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.