Post by Rivergal on Jun 27, 2013 18:39:57 GMT -6
Jane Dousman was, for many years, the grande dame of Prairie du Chien. She married her first husband, Joe Rolette, some say as early as age 13. If true, Jane wasn't the only one to do so in her extended family. I am going to spend the next couple of days gathering information about the same.
We will trace the connections back to a French army officer, Charles de Langlade, who married Charlotte Bourassa, the daughter of a wealthy physician, at Montreal. This couple had two daughters, Charlotte [also called "Lalotte"], who died young, and Domitelle, born in 1763. Domitelle married Pierre Grignon, about 18 years her senior, [he had lived with the De Langlade family] at age 13. [my daughters are descendants of the Grignon family]
Another man of the family, Augustin de Langlade, had a daughter who married a Mr. De Verville, and she was the mother of one Gautier de Verville. He married a Miss Chevalier of Mackinaw. This pair had two daughters. The elder married Capt. Henry Monroe Fisher and the younger Michael Brisbois. Mrs. Henry S. Baird [Elizabeth Therese]and Jane Dousman were the daughters of Captain Fisher [they were half-sisters]. The name of Jane's mother was Madeleine Gautier de Verville. Charles de Langlade and Gautier de Verville were both commissioned as captain during the Revolutionary War by the English, but were not called into active service. Henry Monroe Fisher, Jane's father, was a trader and, initially, the only "American" trader at Prairie du Chien. According to historian, Peter Scanlan, Fisher left the village when Jane was still a child, taking with him Charles, the eldest son of Michel Brisbois, and his own sons, Alexander and Henry. They went to the Red River where Fisher became associated with one fur company and then another.
Jane and her brother, George, were left at PdC with their uncle, Michel Brisbois [the man their mother's sister had married]. By that time Henry Monroe Fisher had a second wife. She and her baby, Elizabeth, went to Mackinaw to live.
Now we come to Rolette: From "Dictionaire Historique des Canadiens et des Metis Francois de l'ouest" by Morice.
"Joseph Rolette son of Jean-Baptiste and Angelique Lortie, born at Quebec September 23 1781 educated at Quebec. October 1803 began as merchant at Montreal, thence to Detroit, Sandwich and finally to Prairie du Chein. Married May 1807 Marguerite Dubois; a ward of Julien Dubuque."
From the Palimpsest Vol 3 1922
Page 207 speaking of Rolette. "He married the daughter of Antoine Dubois, a friend of Julien Dubuque, by whom it is reported the young girl was raised after her father had been killed by the Indians."
Joe Rolette began by studying to be a priest, but he abandoned this road. He had two daughters by his wife, Marguerite. They were Elizabeth [died 1843, unmarried] and Emilie. The mother of Marguerite Dubois was supposed to have been a daughter of Chief Wabasha I of the Dakota. To the best of my knowledge her name is uncertain and she was married three times.
First to Charles Gauthier; Second to Antoine Dubois, Sr., Third to Pierre Hurtubise
Children of this union: Seven (7) as follows:
Gauthier (3): Catherine Gauthier Brunet; Margaret Gauthier Dubois Rolette; Modest Gauthier
Dubois (2): Antoine Dubois; Etienne Dubois
Hurtubise (2): Pierre Hurtubise; Victoire Hurtubise Findley
The brother of Marguerite Dubois Rolette, also evidently named Antoine Dubois, was killed by Indians.
From Jean Joseph Rolette a biography written by Peter Scanlan, and given in lectures. Found in the Peter Scanlan papers stored at Plattville. Page 1 "When Pike visited PdC he found Rolette was present and at a dinner given to Pike he was one of the guests. Some of the men were inclined to find fault with Rolette's methods of trade, especially giving Indians liquor which was allowed under the British but forbidden by the Americans. Rolette must have decided to make his home here, for in 1807 he married Margaret Dubois, the daughter of Antoine Dubois and Wabasha's sister. The marriage took place in the presence of a magistrate and two witnesses but no record was kept. Her father had been killed by the Indians several years before and her brother Antoine during the war of 1812. She was only 14 when she married Rolette. She had been raised by Julien Dubuque. Three children were born of this marriage."
