History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan, Part 26

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

USA > Michigan > St Clair County > History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan > Part 26

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Benjamin Cushway was born at Detroit in 1809, and died at Saginaw, May 25, 1881. In. 1832 he was appointed Indian blacksmith at Saginaw. He was known among the early settlers of the district, particularly among the French.

Edward McCarthy, an Irish revolutionist of 1798, came to Detroit in 1829, passed some time near Mt. Clemens, and ultimately continued his travels to the Northwest, where he died.

Baret Le Parles, Dominique Snay, Louis Duprat, William Thebo, Joseph Alloir, Antoine Tremble, John Tremble and Francois G. Tremble, were among the children of the county when it was organized.

Whittemore and James Knaggs, brothers, of French-Canadian or French-English descent, were among the early white inhabitants of the Huron country, and, if friendships, dealings and period- ical stays in the neighborhood of the Riviere aux Hurons could bring the title, they were among the first white settlers of the country north of the Huron. Judge Witherell, in referring to these Frenchmen, says : " Capt. Knaggs was a firm and unflinching patriot in times when patriotism

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

was in demand, during the war of 1812. He was one of the Indian interpreters, spoke freely six or seven of their languages, together with French and English, and exercised great influence over many warrior tribes. On the surrender of Detroit to the enemy, he was ordered by the British commandant to leave the territory, and did so, of course ; but joined the first corps of United States troops that advanced toward the frontier. He acted as guide to the division under Gen. Winches- ter, and was present at the bloody defeat in the valley of the Raisin. The British Indians discovered him after the surrender and determined to kill him. There happened to be present an Indian, whom Knaggs had defended in former years, who resolved to save the pale-face at every hazard, but the savages would not listen to him. Nothing daunted, however, the brave red warrior placed himself between Knaggs and his foes, and succeeded in keeping them off for some time. The sav- ages pressed closer, and as a dernier resort the friendly Indian seized Knaggs round the waist, kept his own body between the white man and his enemies, and so prevented the repeated blows of toma- hawk and war club from taking effect upon the head of Winchester's French guide. This means of defense continued until both Knaggs and the Indian sought refuge among a number of horses, which stood harnessed close by. Here Knaggs was enabled to avoid the blows aimed at his head, until a British officer, not so savage as his Indian allies, interposed, and saved the guide from a cruel death." Knaggs survived this terrible trial for many years, and rendered good service to the United States in the negotiations of Indian treaties. James Knaggs was present at the death of Tecumseh, and was considered one of the most unflinching and honorable supporters of the Ameri- can troops. A member of the Avery family of Monroe County, Mich., bears the highest testimony to the Knaggs brothers.

Jacob Smith, or Wah-be-sins, settled with his parents in Northern Ohio, whence he pushed for- ward to the Detroit and Huron district, where he remained some years. During the rambles of the Young Swan he won the friendship of the Hurons and Otchipwes, and as his intercourse with them became more extensive, he entered into all their manners and customs, sympathized with them, and claimed in return their earnest friendship. After some years passed among the Indians of the Clinton or Huron River, he moved to Flint, where he died of disease, in 1825. Baptiste Cochois, or Nickaniss, was the only white friend present at his death-Annemekins, the Indian boy whom he adopted, was the only red man who witnessed the dying struggles of this popular trader. To Smith is due the rescue of the Boyers of Mt. Clemens.

Patrice Reaume, or Wemitigoji, was a native of Quebec. For a period of eight years he traded among the Indians of the St. Clair and Huron and Raisin districts, where he was well and favorably known. Ultimately he was appointed factor for the American Fur Company at the post near Pontiac, and subsequently at the Tittabawassee and Saginaw.

Louis De Quindre, named Missabos, was a friend of Reaume, and like him, a trader. He, too, was known to the pioneers of this county, where he made his home for some years.

Jacob Graveraet, husband of the daughter of the fierce Kiskawko, was a German, who settled for awhile at Albany, N. Y .; moving West, he settled at Detroit, next to Harsen's Island ; moved to Harrison Township in Macomb, again to Harsen's Island, and thence to what is now called Bay County.

Louis Beaufait, or Wagash, was one of the most favorably known and genial men in the Michigan of 1800-1820. He was much younger than Smith or Reaume; was a friend of each and all of his fellow-traders, and being so, was the great peace-maker in the traders' circle -- his calm, gentle and sound reasoning always prevailed.

Barney Campau, a nephew of Louis and Joseph Campau, better known as Oshkinawe, was well-fitted for the life of a trader or hunter. He was honest in all his dealings with the savages, and on this account they styled him Young Man, and acquiesced in all his propositions.

