Joseph Bailly
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bailly was a fur trade
r and a member of an important French Canadian
family that included his uncle, Charles-François Bailly de Messein
.
Bailly was one of several Canadians
from prominent families who were important in the western fur trade. In 1822, he established a trading post
near present-day Porter, Indiana
, making him the foremost pioneer
of that area.
. He and his children had significant influence as the region transitioned from English colonialism
to frontier expansion of the United States
. He was born Honore Gratien Joseph Bailly de Messein on 7 April 1774 in Verchères
, Quebec
; a village which originated with a land grant to his great-great grandfather Francois Xavier Jarret, Sieur
de Vercheres in 1672. It is located 20 mi (32.2 km) up the Saint Lawrence River
from Montreal
, on the opposite bank. Bailly was a sixth generation French-Canadian, descending from Jehan Terriault and Perrine Brault, who were original colonists in Acadia
in 1637. Bailly's great-grandfather Nicholas Antoine Coulon, Sieur de Villiers was a trader and Army officer who was killed by Fox Indians on the shore of Green Bay, Wisconsin
in 1733. His uncle, Father Charles-Francois Bailly de Messein spent more than twenty years as a Catholic
missionary
to the Mi'kmaq Indians of Nova Scotia
, and was appointed coadjutor
Bishop of Quebec
in 1788. Following the family interest in the fur trade, Joseph Bailly received an advanced education in Montreal, and served a clerkship with the North West Company
. In 1792, at the age of 18, he finished his education, and entered the fur trade at Michilimackinac. Although from a prominent family, they had little money. His father died in '95, and Joseph became the main support of his mother, younger brother and sister for several years.
. From 1793 to 1810, his winter residence was a trading post located near an Ottawa village at the foot of the Maple River Rapids, in Lebanon Township
, Clinton County
. Bailly owned additional trading posts from 1793 to 1822 on Lake Muskego, Muskegon River
, Michigan (now Muskegon, Michigan
); from 1793 to 1810 in Chig-au-mish-kene village on Grand River
(now Lyons, Michigan
), from 1807 to 1815, in Parc aux Vaches village on St. Joseph River
, (south of present day Niles, Michigan
); from 1807 - 1828 on the Calumet River
, Indiana
; and from 1807 - 1828 on the Kankakee River
, Illinois
.
(Black Cloud), the chief of a large band of Grand River Ottawa
. He located his main village in what became Essex Township
of Shiawassee County
, on the south side of the Maple River, but the band used a winter camp in Lebanon Township of Clinton County (now the village of Maple Rapids
) for gathering maple sugar
. Children of the marriage were Francis Bailly, born in 1795; Alexis Bailly; born in 1798; and Sophia Bailly, in 1807. The marriage ended in divorce. Francis remained with Maketoquit's band and Alexis was sent to boarding school in Montreal. Sophia was adopted by a close friend of both parents, fur trader Marie LaFramboise; who summered on Mackinac Island
and wintered on Grand River (now Lowell, Michigan
).
out of Mackinac Island and challenged the giant North West Company. Rousseau and Bailly maintained large warehouses on Mackinac and in Montreal; trading in numerous locations with several fleets of voyageurs
.
Joseph married Marie Lefevre de La Vigne (Mo-nee or Tou-se-qua) in 1810. She was born in 1783 in Ma-con, a large mixed-band Indian village on the Raisin River west of present Monroe, Michigan
. Her mother was a Potawatomi
of the St. Joseph Band (now known as the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
). Marie married Kougowma (or Kiogima), also called La Vigne, a medicine man
in the Mackinac band of Ottawa, who took her to Mackinac Island. Kougowma died between 1804 and 1809. Bailly adopted the two daughters from this marriage, Agatha born in 1797 and Therese, born in 1803. Five more children were born of this second marriage, who were Esther in 1811, Rose in 1813, Eleanor
in 1815, Robert in 1817 and Hortense in 1819.
The information stated above as the background of Angelique is ascribed to several researchers to be Bailly's first wife. According to tradition, fur traders would take native wives, whom they would 'set-aside' when the arrangement was no longer convenient. Being an Indian woman, there probably was never a church marriage. Preliminary research into this first wife has identified her as an Ottawa Woman of the Grand River Ottawa, named Monee. Without a sanctioned marriage, the church allowed a new marriage, to Angelique McGulpin. The evidence for his marriage to Angelique comes from his "third" marriage in 1810. At that time, the church (according to Joseph's daughter) refused to allow a divorce from his 'first', i.e., 1st church; wife. Therefore, Joseph married Marie in a civil ceremony
Records show that his six children born from 1799 to 1803 were born in camps along the east of Lake Michigan. Angelique, would have been age 9 to 13. Since the youngest, Francois, stayed in the Ottawa villages as a medicine man (doctor), it is unlikely that Angelique was the 'first wife'. Yet most Indian wives were not considered wives. The reference by Joseph's daughter, therefore, would most likely refer to a metis (mixed blood) or French wife, married in the Church. Therefore, it is concluded by some researchers that Joseph had three wives.
