La Maison de Guibourd
Encyclopedia
Poteaux-sur-solle
Poteaux-sur-solle is the name for the "posts-on-sill" style of French colonial architecture used by French and French-Canadian settlers in North America. Houses in this style in the present-day United States can be found in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri; Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, and former French...
(vertical post on sill or foundation) sealed with bouzillage (usually a mixture of clay and grass) construction. The structure was built around 1806 and was the home of Jacques Jean Rene Guibourd and his family.
The basic architecture of the Guibourd House is very similar to other Creole-French structures around the town and throughout the French inhabited regions of the Illinois Country/territory, eastern Canada and the Louisiana territory.
The structure's design has been changed only slightly over the years to accommodate the needs of the various residents, but overall retains much of the original character and style of the early 19th century French Creole architecture. The house had originally been built with 'galleries' (or wide porches) surrounding the house to keep the interior cool in the summer and the snow off in the winter.
The slave quarters or kitchen was added a few years later. The kitchen building was made of brick and detached from the main house due to the dangers of fire in the food preparation areas. It too was common for these structures to have been built a few steps away from the main house to keep any fire isolated to only one building. The Guibourd kitchen, however, was built in a ‘semi-attached’ fashion, under one corner of the porch. This proved invaluable for the family and slaves when serving meals to be able to keep them hot, dry and timely. The Guibourd House has one of the only ‘original’ kitchen structures and slave quarters of this time period in Ste. Genevieve.
The Guibourd House is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the Ste. Genevieve Historic District
Ste. Genevieve Historic District
Ste. Genevieve Historic District is a historic district in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960, the Ste. Genevieve National Historic Landmark District includes many major structures of historic significance...
, which is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. The house is operated as a historic house museum by the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Inc.
Jacques Jean-René Guibourd de Luzinais
- Born: 29 July 1755
- Where: Candé, France
- Father: Christopher Ambroise Guibourd
- Mother: Renée Maguerite Gibault
- Spouse: Ursule (Ursula) Barbeau
- (Sister-in-Law to Jean-Baptiste Valle)
- Married: 24 June 1800
- Family: (all born in Ste. Genevieve)
- Eugene Jacques Pierre Guibourd (3 May 1801-16 June 1879)
- Infant Guibourd (died: 21 Nov 1803 [from church burial records])
- Jean Edward [Eduart] Guibourd (born: unknown) [died: 9 Jan 1805]
- Omer François Guibourd (born: 23 Oct 1807 - died: October 12, 1874 in La-Corbiere, France)
- Jules Joseph Marie Guibourd (born: 9 Nov 1811 - died: unknown in France)
- Died: 29 May 1812
- Where: Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
- Buried: Ste. Genevieve Memorial Cemetery
From Candé to Sainte Genevieve
Jacques came to Ste. Genevieve from France by way of Saint Domingue where he had been a secretary to a wealthy plantation owner. During a slave rebellionSlave rebellion
A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves. Slave rebellions have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery, and are amongst the most feared events for slaveholders...
, he was smuggled out of the country in a cargo barrel by his slave, Moros.
He and Moros made their way back to France whereupon seeing the chaos and destruction there caused by the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
(1793–94, just after 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...
of 14 July 1789) had decided to leave their homeland. After hearing of a population of French speaking settlers (possibly Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
(Chouannerie
Chouannerie
The Chouannerie was a royalist uprising in twelve of the western departements of France, particularly in the provinces of Brittany and Maine, against the French Revolution, the First French Republic, and even, with its headquarters in London rather than France, for a time, under the Empire...
) or those loyal to King Louis XVI) in America from someone headed to Philadelphia, he and Moros decided to sail to America. There is some evidence that Jacques and Moros were shipwrecked during that voyage and that resulted in the two losing all their belongings. It has been noted that when Jacques arrived in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Ste. Genevieve is a city in and the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,654 at the 2000 census...
sometime in the late 1790s, he was penniless.
There is documentation noting that Ursula’s father, Jean-Baptiste Barbeau, took in Jacques (and presumably Moros) until he could get settled. This resulted in his meeting his future wife, Ursula in addition to becoming acquainted with Jean-Baptiste Valle, the Commandant of Ste. Genevieve (in the Illinois Territory
Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. The area was earlier known as "Illinois Country" while under...
, Upper Louisiana).
In 1799, he obtained a Spanish land grant for the entire block (2 arpents X 2 arpents, 1 arpent = 192 feet) on which his house currently stands. While the house was being built, Jacques opened a mercantile and sold goods to villagers from his residence just across the street from La Maison de Guibourd. Copies of his merchant’s ledger shows what he sold, to whom, how much the items cost and how the items were paid for.
In addition to being a merchant, Jacques owned a tan-yard (or tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
) just a few miles South of town on the River aux Vases, and owned a lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mine located west of town in what is now Washington County, MO.
Jacques’ son, Eugene, married Marie Therese St. Gemme Beauvais and had 12 children most of whom were born in Old Mines, Washington County, MO.
Jacques died 29 May 1812. After Ursula died on October 20, 1843, the south half of the property and the house was inherited by sons Jules and Omer. The northern half was inherited by their son, Eugene who had moved back to Ste. Genevieve just four years earlier in 1839.
