor (~1725-1816)

4. Marie-Josephe Richard — B. after 1721, (probably) Fort Ouiatenon, New France; M. Joseph Antaya dit Pelletier

Sources:
Wea (Wikipedia article)
Ouiatenon (Wikipedia article)
Encyclopedia of Chicago (website)
Marriage à la façon du pays (Wikipedia article) 
Pierre You de La Découverte, Dictionary of Canadian Biography (website)
Native American Netroots (website) https://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/858
“Who and What Were the Panis Indians Buried from Ste. Anne de Detroit?”, Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 32, #3, July 2011
Red River Valley Website, Metis History, 1708-1714, Dennis Matthews
“Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901
WikiTree

Philadelphia to Detroit in 1750s — Marie-Joseph Thomas

B. about 1740 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
M. 14 May 1759 in Detroit, New France
Husband: Louis Victor Edeline
D. before 28 Apr 1799 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory

There’s an amazing story about how Marie-Joseph Thomas of Philadelphia ended up living at the remote French outpost of Detroit in the 1750s. Unfortunately, it’s entirely lost to history.

How and why did Marie-Joseph make that trip? The only known facts come from her marriage record. On May 14, 1759, she married Louis Victor Edeline at Ste-Anne-de-Detroit parish. Louis Victor was a 28-year-old man from the Montreal area who had been living at Detroit since about 1750. The marriage record stated that Marie-Joseph had been in Detroit “for about two years or so,” and that she was a native of Philadelphia. Her father was called “André Thomas” and her mother’s name appeared to be written as “Lolis.” One more fact was that Marie-Joseph was a Catholic, or she wouldn’t have been allowed to marry her husband in the Church. 

An 18th-century Detroit wedding. (AI-generated image)

It’s highly unlikely Marie-Joseph started out as a French Catholic because very few Catholics were living in Philadelphia in 1733. Also the name “Thomas” may not have been a French name—her father was probably Andrew instead of André. Based on the birth year of her youngest child, Marie-Joseph would have been no older than about 18 when she came to Detroit, and she was probably a little younger. From all evidence, she had no family with her. Since the French and Indian War was raging at the time, it doesn’t seem plausible that she was part of some sort of pioneer migration, and as a teenage girl, she wouldn’t have trekked through a war zone by herself.

But there is one way Marie-Joseph may have ended up at Detroit: as a captive. Her family may have been among the many settlers who were homesteading on the frontier in Pennsylvania. It was said that thousands of settlers were raided by hostile Indians during that time, with adults killed and children abducted. Often children, even teenagers, were raised as members of a tribe, and some were transported for long distances. So it was possible for Marie-Joseph to have been captured, then handed off to the French in Detroit. There she may have been taught French by nuns and converted to Catholicism.

There was another way Marie-Joseph might have been a captive. During the 1750s, a fort at the site of present-day Pittsburgh was involved in the conflict between the English and French. On July 9, 1755, the fort was successfully captured by the French, and it was reported that about 25 English women who served as maids and cooks were taken captive. Marie-Joseph may have been barely old enough to be among them. There’s no report of where the women were taken, but perhaps some ended up in a place like Detroit.

While Marie-Joseph’s early life is speculation, the rest of her years are somewhat well-documented. After marrying Louis Victor, Detroit fell to the British in 1760, and around this time, the two of them moved to Post Vincennes in present-day Indiana. It was here that Marie-Joseph gave birth to her first child in September 1761, who died young. She would eventually have 11 children, with the youngest born in 1786.

Starting in 1763, the fort at Vincennes was occupied by the British, and when news of the American Revolution was brought to the village in 1778, the French settlers were eager to support the rebel cause. Marie-Joseph’s husband Louis Victor signed the oath of allegiance to the Americans, then became a captain in a newly formed militia. The following February, George Rogers Clark led a sneak attack on the fort, successfully winning the surrender of the British, and it was said that all of Vincennes helped, including the women. But Marie-Joseph may not have actively participated because the very next day, she gave birth to a baby girl. The child was named Victoire, and was the first American child born in what is now Indiana.