Joseph's third wife was Marie LeFevre. She was born at Riviera des Raisins to LeFevre de Gascon and a French & Indian woman, about 1783. When her father died in 1790, the family was driven away from the Detroit area as half-breeds. They returned to her mothers Ottawa people at L'Abre Croche. Here, she was married to an Ottawa Medicine man named de la Vigne. After having two daughters, she left him because of his spirit worship. Having been raised in the Catholic Church, she sought to rejoin this religion. By 1810, she was at Mackinac, where she met Joseph Bailly. At this time, because of their common religious concerns, they were married in a civil ceremony. Their six children and Alexis would become the living memory of the Bailly family
, but found that he could not maintain neutrality. He was a Canadian citizen, and had a huge business headquartered in Montreal. Bailly was appointed a Lieutenant in the Michigan Fencibles, a regiment of Canadian militia
, in January 1813. He was seized as a prisoner of war
in January 1814, while visiting his post at Parc Aux Vaches (very near the site of today's campus of the University of Notre Dame
), by United States militia
. He was taken to Fort Detroit
and held for two months until March. Bailly was on Mackinac Island when it was invaded by US forces in July, and was deported with the other Canadian Loyalists to Drummond Island
, Canada (now Chippewa County, Michigan
), though the Battle of Mackinac Island
ended in the retreat of American forces. He sent his eight year old daughter Sophia to live with her adopted brother, trader Joseph LaFramboise in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
; but the war theater soon expanded westward to that village.
Dominique Rousseau and Joseph Bailly were both traders from Montreal in the years prior to the American Revolution. Both were of French Canadian parents. In the summer of 1802, Rousseau and Bailly hired Paul Hervieux of Repetingy (Montreal) to act as bourgeois and take a canoe under an American license issued at Michilimackinac and to go to Grand Portage. Here they were to trade with the Indians and the canoemen of the other companies.
On July 10 or 12 they arrived in Grand Portage Bay. They were ready for trade by 8 am the day after they arrived. They had three 'little' tents in a spot some 50 feet from the North West Company
canoes and ten feet from the shore.
In testimony by Thomas Forsyth
, Esquire a Montreal Trader with the XY Company and Maurice Blondeau a 'merchant voyageur' since 1752, the area had been cleared by a John Erskine (Askin) in the mid 1750's and there had been a 'free right to pitch their tents' in any open area although this area was normally occupied by the Northwest Company.
Shortly after they had set up camp, Duncan McGillivray
and Simon McTavish
appeared among their tents and ordered Rastoute, Hervieux's clerk, to move beyond the "little fort". This was the establishment of Mr. Boucher. Boucher ran a small trading post, of the Northwest Company, for the Canoemen. Rastoute apparently expecting this possibility produced a copy of the American issued trading license. McGillivray and McTavish replied to the effect that it was not valid at Grand Portage.
Later in the day, McGillivray and McLeod returned to the site of Hervieux's tents. With a group of bourgeois and clerks, McGillivray slashed at the trader’s tent and McLeod ordered the traders out. They pulled the stakes from the ground. Michel Robichaux, a voyageur of 25 years, heard McLeod threaten, "if (we were) at Rat Portage" I would break your neck. McLeod then opened a bale of trade goods and scattered it "to the breezes". McGillivray and McLeod then returned to the stockade.
Hervieux and his men move their camp beyond the 'little fort' of Boucher. Here they remained through the rendezvous. Upon their return to Mackinac
, Bailly and Rousseau filed suit for recovery of damaged and lost goods in the courts of Montreal
. "The Court having heard the parties by their Counsel and duly examined the evidence of Record ... It is Considered that the Plaintiffs do recover the sum of Five Hundred Pounds current money of this province, with costs of suit." Bailly and Rousseau won their case and established the precedence of American rule over these parts of the upper lakes. In the summer of 1804, the Northwest Company, under its British license moved its rendezvous from American soil at Grand Portage to Fort William in Thunder Bay, on British soil.
an descent in northern Indiana, and their home became a popular and lively stop for travelers between Chicago
and Detroit
or Fort Wayne
. The family was well-known for their refinement and graciousness. The extensive trading post that Bailly established hosted the Indian
bands of the region, especially the Potawatomi. His trading influence extended westward to the Sac
and Fox villages of Illinois. Bailly purchased over 2000 acre (8.1 km²) of land, drafting plans for developing a commercial harbor, city and infrastructure at the mouth of the Calumet. The Bailly home was a center of the Catholic faith in northern Indiana, but Joseph also strongly supported the Baptist
Carey Mission
to the Indians. His wife and daughters also acquired extensive land holdings through treaty grants and skillful speculation. The town of Monee, Illinois
in Will County, Illinois
is named for Mrs. Bailly.
. He ensured that all of his children were highly educated, spoke multiple languages, and contributed to society.
Bailly's son Francis Bailly became a medical doctor, and a medicine man of the Grand River Ottawa band. Following the forfeiture of the Ottawa lands on Maple River, Francis, his cousin Maketoquit, and a sub-chief man named Wintagowish purchased the land containing their village on Maple River in an attempt to co-exist with the new inrush of settlers. When it became impossible, they agreed to resettle on a reservation at Elbridge, Oceana County, Michigan
.
Alexis Bailly was a prominent pioneer fur trader to the Sioux
bands in Minnesota
, founding the town of Wabasha
and the Wabasha County
government; and serving in the Minnesota Legislature
.
Daughter Sophia Graveraet and her husband lived on Mackinac, and traded with the Ottawa and Chippewa
(Ojibwa) in the region of Grand Traverse Bay
. She was the "Indian grandmother" in the tales from the books of Ottawa-Chippewa chronicler John Couchois Wright.