JOSEPH REVEUR.

In the biographical relations of J. R. Bancroft, of Batavia, N. Y., the following notice of an old trapper of the St. Clair district is given : " Samuel de Champlain was the ' Father of New France,' or Canada, by gaining and keeping a foothold near the St. Lawrence, and, in 1608, in laying the foundations of Quebec. He was followed by missionaries, one of whose servants was Jean Bap- tiste Reveur, who died near Lake Champlain about 1665. His great-grandson, Peter Reveur, was an engineer in the French forces in America, and of the party that built the sixty forts from the mouth of the St. Lawrence to that of the Mississippi, about 1725, and which included Detroit.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

The name of Louisiana was early given that vast region claimed by France, between the Alleghany and Rocky Mountains. When the King of France had dominion in North America, all the domain northwest of the River Ohio was included in the Province of Louisiana, the north boundary of which, by the treaty of Utrecht, concluded between France and England in 1713, was fixed at the forty-ninth parallel of latitude north of the equator. After the conquest of the French possessions in America by Great Britain, this tract was ceded by France to the English by the treaty of Paris in 1763. Peter Reveur had a son, Jean Reveur, who became a trapper and hunter, and married, in 1776, a woman of French-Indian extraction, attached in domestic service to the British garrison at Detroit. Jean was away most of the time hunting and trading with the Indians, but his wife remained at her old place at the fort in Detroit, where her son Joseph Reveur (now Anglicized into

Revore) was born July 4, 1777, one hundred and six years ago. The babe grew up into a hearty lad and learned the trade of a baker from the British baker at the post. By the treaty of peace, signed at Paris, September 3, 1783, the claim of the English monarch to the Northwest Territory, including Detroit, ceased. Joseph Revore plied his trade of a baker, at Detroit and other Govern- ment military posts on the lakes, until the outbreak of the war of 1812. The Indian allies of the French did not at once accept the peace of 1763, and Pontiac, the great Ottawa chief, incensed at the transfer of his lands from one European power to another, stirred up a great conspiracy of the

tribes of the lakes for the destruction of all the British garrisons. Detroit endured an eight months'. siege, but was saved by a half-breed Indian girl, the little sister of Joseph Revore's mother, who revealed the plan in time. Peter Reveur, the grandfather of Joseph Revore, was a Lieutenant of the French forces under Montcalm, and was killed with his commander at Quebec in 1759. Jean, the father of Joseph Reveur (or Revore, as now spelled), adhered to the British in the Revolution, but rendered no special service beyond those of scout and pilot near the great lakes. He died near where Chicago is, in 1805, aged seventy years, and was with the Indians and their British allies when defeated by Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne at Fallen Timbers, August 20, 1794. Joseph Revore, in the war of 1812, joined the American forces and was with Gen. Hull when he ignobly surrendered his army, the Detroit post and all Michigan to the British. He witnessed the gallant Col. Lewis Cass break his sword rather than deliver it up to the English commander. During the war, he was at Fort Meigs, Malden, and on the River Raisin. The exploit of that war in which this aged veteran takes the most pride, was his participation in Harrison's victory over the allied British and Indians under Proctor and Tecumseh, on the River Thames, where not ten feet away he saw Col. Richard M. Johnson shoot Tecumseh. At the close of the war, he remained in the neighbor- hood of Fort Meigs, working for a Mr. McIntosh in a tavern, and then a Mr. Forsyth, who kept a store. Finally he drifted to Pittsburgh, where he married and where he kept a barber-shop and bakery combined. In his young days, he was a famous athlete and boxer, and even after he was fifty years old he could throw any man in Pittsburgh or that region. His four children having died, he came down the Ohio River with his wife, and about 1850 settled in Felicity, where for many years he followed his trade of a baker. Here, during the late war, his wife died and the old man was left without a known relative in the wide world. Finally time made its cruel advances on him, his infirmities increased, and in 1879 he came to the County Infirmary, at Clermont, Ohio, where he still resides."

DISTINGUISHED EARLY VISITORS.

Among the pioneers of Michigan best known to the early settlers of St. Clair, the first was un- doubtedly Lewis Cass. The first Chief Justices-A. B. Woodward and Judge Witherell -- were equal- ly well known; while to the first French settlers of this county, all the members of the Campeau family were linked by innumerable interchanges of service.

