Jules DeMun
Encyclopedia
Jules DeMun was a 19th-century French
American fur trader. A well educated and articulate French aristocrat
, he was born in Port-au-Prince
on the island of Saint-Domingue
and was educated in France. As a young man, he was displaced from his social position by the French Revolution
, and he and his family fled to England. He emigrated to the United States in 1809 and arrived in St. Louis, Missouri
in 1812.
After marrying into a fur trading family, DeMun joined the trade but had little natural skill. An early visit to the upper Arkansas River
however caused him to consider the American Southwest's potential as a fur trading center. After learning of efforts in the Southwest by American trader, Joseph Philbert, DeMun and August Chouteau gathered a company and set off to New Mexico. Initially well received, they did some successful trapping and wintered in Taos, New Mexico. In early 1816, the company sought formal permission from the Spanish governor of New Mexico to trap and trade in the Spanish province. They were given permission to work in a limited area, but faced opposition from local Indian tribes.
In the winter of 1816–1817, DeMun and his company were formally detained near the village of Rio Colorado. In response to their letter appealing their detention, the Governor in Santa Fe
ordered the company to leave Spanish territory. This sudden opposition may have been due to confusion and contention over boundaries involved in the Louisiana Purchase
. DeMun's dogged persistence in seeking to negotiate in good faith for trapping rights in the area, and for the right to take their furs to St. Louis for sale, eventually ended in a short imprisonment and Spanish confiscation of all of the company's goods and furs.
DeMun never returned to the fur trade. After a checkered employment history in Cuba
and Wisconsin
, he was appointed secretary and translator to the U.S. Board of Commissioners adjusting titles of French and Spanish land grants in Missouri
. He later became registrar of the United States Land Office at St. Louis. In 1842, he was elected St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds. (Hafen, p. 8-18)
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
American fur trader. A well educated and articulate French aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, he was born in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
on the island of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
and was educated in France. As a young man, he was displaced from his social position by the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, and he and his family fled to England. He emigrated to the United States in 1809 and arrived in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1812.
After marrying into a fur trading family, DeMun joined the trade but had little natural skill. An early visit to the upper Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
however caused him to consider the American Southwest's potential as a fur trading center. After learning of efforts in the Southwest by American trader, Joseph Philbert, DeMun and August Chouteau gathered a company and set off to New Mexico. Initially well received, they did some successful trapping and wintered in Taos, New Mexico. In early 1816, the company sought formal permission from the Spanish governor of New Mexico to trap and trade in the Spanish province. They were given permission to work in a limited area, but faced opposition from local Indian tribes.
In the winter of 1816–1817, DeMun and his company were formally detained near the village of Rio Colorado. In response to their letter appealing their detention, the Governor in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
ordered the company to leave Spanish territory. This sudden opposition may have been due to confusion and contention over boundaries involved in the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
. DeMun's dogged persistence in seeking to negotiate in good faith for trapping rights in the area, and for the right to take their furs to St. Louis for sale, eventually ended in a short imprisonment and Spanish confiscation of all of the company's goods and furs.
DeMun never returned to the fur trade. After a checkered employment history in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, he was appointed secretary and translator to the U.S. Board of Commissioners adjusting titles of French and Spanish land grants in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He later became registrar of the United States Land Office at St. Louis. In 1842, he was elected St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds. (Hafen, p. 8-18)