Daughter Agatha Biddle was a leader of the Mackinac Island community, and became chief of the Mackinac band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians. Her home, which was in her family for several generations, is an historic feature operated by Mackinac Island State Park
since 1959 which demonstrates life on the island from the early fur trade era.
Therese Nadeau died as a young mother, at the Bailly homestead in Indiana. Her sons, all traders, became leaders at the Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian Reservation
, where the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians were sent, and pioneers of Shawnee County, Kansas
.
Esther Whistler was in charge of the fledgling stages of Bailly's grand development called Baillytown, which ceased on her sudden death in 1842. Her trader husband and sons followed the relocation of the Sac and Fox tribe, and were pioneers of the towns of Burlington
, Coffey County, Kansas
and Stroud
, Lincoln County, Oklahoma
.
Rose Howe was the wife of an early Chicago banker and entrepreneur. Following his early death, she and her mother became active investors in Chicago's commercial development. From 1869 to 1874, Rose and her daughter extensively toured Catholic shrine
s of Europe and the Middle East
.
Eleanor became Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly
of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
, based near Terre Haute, Indiana
. She was a protege of foundress Saint Théodore Guérin
, and succeeded her a leader of the order. Her biography of Saint Mother Guerin, published posthumously, was part of the formal evidence supporting canonization in October 2006.
Robert Bailly died in childhood, while a student at Carey Mission.
Josephine Bailly married Chicago businessman and developer Joel T. Wicker, one of two brothers for whom the Wicker Park
and Wicker Park neighborhood is named. One of his many projects was to clear the lands acquired by Joseph Bailly, subdividing them and selling farmsteads to pioneering families of modest means. She also died as a young mother.
Joseph Bailly died of illness on 21 December 1835 in his home in Porter County, Indiana
; and was buried in the family cemetery nearby. The trading post, family home and cemetery remained in the family through three generations, until after 1918. They became focal historic features of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
in 1966; and are currently in use demonstrating everyday life and culture before the settlement of Indiana by people of European origin. Nearby Chellberg Farm
, part of the original Joseph Bailly land holdings which was purchased from Joel Wicker by a Swedish immigrant family from Chicago, showcases life from the subsequent pioneer period. The Joseph Bailly Homestead
became a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It was included in the new Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
in 1966.
Joseph Bailly is the subject of two published semi-fictional biographies, "The Story Of A French Homestead In The Old Northwest," by Frances Howe, James Dowd Publishers - Bowie, Maryland 1907 / repub. Heritage Books 1999; and "Wolves Against The Moon," by Julia Cooley Alttrocchi, MacMillan Company, New York 1940 / repub. Black Letter Pres, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1994; and several pamphlets and papers.
professor Randa Duvick began translating Joseph Bailly's 1799-1802 fur trade business account book from the original French language
. As an important historic resource, Duvick has compared the translation to an archaeological dig, revealing rarely discovered intricate detail about everyday life over the large areas of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois that Bailly covered in his trade.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r and a member of an important French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
family that included his uncle, Charles-François Bailly de Messein
Charles-François Bailly de Messein
Charles François Bailly de Messein was a priest active in the British province of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War...
.
Bailly was one of several Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from prominent families who were important in the western fur trade. In 1822, he established a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
near present-day Porter, Indiana
Porter, Indiana
Porter is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,972 at the 2000 census.Porter is noted for its proximity to the Indiana Dunes State Park and for its railroad heritage...
, making him the foremost pioneer
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
of that area.
Early history & ancestors
Joseph Bailly was an early fur trader on the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. He and his children had significant influence as the region transitioned from English colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
to frontier expansion of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was born Honore Gratien Joseph Bailly de Messein on 7 April 1774 in Verchères
Verchères, Quebec
Verchères is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 5,243.- History :...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
; a village which originated with a land grant to his great-great grandfather Francois Xavier Jarret, Sieur
French nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...
de Vercheres in 1672. It is located 20 mi (32.2 km) up the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, on the opposite bank. Bailly was a sixth generation French-Canadian, descending from Jehan Terriault and Perrine Brault, who were original colonists in Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
in 1637. Bailly's great-grandfather Nicholas Antoine Coulon, Sieur de Villiers was a trader and Army officer who was killed by Fox Indians on the shore of Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
in 1733. His uncle, Father Charles-Francois Bailly de Messein spent more than twenty years as a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the Mi'kmaq Indians of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, and was appointed coadjutor
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
Bishop of Quebec
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec
The Archdiocese of Québec is the oldest Catholic see in the New World north of Mexico. The archdiocese was founded as the Apostolic Vicariate of New France in 1658 and was elevated to a Diocese in 1674 and an Archdiocese in 1819...
in 1788. Following the family interest in the fur trade, Joseph Bailly received an advanced education in Montreal, and served a clerkship with the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
. In 1792, at the age of 18, he finished his education, and entered the fur trade at Michilimackinac. Although from a prominent family, they had little money. His father died in '95, and Joseph became the main support of his mother, younger brother and sister for several years.