Page 2 "The mother of Margaret Dubois after her father's death married Pierre Hurtebise an old trader at PdC and to this marriage was born Pierre who married Emily LeDuc and Virginia who married John Findley in 1817."
So some say "daughter" of Wabasha I and some say "sister". I don't know if this Dakota lady was ever formally married to any of her three husbands. So that is the background, as well as can be known, of the first wife of Jane Dousman's husband, Jean Joseph Rolette.
Back to the Grignon connection: Pierre Grignon and Miss De Langlade had 9 children. They were, Pierre Antoine, Charles, Augustin, Louis, Baptiste, Domitelle, Marguerite, Hypolite and Amable. Pierre Grignon died in 1797, two days previous to the birth of his youngest child. His widow married Jean B. Langevin in 1806.
Jane and her husband, Joe Rolette, had two children, a boy and a girl. Virginie died young [1839] but the son, Joseph Rolette, Jr., lived to become a well-known person. After years of marriage, the second Madame Rolette and her husband separated. As part of the terms of their separation, Rolette built a house for Jane, which she eventually gave to a member of the Brisbois family. It still stands on St. Feriole island and is known as the Brisbois House. Joe Rolette died in 1842. In 1844, Jane married Rolette's former business partner, Hercules Dousman. They were married by Father Florimond Bonduel, pastor of St. Gabriel Archangel Catholic Church at Prairie du Chien, WI.
Jane and Hercules Dousman had only one child, a son named Hercules Louis, usually referred to as "Louis". Louis was born on April 3, 1848 and baptized by the new Catholic priest at Prairie du Chien, Father Lucien Galtier, who had been the first resident priest in what is now known as the state of Minnesota. Louis Dousman died on January 13, 1886, still a young man. He had married Nina Sturgis of St. Paul, Minnesota, and they had several children. Their home became known as "The Villa Louis" after the death of Louis Dousman.
We will trace the connections back to a French army officer, Charles de Langlade, who married Charlotte Bourassa, the daughter of a wealthy physician, at Montreal. This couple had two daughters, Charlotte [also called "Lalotte"], who died young, and Domitelle, born in 1763. Domitelle married Pierre Grignon, about 18 years her senior, [he had lived with the De Langlade family] at age 13. [my daughters are descendants of the Grignon family]
Another man of the family, Augustin de Langlade, had a daughter who married a Mr. De Verville, and she was the mother of one Gautier de Verville. He married a Miss Chevalier of Mackinaw. This pair had two daughters. The elder married Capt. Henry Monroe Fisher and the younger Michael Brisbois. Mrs. Henry S. Baird [Elizabeth Therese]and Jane Dousman were the daughters of Captain Fisher [they were half-sisters]. The name of Jane's mother was Madeleine Gautier de Verville. Charles de Langlade and Gautier de Verville were both commissioned as captain during the Revolutionary War by the English, but were not called into active service. Henry Monroe Fisher, Jane's father, was a trader and, initially, the only "American" trader at Prairie du Chien. According to historian, Peter Scanlan, Fisher left the village when Jane was still a child, taking with him Charles, the eldest son of Michel Brisbois, and his own sons, Alexander and Henry. They went to the Red River where Fisher became associated with one fur company and then another.
Jane and her brother, George, were left at PdC with their uncle, Michel Brisbois [the man their mother's sister had married]. By that time Henry Monroe Fisher had a second wife. She and her baby, Elizabeth, went to Mackinaw to live.
Now we come to Rolette: From "Dictionaire Historique des Canadiens et des Metis Francois de l'ouest" by Morice.