After the war, Louis Victor was appointed as a judge, and the family had some prominence in the community. Sadly, Marie-Joseph seems to have died sometime between the marriage of her son Nicholas on August 10, 1795 and her husband's death on April 28, 1799.

Children:
1. Marie-Louise Edeline – B. 9 Sep 1761, Post Vincennes, New France; D. before 1770

2. Marie-Joseph Edeline – B. Oct 1763, Post Vincennes, New France;  D. 21 May 1796, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. (1) Nicholas Perrot, 24 Jul 1778, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; (2) Jean-François Hamtramck (1756-1803)

3. Marie-Barbe Edeline — B. 13 Dec 1764, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. before 11 Dec 1809, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Jacques Cardinal (1761-1810), 2 Aug 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory

4. Jean-Louis Edeline – B. Jan 1767, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

5. Marie-Louise Edeline — B. 28 Oct 1770, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. Jan 1793; M. Joseph Joyeuse (1769-?), 15 Feb 1791, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

6. Nicholas Edeline — B. 2 Nov 1772, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; M. Therese Godere (1778-?), 10 Aug 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

7. Joseph Marion Edeline — B. 28 Aug 1774, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. 16 Mar 1819, Vincennes, Indiana; M. (1) Genevieve Renaud dit Deslauriers (1779-~1819), 18 Feb 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; (2) Cecile Delisle, 22 Feb 1819, Vincennes, Indiana

8. Jacques Edeline — B. 28 Mar 1776, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. about 1798

9. Alexis Edeline — B. 15 Jul 1777, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; D. about 1808

10. Victoire Edeline — B. 25 Feb 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; D. young

11. Pierre Edeline — B. 21 Feb 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; D. about 1825; M. Françoise LaTour (1796-?), 30 Apr 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory

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
History – Archdiocese of Philadelphia (website)
Fort Pitt Museum (website)
Battle of Monongahela (Wikipedia article)

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

No Priest in Vincennes — Françoise-Agnes Godere

B. about 4 Nov 1766 in Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory
M. 2 Aug 1784 in Vincennes, Virginia Territory
Husband: Louis Favel Ravellette
D. about 1835 in Vincennes, Indiana

Two of the most important life events for a Catholic are their baptism and their marriage, but what happens when there’s no priest around to administer them? For Françoise-Agnes Godere, both ceremonies were improvised by her family, friends and a notary until a priest could be present.

Françoise-Agnes was born just after the English took control of New France following the French and Indian War. Her parents, Louis Godere and Barbe-Elizabeth Levron, lived in Post Vincennes, one of the most remote places in the colony. The British takeover caused the parish priest to leave and the people carried on as best they could. Young couples didn’t have much choice but to live together without a formal marriage, and that’s what Françoise-Agnes’ parents did, making their vows before their friends.

Sometime after that, about the beginning of November 1766, Françoise-Agnes was born, and a baptism was arranged that was documented by notary, Étienne Phillibert. (A baptism that wasn’t officiated by an ordained priest was forgivable since it was often necessary in cases when a newborn infant was about to die.) The notary kept a ledger for all of the events he was overseeing during this time, and he carefully noted Françoise-Agnes’ baptism. The event took place November 4th and her godparents were her maternal grandfather, Joseph Levron, and her great-grandmother, Marie-Anne You.

Baptizing a baby without a priest. (AI-generated image)

Françoise-Agnes’s parents had two more children before a priest came to Post Vincennes in 1770. Father Pierre Gibault had previously served there, and was heading the parish in Kaskaksia. When he returned to Vincennes that year, the people were glad to see him. He later wrote, “When I arrived, everybody came in a crowd to meet me at the banks of the River Wabash. Some threw themselves on their knees and were quite unable to speak; others spoke only by their sobs; some cried out, ‘Father, save us, we are nearly in hell.’” He stayed in Vincennes for two months, repairing the little log church, St. Francis Xavier, and sanctifying the sacraments that had been administered by the notary. On February 8, 1770, Father Gibault legitimized the birth of Françoise-Agnes and her siblings by recognizing her parents’ marriage.