Fur trader
In the winter of 1792-93, Bailly entered into extensive fur trading with Ottawa Indian Tribe villages in central MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. From 1793 to 1810, his winter residence was a trading post located near an Ottawa village at the foot of the Maple River Rapids, in Lebanon Township
Lebanon Township, Michigan
Lebanon Township is a civil township of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 705 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
, Clinton County
Clinton County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 64,753 people, 23,653 households, and 17,976 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 24,630 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
. Bailly owned additional trading posts from 1793 to 1822 on Lake Muskego, Muskegon River
Muskegon River
The Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river has its headwaters in Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. From there it flows mostly southwest to Muskegon, Michigan,...
, Michigan (now Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
); from 1793 to 1810 in Chig-au-mish-kene village on Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...
(now Lyons, Michigan
Lyons, Michigan
Lyons is a village in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 726 at the 2000 census. Most of the village is within Lyons Township. A small portion extends west into Ionia Township.- Geography :...
), from 1807 to 1815, in Parc aux Vaches village on St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
, (south of present day Niles, Michigan
Niles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
); from 1807 - 1828 on the Calumet River
Calumet River
The Calumet River refers to a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the neighborhood of South Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana.-Background:...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
; and from 1807 - 1828 on the Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
First marriage and expansion of the business
Joseph married Angelique McGulpin (Bead-Way-Way or Mecopemequa) in 1794 in Maketoquit's village at the foot of Maple River rapids, Michigan. Angelique was born about 1780 in Chig-au-mish-kene village on Grand River, Michigan. She was a daughter of MaketoquitMaketoquit
Maketoquit was the leader of a large band of Potawatami in modern Clinton County, Michigan and Shiawassee County, Michigan in the late 18th and early 19th centuries....
(Black Cloud), the chief of a large band of Grand River Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
. He located his main village in what became Essex Township
Essex Township, Michigan
Essex Township is a civil township of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,812 at the 2000 census.The Olympic 110 meter hurdles gold medalist William Porter was born in Essex Township.-Communities:...
of Shiawassee County
Shiawassee County, Michigan
-Transportation:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,687 people, 26,896 households, and 19,849 families residing in the county. The population density was 133 people per square mile . There were 29,087 housing units at an average density of 54 per square mile...
, on the south side of the Maple River, but the band used a winter camp in Lebanon Township of Clinton County (now the village of Maple Rapids
Maple Rapids, Michigan
Maple Rapids is a village in Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 643 at the 2000 census.The village is in Essex Township in the northern part of the county. It is about 10 miles northwest of St...
) for gathering maple sugar
Maple sugar
Maple sugar is a traditional sweetener in the northeastern United States and Canada, prepared from the sap of the sugar maple tree.-Preparation:...
. Children of the marriage were Francis Bailly, born in 1795; Alexis Bailly; born in 1798; and Sophia Bailly, in 1807. The marriage ended in divorce. Francis remained with Maketoquit's band and Alexis was sent to boarding school in Montreal. Sophia was adopted by a close friend of both parents, fur trader Marie LaFramboise; who summered on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
and wintered on Grand River (now Lowell, Michigan
Lowell, Michigan
Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,013. The city is in the northern portion of Lowell Township, but is politically independent...
).
Second marriage and beginning of a trade empire
Joseph Bailly entered into a financial partnership with Dominic Rousseau of Montreal which dominated the fur trade on the upper Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
out of Mackinac Island and challenged the giant North West Company. Rousseau and Bailly maintained large warehouses on Mackinac and in Montreal; trading in numerous locations with several fleets of voyageurs
Voyageurs
The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
.
Joseph married Marie Lefevre de La Vigne (Mo-nee or Tou-se-qua) in 1810. She was born in 1783 in Ma-con, a large mixed-band Indian village on the Raisin River west of present Monroe, Michigan
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
. Her mother was a Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
of the St. Joseph Band (now known as the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians are Algonquian-speaking Potawatomi-people located in southwestern Michigan and northeastern Indiana. Tribal government functions are located in Dowagiac, Michigan. The tribal membership has grown to approximately 4,563 members as of 2009. Pokagons originated as a...
). Marie married Kougowma (or Kiogima), also called La Vigne, a medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
in the Mackinac band of Ottawa, who took her to Mackinac Island. Kougowma died between 1804 and 1809. Bailly adopted the two daughters from this marriage, Agatha born in 1797 and Therese, born in 1803. Five more children were born of this second marriage, who were Esther in 1811, Rose in 1813, Eleanor
Mary Cecilia Bailly
Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, S.P., was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana from 1856-1868, directly succeeding the congregation's foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin...
in 1815, Robert in 1817 and Hortense in 1819.