"Joseph Rolette son of Jean-Baptiste and Angelique Lortie, born at Quebec September 23 1781 educated at Quebec. October 1803 began as merchant at Montreal, thence to Detroit, Sandwich and finally to Prairie du Chein. Married May 1807 Marguerite Dubois; a ward of Julien Dubuque."
From the Palimpsest Vol 3 1922
Page 207 speaking of Rolette. "He married the daughter of Antoine Dubois, a friend of Julien Dubuque, by whom it is reported the young girl was raised after her father had been killed by the Indians."
Joe Rolette began by studying to be a priest, but he abandoned this road. He had two daughters by his wife, Marguerite. They were Elizabeth [died 1843, unmarried] and Emilie. The mother of Marguerite Dubois was supposed to have been a daughter of Chief Wabasha I of the Dakota. To the best of my knowledge her name is uncertain and she was married three times.
First to Charles Gauthier; Second to Antoine Dubois, Sr., Third to Pierre Hurtubise
Children of this union: Seven (7) as follows:
Gauthier (3): Catherine Gauthier Brunet; Margaret Gauthier Dubois Rolette; Modest Gauthier
Dubois (2): Antoine Dubois; Etienne Dubois
Hurtubise (2): Pierre Hurtubise; Victoire Hurtubise Findley
The brother of Marguerite Dubois Rolette, also evidently named Antoine Dubois, was killed by Indians.
From Jean Joseph Rolette a biography written by Peter Scanlan, and given in lectures. Found in the Peter Scanlan papers stored at Plattville. Page 1 "When Pike visited PdC he found Rolette was present and at a dinner given to Pike he was one of the guests. Some of the men were inclined to find fault with Rolette's methods of trade, especially giving Indians liquor which was allowed under the British but forbidden by the Americans. Rolette must have decided to make his home here, for in 1807 he married Margaret Dubois, the daughter of Antoine Dubois and Wabasha's sister. The marriage took place in the presence of a magistrate and two witnesses but no record was kept. Her father had been killed by the Indians several years before and her brother Antoine during the war of 1812. She was only 14 when she married Rolette. She had been raised by Julien Dubuque. Three children were born of this marriage."
Page 2 "The mother of Margaret Dubois after her father's death married Pierre Hurtebise an old trader at PdC and to this marriage was born Pierre who married Emily LeDuc and Virginia who married John Findley in 1817."
So some say "daughter" of Wabasha I and some say "sister". I don't know if this Dakota lady was ever formally married to any of her three husbands. So that is the background, as well as can be known, of the first wife of Jane Dousman's husband, Jean Joseph Rolette.
Back to the Grignon connection: Pierre Grignon and Miss De Langlade had 9 children. They were, Pierre Antoine, Charles, Augustin, Louis, Baptiste, Domitelle, Marguerite, Hypolite and Amable. Pierre Grignon died in 1797, two days previous to the birth of his youngest child. His widow married Jean B. Langevin in 1806.
Jane and her husband, Joe Rolette, had two children, a boy and a girl. Virginie died young [1839] but the son, Joseph Rolette, Jr., lived to become a well-known person. After years of marriage, the second Madame Rolette and her husband separated. As part of the terms of their separation, Rolette built a house for Jane, which she eventually gave to a member of the Brisbois family. It still stands on St. Feriole island and is known as the Brisbois House. Joe Rolette died in 1842. In 1844, Jane married Rolette's former business partner, Hercules Dousman. They were married by Father Florimond Bonduel, pastor of St. Gabriel Archangel Catholic Church at Prairie du Chien, WI.
Jane and Hercules Dousman had only one child, a son named Hercules Louis, usually referred to as "Louis". Louis was born on April 3, 1848 and baptized by the new Catholic priest at Prairie du Chien, Father Lucien Galtier, who had been the first resident priest in what is now known as the state of Minnesota. Louis Dousman died on January 13, 1886, still a young man. He had married Nina Sturgis of St. Paul, Minnesota, and they had several children. Their home became known as "The Villa Louis" after the death of Louis Dousman.