The next decade of Françoise-Agnes’s childhood was eventful, as the American Revolution unfolded to the east. Father Gibault went back to his parish at Kaskaskia, but visited Post Vincennes in 1778 encouraging the people to join the American cause. By now, the English took a serious interest in manning Fort Vincennes, and the French people hated them. The men of the town, including Françoise-Agnes’ father and grandfather, signed an oath of allegiance to the Americans. The following year, George Rogers Clark, helped by the people of Vincennes, won control away from the British. But the war went on several more years, and when Françoise-Agnes came of age, there was still no permanent priest in Vincennes.

At age 16, Françoise-Agnes got involved with a young man, Louis Favel Ravellette, and she became pregnant. The couple couldn’t wait for a priest to marry them, so once again, the family turned to the notary Philibert. On September 1, 1783, a contract was drawn up, not just as a promise to marry, but also as a document defining their joint property as being 300 livres, and if one should die, the other would receive half. The contract signing was witnessed by Françoise-Agnes’ parents, step-grandfather and several others. The following January, she gave birth to a baby girl they named Marguerite.

Françoise-Agnes and Louis had to wait nearly a year to have their wedding performed by Father Gibault, who now returned for good to St. Francis Xavier church in Vincennes. On August 2, 1784, the young couple celebrated their marriage before family, friends, and likely, all of the French people of Vincennes. A Creole-style wedding typically took place at the bride’s house with a huge feast, and dancing to music that lasted all night. It’s not known if Françoise-Agnes’ wedding was any different, given that she had already been with her husband.

Over the next 20 years, Françoise-Agnes had another eleven children. She enjoyed a long marriage with her husband Louis; both are believed to have died around 1835, having spent their entire lives in Vincennes.

Children:
1. Marguerite Ravellette — B. 25 Jan 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; M. Jean Mominy, 16 Aug 1802, Vincennes, Indiana Territory

2. Louis Ravellette — B. 20 Feb 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; M. Helene Campeau, 1 Oct 1810, Vincennes, Indiana

3. Pierre Ravellette — B. 24 Jan 1788, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

4. Antoine Ravellette — B. about Oct 1790, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Adelaide Cabassier, 6 Jul 1818, Vincennes, Indiana

5. François Ravellette — B. 9 Nov 1791, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; D. 7 Dec 1857, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Elizabeth Turpin (1798-1835)

6. Andre Ravellette — B. 4 Feb 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; D. 17 Oct 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

7. Françoise Ravellette — B. 19 Aug 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. François Bono, 16 May 1816, Vincennes, Indiana

8. Marie-Theotiste Ravellette — B. 19 Aug 1795, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Pierre Renaud dit Deslauriers, 12 Nov 1813, Vincennes, Indiana

9. Agnes Ravellette — B. 30 Sep 1797, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

10. Helene Ravellette — B. 25 Feb 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

11. Marie-Amable Ravellette — B. 13 Jun 1802, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Pierre Meteyer, 2 Oct 1820, Vincennes, Indiana

12. Elizabeth Ravellette — B. 26 Mar 1804, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Pierre Cabassier, 24 Jul 1820, Vincennes, Indiana

Sources:
History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana, 1886
“Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901
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
Creole Pioneers at Old Post Vincennes, Joyce Doyle, Loy Followell, Elizabeth Kargacos, Bernice Mutchmore, and Paul R. King, 1930s

Grandson of Vincennes Patriots — Jean Baptiste Edeline

B. 25 Jan 1802 in Vincennes, Indiana Territory
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