Third marriage Theory
Joseph's marriage to Angelique McGulpin, born circa 1790 at Mackinac is usually considered to be his first marriage. The marriage is confirmed through Mackinac County marriage records for Mackinac. These records imply that this was not a marriage of an Indian to a Frenchman, but of a mixed-blood to a Frenchman, since marriages with Indians were not recorded. Research also shows that Angelique was the daughter of Patrick McGulpin, a Scottish trader at Mackinac, and not the daughter of a native. Only their daughter, Sophie is confirmed through baptismal records at Mackinac to be the child of Angelique and Joseph. She was born early in 1807. Their son Francois would remain among his mother's people the Ottawa as a Medicine Man.The information stated above as the background of Angelique is ascribed to several researchers to be Bailly's first wife. According to tradition, fur traders would take native wives, whom they would 'set-aside' when the arrangement was no longer convenient. Being an Indian woman, there probably was never a church marriage. Preliminary research into this first wife has identified her as an Ottawa Woman of the Grand River Ottawa, named Monee. Without a sanctioned marriage, the church allowed a new marriage, to Angelique McGulpin. The evidence for his marriage to Angelique comes from his "third" marriage in 1810. At that time, the church (according to Joseph's daughter) refused to allow a divorce from his 'first', i.e., 1st church; wife. Therefore, Joseph married Marie in a civil ceremony
Records show that his six children born from 1799 to 1803 were born in camps along the east of Lake Michigan. Angelique, would have been age 9 to 13. Since the youngest, Francois, stayed in the Ottawa villages as a medicine man (doctor), it is unlikely that Angelique was the 'first wife'. Yet most Indian wives were not considered wives. The reference by Joseph's daughter, therefore, would most likely refer to a metis (mixed blood) or French wife, married in the Church. Therefore, it is concluded by some researchers that Joseph had three wives.
Joseph's third wife was Marie LeFevre. She was born at Riviera des Raisins to LeFevre de Gascon and a French & Indian woman, about 1783. When her father died in 1790, the family was driven away from the Detroit area as half-breeds. They returned to her mothers Ottawa people at L'Abre Croche. Here, she was married to an Ottawa Medicine man named de la Vigne. After having two daughters, she left him because of his spirit worship. Having been raised in the Catholic Church, she sought to rejoin this religion. By 1810, she was at Mackinac, where she met Joseph Bailly. At this time, because of their common religious concerns, they were married in a civil ceremony. Their six children and Alexis would become the living memory of the Bailly family
War of 1812
Bailly attempted to avoid involvement in the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, but found that he could not maintain neutrality. He was a Canadian citizen, and had a huge business headquartered in Montreal. Bailly was appointed a Lieutenant in the Michigan Fencibles, a regiment of Canadian militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, in January 1813. He was seized as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in January 1814, while visiting his post at Parc Aux Vaches (very near the site of today's campus of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
), by United States militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
. He was taken to Fort Detroit
Fort Detroit
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Détroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. The location of the former fort is now in the city of Detroit in the U.S...
and held for two months until March. Bailly was on Mackinac Island when it was invaded by US forces in July, and was deported with the other Canadian Loyalists to Drummond Island
Drummond Township, Michigan
Drummond Township is a civil township of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 992 at the 2000 census.The township consists of Drummond Island, one of the largest islands in Lake Huron. M-134 runs through the western portion of the island...
, Canada (now Chippewa County, Michigan
Chippewa County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge* Hiawatha National Forest * Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
), though the Battle of Mackinac Island
Battle of Mackinac Island
The Battle of Mackinac Island was a British victory in the War of 1812. Before the war, Fort Mackinac had been an important American trading post in the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron...
ended in the retreat of American forces. He sent his eight year old daughter Sophia to live with her adopted brother, trader Joseph LaFramboise in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,911 at the 2010 census. Its Zip Code is 53821....
; but the war theater soon expanded westward to that village.
Legal Case of Dominique Rousseau
In Montreal, a little known legal case first asserted American jurisdiction over the lands of northern Minnesota and the upper Great Lakes. It took place in the Court of King's Bench, Register of Common Pleas (District of Montreal), Superior Term, 1803 05. It seems an unlikely place for a case over the rights of the United States within its own territory to be played out.Dominique Rousseau and Joseph Bailly were both traders from Montreal in the years prior to the American Revolution. Both were of French Canadian parents. In the summer of 1802, Rousseau and Bailly hired Paul Hervieux of Repetingy (Montreal) to act as bourgeois and take a canoe under an American license issued at Michilimackinac and to go to Grand Portage. Here they were to trade with the Indians and the canoemen of the other companies.
On July 10 or 12 they arrived in Grand Portage Bay. They were ready for trade by 8 am the day after they arrived. They had three 'little' tents in a spot some 50 feet from the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
canoes and ten feet from the shore.
In testimony by Thomas Forsyth
Thomas Forsyth
Thomas Forsyth may refer to:*Thomas Douglas Forsyth* Thomas Forsyth , American frontiersman, trader, and Indian agent* Thomas H. Forsyth , American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient...
, Esquire a Montreal Trader with the XY Company and Maurice Blondeau a 'merchant voyageur' since 1752, the area had been cleared by a John Erskine (Askin) in the mid 1750's and there had been a 'free right to pitch their tents' in any open area although this area was normally occupied by the Northwest Company.
Shortly after they had set up camp, Duncan McGillivray
Duncan McGillivray
Duncan McGillivray , born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, was an explorer and fur trader who accompanied David Thompson on explorations of the North-West Territory and the Canadian Rockies. In 1800, they reached what is now Banff National Park...
and Simon McTavish
Simon McTavish
Simon McTavish was a Scots-Quebecer entrepreneur and the pre-eminent businessman in Canada during the second half of the 18th century.-Biography:...
appeared among their tents and ordered Rastoute, Hervieux's clerk, to move beyond the "little fort". This was the establishment of Mr. Boucher. Boucher ran a small trading post, of the Northwest Company, for the Canoemen. Rastoute apparently expecting this possibility produced a copy of the American issued trading license. McGillivray and McTavish replied to the effect that it was not valid at Grand Portage.
