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