At age 11, Eugene’s son, Felix, traveled with his uncles, Jules and Omer Guibourd back to Angers, France. There, he obtained his degree in science and art, and attended medical school in Paris. Felix returned to Ste. Genevieve in 1865 where he practiced medicine until his death in 1885.
In 1859 according to the HABS
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
survey, Jules and Omer sold their part of the lot to Eugene and it subsequently became the property of his son, Felix. In 1907, the property was sold to Clovis G. Boyer who in turn sold the house to Jules Felix and Anne Marie Vallé. In January, 1973, Anne Marie’s will left the house to the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve.
Pre-Louisiana Purchase
- Alvord, Clarence W. and Sutton, Robert M., The Illinois Country, 1673–1818, ISBN 0-252-01337-9
- Belting, Natalia Maree, Kaskaskia under the French Regime by ISBN 0-8093-2536-5
- Brackenridge, Henri Marie, Recollections of Persons and Places in the West (Google Books)
- Ekberg, Carl J., Colonial Ste. Genevieve: An Adventure on the Mississippi Frontier, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, 1996, ISBN 1-880397-14-5
- Ekberg, Carl J., Francois Vallé and His World: Upper Louisiana Before Lewis and Clark, Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2002.
- Ekberg, Carl J., Stealing Indian Women: Native Slavery in the Illinois Country, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007.
- Ekberg, Carl J., Francois Valle and His World: Upper Louisiana before Lewis & Clark, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, 2006
- Ekberg, Carl J., French Roots in the Illinois Country: The Mississippi Frontier in Colonial Times, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, ISBN 0-252-06924-2
Post Louisiana Purchase
- Aron, Stephen, American Confluence: The Missouri Frontier from Borderland to Border State
- Peterson, Charles E., Colonial St. Louis: Building a Creole Capitol, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, 2001.
- Schroeder, Walter A., Opening the Ozarks: A Historical Geography of Missouri’s Ste. Genevieve District, 1760–1830, Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2002.
- Stepenoff, Bonnie, From French Community to Missouri Town, Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2006.
- Missouri Life Magazine, Lewis And Clark’s Journey Across Missouri, Booneville, MO: Missouri Life Magazine, 2003.
Overall History of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
- Franzwa, Gregory M., The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve, Tucson: Patrice Press, 1998.
- Deposki, Richard, Images of America: Ste. Genevieve, Chicago, IL: Arcadia Publishing, 2008.
- Evans, Mark L., The Commandant’s Last Ride, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, 1998.
- Foster, Gerald, American Houses: A Field Guide to the Architecture of the Home, New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. 2004.
- Naeger, Bill, Patti Naeger, and Mark Evans, Ste. Genevieve: A Leisurely Stroll through History. Ste. Genevieve, MO: Merchant Street Publishing, 1998.
- Wehmeyer, Janice C., Ste. Genevieve, MO: A Guided Tour Through the Past and Present, self published: 1993
See also
- Louisiana (New France)Louisiana (New France)Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
- Louisiana PurchaseLouisiana PurchaseThe 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...
- Illinois CountryIllinois CountryThe Illinois Country , also known as Upper Louisiana, was a region in what is now the Midwestern United States that was explored and settled by the French during the 17th and 18th centuries. The terms referred to the entire Upper Mississippi River watershed, though settlement was concentrated in...
- Ohio CountryOhio CountryThe Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
- New FranceNew FranceNew France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
- New SpainNew SpainNew Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
- French in the United StatesFrench in the United StatesThe French language is spoken as a minority language in the United States. According to year 2000 census figures, 1.6 million Americans over the age of five speak the language at home; making French the fourth most-spoken language in the country behind English, Spanish, and Chinese...
- Timeline of New France historyTimeline of New France historyThis is a list of the timelines for the history of northern New France beginning with the first exploration of North America by France through being part of the French colonial empire.*Beginnings to 1533 - northern region...
- Three Flags DayThree Flags DayThree Flags Day commemorates March 9 and 10, 1804, when Spain officially turned over the Louisiana Territory to France, which in turn ceded the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.The ceremony in St...
- A few acres of snowA few acres of snow"A few acres of snow" is one of several quotations from Voltaire, the 18th-century writer, which are representative of his sneering evaluation of Canada, and by extension New France, as lacking economic value and strategic importance to 18th-century France...
- French colonization of the AmericasFrench colonization of the AmericasThe French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America...
- French colonial empireFrench colonial empireThe French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
- List of North American cities founded in chronological order
- Sainte GenevièveGenevieveSt Genevieve , in Latin Sancta Genovefa, from Germanic keno and wefa , is the patron saint of Paris in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition...
- List of commandants of the Illinois Country
- Historic regions of the United StatesHistoric regions of the United StatesThis is a list of historic regions of the United States.-Colonial era :-The Thirteen Colonies:* Connecticut Colony* Delaware Colony* Province of Georgia* Province of Maryland...
External links
- La Maison de Guibourd webpage
- Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Inc. Guibourd Historic House & Mecker Research Library
- Felix Vallé State Historic Site Missouri Department of Natural Resources
- Ste. Genevieve Co, MO Historical and Genealogical Resources
- Sainte Genevieve Chamber of Commerce
- Ste. Genevieve Herald
- French Creole Architecture Louisiana Dept Natural Resources