Later in the day, McGillivray and McLeod returned to the site of Hervieux's tents. With a group of bourgeois and clerks, McGillivray slashed at the trader’s tent and McLeod ordered the traders out. They pulled the stakes from the ground. Michel Robichaux, a voyageur of 25 years, heard McLeod threaten, "if (we were) at Rat Portage" I would break your neck. McLeod then opened a bale of trade goods and scattered it "to the breezes". McGillivray and McLeod then returned to the stockade.
Hervieux and his men move their camp beyond the 'little fort' of Boucher. Here they remained through the rendezvous. Upon their return to Mackinac
Mackinac
-Geography:* Mackinaw River, a tributary of the Illinois River* Straits of Mackinac, connecting the lakes and separates the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan* Mackinac Island, an island in the straits...
, Bailly and Rousseau filed suit for recovery of damaged and lost goods in the courts of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. "The Court having heard the parties by their Counsel and duly examined the evidence of Record ... It is Considered that the Plaintiffs do recover the sum of Five Hundred Pounds current money of this province, with costs of suit." Bailly and Rousseau won their case and established the precedence of American rule over these parts of the upper lakes. In the summer of 1804, the Northwest Company, under its British license moved its rendezvous from American soil at Grand Portage to Fort William in Thunder Bay, on British soil.
The pioneer becomes a citizen
Joseph Bailly returned to Mackinac Island in 1817 to establish US citizenship, prior to re-entering the fur trading business. By 1820, he was the principal trader on the Calumet River of northern Indiana. In 1822, Bailly moved his young family there. His daughters Agatha and Sophia remained on Mackinac Island. Therese was in school in Montreal, but joined him later. They were the first family of EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an descent in northern Indiana, and their home became a popular and lively stop for travelers between Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
or Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The family was well-known for their refinement and graciousness. The extensive trading post that Bailly established hosted the Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
bands of the region, especially the Potawatomi. His trading influence extended westward to the Sac
Sac (tribe)
The Sacs or Sauks are a group of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands culture group. Their autonym is The Sacs or Sauks are a group of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands culture group. Their autonym is The Sacs or Sauks are a group of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands culture...
and Fox villages of Illinois. Bailly purchased over 2000 acre (8.1 km²) of land, drafting plans for developing a commercial harbor, city and infrastructure at the mouth of the Calumet. The Bailly home was a center of the Catholic faith in northern Indiana, but Joseph also strongly supported the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Carey Mission
Carey Mission
The Carey Mission was established by Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy among the Potawatomi tribe of American Indians on the St. Joseph River near Niles, Michigan, USA in December, 1822. It was named for William Carey, a noted English Baptist missionary...
to the Indians. His wife and daughters also acquired extensive land holdings through treaty grants and skillful speculation. The town of Monee, Illinois
Monee, Illinois
Monee is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,924 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Monee is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
in Will County, Illinois
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...
is named for Mrs. Bailly.
Descendents
Joseph Bailly was an exceptional father on the frontier of the midwestMidwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. He ensured that all of his children were highly educated, spoke multiple languages, and contributed to society.
Bailly's son Francis Bailly became a medical doctor, and a medicine man of the Grand River Ottawa band. Following the forfeiture of the Ottawa lands on Maple River, Francis, his cousin Maketoquit, and a sub-chief man named Wintagowish purchased the land containing their village on Maple River in an attempt to co-exist with the new inrush of settlers. When it became impossible, they agreed to resettle on a reservation at Elbridge, Oceana County, Michigan
Oceana County, Michigan
-US highways:* US-31* US 31 Business Route is a spur serving downtown Hart.* US 31 Business Route loops through downtown Pentwater, returning to mainline US-31 at both ends.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-20* M-120-Intercounty Highways:*B-15...
.
Alexis Bailly was a prominent pioneer fur trader to the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
bands in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, founding the town of Wabasha
Wabasha, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,599 people, 1,062 households, and 665 families residing in the city. The population density was 318.4 people per square mile . There were 1,166 housing units at an average density of 142.9 per square mile...
and the Wabasha County
Wabasha County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,610 people, 8,277 households, and 5,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 9,066 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
government; and serving in the Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...
.
Daughter Sophia Graveraet and her husband lived on Mackinac, and traded with the Ottawa and Chippewa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
(Ojibwa) in the region of Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
. She was the "Indian grandmother" in the tales from the books of Ottawa-Chippewa chronicler John Couchois Wright.
Daughter Agatha Biddle was a leader of the Mackinac Island community, and became chief of the Mackinac band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians. Her home, which was in her family for several generations, is an historic feature operated by Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park is a state park located on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. The island park encompasses 2.81 mi² , which is approximately 74% of the island's total area of 3.78 mi² . The park is also within the boundaries of the city of Mackinac Island and has permanent...
since 1959 which demonstrates life on the island from the early fur trade era.
Therese Nadeau died as a young mother, at the Bailly homestead in Indiana. Her sons, all traders, became leaders at the Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian Reservation
Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian Reservation
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation located in Jackson County, Kansas. The Potawatomi used to be located in the Great Lakes area, but were forced to move west due to Europeans settling their land....
, where the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians were sent, and pioneers of Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
.
