Madeline La Framboise
Encyclopedia
Madeline La Framboise of mixed French
and Native American
descent, was one of the most successful fur trade
rs in the Northwest Territory
. Fur trading was one of the most difficult and dangerous occupations of the time according to historical accounts. She conducted business in the territory that later became the state of Michigan
. Due to her success, she was one of the most prominent early businesswomen of Michigan.
r. Her mother was Marie Nekesh (circa.1740 - circa. 1790), an Odawa
. La Framboise was baptized August 1, 1786, on Mackinac Island
. She was raised in a Lac Courtes Oreilles village at the mouth of the Grand River
near Grand Haven
, Michigan
.
She married Joseph La Framboise (1765–1806) in 1794. On September 24, 1795, they had their first child, a daughter, Josette La Framboise (1795–1820).Then in March 1805 they had a son, Joseph La Framboise (1805–1856).
Although they considered themselves married already, Madeline and Joseph had their marriage solemnized on July 11, 1804, by a Catholic
priest on Mackinac Island.
. Every fall they would travel with their merchandise to trade with the Ottawa
Native Americans from Mackinac Island
down to the Grand River area to what is now known as Ada, Michigan, where they built another trading post. It was the first permanent mercantile building in the west Michigan area. Every spring they would return to Mackinac Island with the furs they traded for.
, while raising two children on her own.
In a time when an experienced fur trader earned about $1000 per year (which was a large sum at the time), La Framboise was earning $5000 to $10000 per year.
La Framboise spoke four languages fluently; French, English, Ottawa, and Chippewa, but could not read or write in any language. Although confronted with strong competition from John Jacob Astor
's American Fur Company
monopoly, La Framboise ran a very successful business until 1818, when the American Fur Company convinced her to merge or sell out (accounts differ). Rix Robinson
, another Michigan pioneer consummated the transaction and took over her business. La Framboise, then 41 years old and a very wealthy woman, retired to a stately home on Mackinac Island.
After her retirement from fur trading, La Framboise taught herself to read and write French
and English
. She supported the first school for Native American children on the island. She became a Sunday school teacher at St. Anne's Church. Her devotion to her church and to the education of children secured her place in Mackinac society. She was very active in St. Anne's church and the parish register
lists her as godmother for many baptisms and witness at many marriages. When the church leaders decided to move the church from its original location, La Framboise donated the property next to her home as the new site. St. Anne's Church still stands there today. In exchange for her gift of land, La Framboise asked to be buried beneath the altar of St. Anne's at the end of her life.
Her daughter, Josette La Framboise, was married on April 2, 1816, to Benjamin Kendrick Pierce (1790–1850) the brother of U.S. President
Franklin Pierce
. Josette had two children. She died November 4, 1820, and is buried in St Anne's churchyard on Mackinac Island.
Her son, Joseph La Framboise, became a fur trader and lived most of his life along the Minnesota River Valley. He married Magdeleine “Sleepy Eyes” Sisseton around 1827. She was a member of the Sioux tribe. They had one son, Francis La Framboise. Joseph's second wife was the daughter of fur trader William Dickson, Jane. Joseph died November 9, 1856, in Nicollet County, Minnesota
.
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...
and Native American
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...
descent, was one of the most successful fur 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...
rs in the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
. Fur trading was one of the most difficult and dangerous occupations of the time according to historical accounts. She conducted business in the territory that later became the state of Michigan
Michigan
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"....
. Due to her success, she was one of the most prominent early businesswomen of Michigan.
Early life
La Framboise was born in February 1781 at Mackinac Island, Michigan after her parents were removed from St. Joseph by the British . Her father was Jean Baptiste Marcotte (1720–1783), a French fur tradeFur 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. Her mother was Marie Nekesh (circa.1740 - circa. 1790), an Odawa
Odawa people
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...
. La Framboise was baptized August 1, 1786, 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...
. She was raised in a Lac Courtes Oreilles village at the mouth of the 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:...
near Grand Haven
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Haven had a population of 10,412. It is part of the...