Esther Whistler was in charge of the fledgling stages of Bailly's grand development called Baillytown, which ceased on her sudden death in 1842. Her trader husband and sons followed the relocation of the Sac and Fox tribe, and were pioneers of the towns of Burlington
Burlington, Kansas
Burlington is a city in and the county seat of Coffey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,674.-Geography:Burlington is located at...
, Coffey County, Kansas
Coffey County, Kansas
Coffey County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 8,601...
and Stroud
Stroud, Oklahoma
Stroud is a city in Creek and Lincoln counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 2,758 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stroud is located at ....
, Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2010 was 34,273. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.Its county seat is Chandler....
.
Rose Howe was the wife of an early Chicago banker and entrepreneur. Following his early death, she and her mother became active investors in Chicago's commercial development. From 1869 to 1874, Rose and her daughter extensively toured Catholic shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s of Europe and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Eleanor became Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly
Mary Cecilia Bailly
Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, S.P., was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana from 1856-1868, directly succeeding the congregation's foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin...
of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840...
, based near Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. She was a protege of foundress Saint Théodore Guérin
Theodore Guerin
Saint Mother Théodore Guérin , designated by the Vatican as Saint Theodora, is the foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, a congregation of Catholic nuns...
, and succeeded her a leader of the order. Her biography of Saint Mother Guerin, published posthumously, was part of the formal evidence supporting canonization in October 2006.
Robert Bailly died in childhood, while a student at Carey Mission.
Josephine Bailly married Chicago businessman and developer Joel T. Wicker, one of two brothers for whom the Wicker Park
Wicker Park (Chicago park)
Wicker Park is an urban park in Chicago, Illinois named after Charles G. Wicker and Joel H. Wicker.- History :Charles G. Wicker and Joel H. Wicker donated a parcel of land to the City of Chicago in 1870. The City of Chicago installed a small reservoir inside the triangular park. In 1890 the West...
and Wicker Park neighborhood is named. One of his many projects was to clear the lands acquired by Joseph Bailly, subdividing them and selling farmsteads to pioneering families of modest means. She also died as a young mother.
Bailly's death and legacy
Porter County, Indiana
Porter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 164,343. Much of the population growth has to do with the expansion of the Chicago Metropolitan Area eastward into Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso...
; and was buried in the family cemetery nearby. The trading post, family home and cemetery remained in the family through three generations, until after 1918. They became focal historic features of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan...
in 1966; and are currently in use demonstrating everyday life and culture before the settlement of Indiana by people of European origin. Nearby Chellberg Farm
Chellberg Farm
Chellberg Farm is an historic farmstead which in 1972 became part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Chellberg Farm is significant as it represents the ethnic heritage of a nearly forgotten Swedish-American settlement. The farm includes a family home, water house with windmill, chicken...
, part of the original Joseph Bailly land holdings which was purchased from Joel Wicker by a Swedish immigrant family from Chicago, showcases life from the subsequent pioneer period. The Joseph Bailly Homestead
Joseph Bailly Homestead
The Joseph Bailly Homestead, also known as Joseph Bailly Homestead and Cemetery, in Porter, Indiana, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
became a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It was included in the new Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan...
in 1966.
Joseph Bailly is the subject of two published semi-fictional biographies, "The Story Of A French Homestead In The Old Northwest," by Frances Howe, James Dowd Publishers - Bowie, Maryland 1907 / repub. Heritage Books 1999; and "Wolves Against The Moon," by Julia Cooley Alttrocchi, MacMillan Company, New York 1940 / repub. Black Letter Pres, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1994; and several pamphlets and papers.
Research continues
In 2005, teams under the direction of Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
professor Randa Duvick began translating Joseph Bailly's 1799-1802 fur trade business account book from the original French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. As an important historic resource, Duvick has compared the translation to an archaeological dig, revealing rarely discovered intricate detail about everyday life over the large areas of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois that Bailly covered in his trade.
See also
- French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
- Fort MackinacFort MackinacFort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island...
- Fort MichilimackinacFort MichilimackinacFort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower...
- Indiana Dunes National LakeshoreIndiana Dunes National LakeshoreIndiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan...
- Joseph Bailly HomesteadJoseph Bailly HomesteadThe Joseph Bailly Homestead, also known as Joseph Bailly Homestead and Cemetery, in Porter, Indiana, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
- MichilimackinacMichilimackinacMichilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan, in the United States...
- Straits of MackinacStraits of MackinacThe Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
Sources
- Olga Mae Schiemann, From A Bailly Point of View, An introduction to the first pioneer family of northwestern Indiana, Chicago, Illinois, 1952. Issued as a Duneland Historical Society Publication, August 1955.,
- Howe, Frances Rose 1851-1817, The Story Of A French Homestead In The Old Northwest, James Dowd Publishers - Bowie, Maryland 1907 / repub. Heritage Books 1999.
- Altrocchi, Julia Cooley, Wolves Against The Moon, MacMillan Company, New York 1940.
- David R. Frederick from National Park Service Research Records and Press Releases, Bailly Cemetery - Porter County, Indiana - Enumeration, not published - compiled and reported to Porter County, Indiana Genweb 20 November 2002.
- A.L. Spooner, Muskegon River Trading Posts
- From: R D Winthrop e-mail: rdwinthrop@a1access.netFrom: R D Winthrop rwinthrop@laaccess.net, Re: Nishnawbe Roll call : Lamarandier, NISHNAWBE-L@rootsweb.com.
- The Society (newsletter), Ionia County Historical Society, Ionia, Michigan
- Samuel Abbott, Justice of the Peace, Michigan Voyageurs from the Notary Book of Samuel Abbott, Mackinac Island, 1807-1817
- Electronic Land Patent Images, BLM-GLO Records - US Bureau of Land Management, Washington, DC
- Michigan Historical Society - Lansing, Michigan, Collections and Researches Made By The Michigan Pioneer Historical Society - Vol. 16
- H. Butler, Commandant, U.S. Army Travel Pass for Joseph Bailly - War of 1812
- R. David Edmunds, The Potawatomis: Keepers of the Fire. .Sources Cited: 1. Anthony Butler to the Secretary of War, January 23, 1814, Potawatomi file, Great Lakes Indian Archives 2. John Whistler to McArthur, July 1, 1814, Potawatomi file, Great Lakes Indian Archives 3. Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. X, page 112 and Vol. XIX, pages 159-60.".
- US Census Bureau, 1820 Federal Census of Indiana, Index only........Bailey, Joseph
- US Census Bureau, 1820 Federal Census for Michigan
- State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Volume 11LIST OF TRADERS
- City of Valparaiso, History of Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana
- Howe, Frances Rose 1851-1817, The Story Of A French Homestead In The Old Northwest.
- Chicago Democrat newspaper, Chicago, Illinois.
- National Register of Historic Places - Indiana, Porter County
- National Park Service staff, National Park Service - Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - Bailly Homestead
- St. Joseph Co., Indiana, U. S. Census 1830, Washington DC: National Archives micropublication M19-26, page 417, Joseph Bailly household."Joseph Bailly, 1M 50-60."
- US Bureau of Indian Affairs, compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, Clerk to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe, Indiana with the Potowatomie - October 20, 1832, Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Volume II (Treaties) - Government Printing Office, Washington, 1904, 7 Stat. 378, Proclamation Jan 21, 1833.
- George B. Porter, Thomas J.V. Owen and William Weatherford, Commissioners, Treaty With The Chippewa, Etc., 1833, Indian Affairs - Laws and Treaties - Vol. II (Treaties); compiled by Charles J. Kappler, Washington 1904, Schedule A (Kappler page 406), 26 Sep 1833, Parmly Billings Library, 510 N. Broadway, Billings Montana 59101, 70 3285 572 UR.
- File contributed by Deb Haines, Directory City of Chicago. 1896. - OBITUARY
- Martha Miller, Joseph Bailly, Dunes Settler, Shirley Heinze Land Trust - Publications—444 Barker Road - Michigan City, IN 46360. Joseph Bailly, Dunes Settler By Martha Miller, Illustrated by Joyce Keane and Dale Fleming, revised edition 1987, paperback, 22 pages.
- United States. Office of Indian Affairs, Census Register of all the Men, Women and Children within the 6th Article of the Treaty made with the Ottawa and Chippewa, Washington DC: National Archives publication: RG no. 75, List no. 412.Copies from microfilm at Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
- Ionia County Historical Society, Ionia County History, Section Three - The First Whites
- Multi-Mag, Inc., USA City Link - Lyons, Michigan 48851
- United States. Office of Indian Affairs, Census Register of all the Men, Women and Children within the 6th Article of the Treaty made with the Ottawa and Chippewa, List no. 412.
- US Indian Bureau, pursuant to the Treaty signed at Washington, 1836, 1836 Mixed Blood Census of Michigan, Provided by Lowell Koslosky, Petoskey, Michigan from the original roll.
- William Hull, Governor of the State of Michigan and Thirty Chiefs of the Tribes, Treaty With The Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot and Potowatomi - 1808
- Ghislane Bartolo and Lynn Waybright Rheume - 1988 Custombook, Inc. Tappan, NY, The Cross Leads Generations On. A Bicentennial Retrospect, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Local Catholic Church History and Catholic Ancestors
- Costello, Joan and Canright, Betty, The Bailly Women - presented to the Duneland Historical Society at the Chesterton Library Service Center on 21 Feb 2002, Duneland Historical Society
- Grants and titles recorded at the Indiana State Land Office, Indian Reserve Lands of Indiana
- US Bureau of Indian Affairs, compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, Clerk to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe, Indiana with the Potowatomie - October 20, 1832.
- US Bureau of Indian Affairs, compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, Clerk to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Treaty of the Tippecanoe River, Indiana with the Potowatomie - October 27, 1832, Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Volume II (Treaties) - Government Printing Office, Washington, 1904, 7 Stat. 399, Proclamation Jan 21, 1833.
- Richard C. Schmal, Pioneer History - Early Mail Routes
- Monee Chamber of Commerce, History of Monee, Will County, Illinois
- Government of the incorporated Village of Monee, Illinois, A Rich Past - History of Monee
- Richard C. Schmal, Pioneer History - Early Lake County Travels: (from the Nov. 29, 1989, Lowell Tribune, page 8)
- Wright, John Couchois, Chicago-Jig: The Authentic Indian Tradition of the Happy Hunting Ground-, Handwritten edition, on thin sheets of cedar bound with leather thongs, presented to Michigan Governor Fred W. Green, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan 48859.
- Valparaiso University Speakers Bureau, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383-6493 and Dr. Randa Duvick - Professor, foreign languages and literatures
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