, Michigan
Michigan
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"....
.
She married Joseph La Framboise (1765–1806) in 1794. On September 24, 1795, they had their first child, a daughter, Josette La Framboise (1795–1820).Then in March 1805 they had a son, Joseph La Framboise (1805–1856).
Although they considered themselves married already, Madeline and Joseph had their marriage solemnized on July 11, 1804, by a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest on Mackinac Island.
Fur trading
Madeline La Framboise and her husband Joseph owned many trading posts in west 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"....
. Every fall they would travel with their merchandise to trade with the 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...
Native Americans from 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...
down to the Grand River area to what is now known as Ada, Michigan, where they built another trading post. It was the first permanent mercantile building in the west Michigan area. Every spring they would return to Mackinac Island with the furs they traded for.
On her own
Madeline La Framboise took over the trading business after her husband was murdered in 1806. She continued to manage several trading posts, and expanded her business throughout the western and northern portions of Michigan's lower peninsulaLower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
, while raising two children on her own.
In a time when an experienced fur trader earned about $1000 per year (which was a large sum at the time), La Framboise was earning $5000 to $10000 per year.
- La Framboise, the half-Ottawa wife of a murdered French trapper, owned a string of trading posts in the Grand River Valley. Reputed to be no ordinary woman — probably for succeeding in an exclusively male trade in the "pays d'en haut" or savage country.
- She was acknowledged by the fur trade society, agents as well as Indians, as an intelligent worker in the trade, who was always fair in her dealings.
La Framboise spoke four languages fluently; French, English, Ottawa, and Chippewa, but could not read or write in any language. Although confronted with strong competition from John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
's American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
monopoly, La Framboise ran a very successful business until 1818, when the American Fur Company convinced her to merge or sell out (accounts differ). Rix Robinson
Rix Robinson
Rix Robinson was a Michigan pioneer. He was a fur trader and the first permanent settler of Kent County, Michigan, a representative to the state constitutional convention of 1850 and a state senator.- Early years :...
, another Michigan pioneer consummated the transaction and took over her business. La Framboise, then 41 years old and a very wealthy woman, retired to a stately home on Mackinac Island.
Life on Mackinac Island
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...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. She supported the first school for Native American children on the island. She became a Sunday school teacher at St. Anne's Church. Her devotion to her church and to the education of children secured her place in Mackinac society. She was very active in St. Anne's church and the parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
lists her as godmother for many baptisms and witness at many marriages. When the church leaders decided to move the church from its original location, La Framboise donated the property next to her home as the new site. St. Anne's Church still stands there today. In exchange for her gift of land, La Framboise asked to be buried beneath the altar of St. Anne's at the end of her life.
Death and legacy
Madeline La Framboise died April 4, 1846. Father Henri Van Renterghem honored her request and she was buried beneath the altar at St. Annes Church on Mackinac Island, where she still rests today. Her house, next door to the church, still stands, and is now the Harbor View Inn.Her daughter, Josette La Framboise, was married on April 2, 1816, to Benjamin Kendrick Pierce (1790–1850) the brother of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
. Josette had two children. She died November 4, 1820, and is buried in St Anne's churchyard on Mackinac Island.
Her son, Joseph La Framboise, became a fur trader and lived most of his life along the Minnesota River Valley. He married Magdeleine “Sleepy Eyes” Sisseton around 1827. She was a member of the Sioux tribe. They had one son, Francis La Framboise. Joseph's second wife was the daughter of fur trader William Dickson, Jane. Joseph died November 9, 1856, in Nicollet County, 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...
.
- At her death in 1846, her remarkable achievements in the fur trade were surpassed by her efforts to educate the young. This woman of very humble beginnings left a powerful legacy in the young people she had influenced.
External links
- http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbumbib:@field(NUMBER+@band(lhbum+7689a)) LoC American Memories - on their own account - Hist Soc of WI - this account conflicts with other sources.
- http://www.rootsweb.com/~micheboy/church/stanne/baptsa7.html - Baptismal records of Mackinac Island