Augustus Brevoort Woodward was a native of Virginia; was appointed a Judge of the Terri- tory in 1805. His term of office expired on the 1st of February, 1824. He was soon after ar pointed a Judge of the Territory of Florida, and died three years thereafter.

John Griffin was appointed one of the Judges of Michigan in 1807. His term of office expired February 1, 1824. He was also a native of Virginia. He died in Philadelphia about forty years since (about 1840).

James Witherell was a native of Massachusetts, and was appointed a Judge of the Territory of Michigan on the 23d day of April, 1808. His term of office expired on the 1st day of February, 1824, when he was re-appointed for four years, and on the 1st of February, 1828, he was appointed Secretary of the Territory. He died on the 9th of January, 1838.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

James May never held the office of Judge of the Territory, but was for some years Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, about the year 1800.

Gen. Lewis Cass, successor of the inglorious Hull in the governorship of the Territory of Mich- igan, 1813, held his high office until appointed a member of the United States Cabinet, as Secretary of War, in 1831. In 1836, he received the portfolio of Minister to France, which office he filled until 1842. In January, 1845, he was elected member of the United States Senate. Throughout his public life, from his efforts to combat Hull's treachery, in 1812, to the close of his career, he was one of the first citizens of the Union. His death brought mourning not only into the homes of the Michigan people, but also into the villages of the Otchipwes, Pottawatomies and Ottawas, whose admiration he won during the earlier years of his service in Michigan.

Gen. Cass was born at Exeter, N. H., October 9, 1782, and died at Detroit, Mich., June 17, 1866. Gen. Cass was known to the Indians, French and Americans from the establishment of the Territory forward. The services which he rendered this State particularly can never be over-esti- mated.

Gabriel Richards, of the order of St. Sulpice, was born at Saintes, Charente Inferieur, France, October 15, 1764. His mother was a relative of the illustrious Bossuet. He arrived at Baltimore June 24, 1792, and at Detroit in June, 1798. He was the first Delegate of Michigan to the Con- gress of the United States, being elected in 1823. His death took place at Detroit, during the cholera plague, September 13, 1832.

Marquis Jacques Campeau was born at Detroit in 1730. He was the son of LaMotte Cadil- lac's secretary, a soldier who accompanied the French troops to that post in 1701. Marquis J. Campeau may be considered the first white settler of Michigan. He sought a home beyond the fort in 1757, just one year before Nicholas Patenaude began a squatter's life in the district now known as Macomb County. He erected the Catholic Church near his home in 1778.

Joseph Campeau was born at Detroit February 20, 1769. In 1786, he commenced trading in real estate. This fact, together with his various commercial enterprises, made his name a house- hold word in the homes of the early French settlers.

Christian Clemens, John Stockton, Gen. Brown, and a number of other pioneers of the State, noticed in other sections of this work, are well and favorably remembered by the pioneers of this county.

Robert Abbott, son of James Abbott, of Dublin, Ireland, was born at Detroit in 1771. He is said to be the first man speaking our language who opened business at the old post of Detroit. His father and himself were identified with the early fur traders, and were known from Detroit to Mackinac and thence to Chicago. The dealings of Robert Abbott with the early settlers of St. Clair come next in importance to the business connection of the Campeaus.

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.

The art of hunting not only supplied the Indian with food, but, like that of war, was a means of gratifying his love for distinction. The male children, as soon as they acquired sufficient age and strength, were furnished with a bow and arrow and taught to shoot birds and other small game. Success in killing a large quadruped required years of careful study and practice, and the art was as sedulously inculcated in the minds of the rising generation as are the elements of read- ing, writing and arithmetic in the common schools of civilized communities. The mazes of the forest and the dense, tall grass of the prairies, were the best fields for the exercise of the hunter's skill. No feet could be impressed in the yielding soil but that the tracks were the object of the most searching scrutiny, and revealed at a glance the animal that made them, the direction it was pursuing, and the time that had elapsed since it had passed. In a forest country, he selected the valleys, because they were most frequently the resort for game. The most easily taken, perhaps, of all the animals of the chase, was the deer. It is endowed with a curiosity which prompts it to stop in its flight and look back at the approaching hunter, who always avails himself of this oppor- tunity to let fly the fatal arrow.

Their general councils were composed of the chiefs and old men. When in council, they usually sat in concentric circles around the speaker, and each individual, notwithstanding that rankled within, preserved an exterior as immovable as if cast in bronze. Before commencing busi- ness, a person appeared with the sacred pipe, and another with fire to kindle it. After being lighted t was first presented to heaven, secondly to the earth, thirdly to the presiding spirit, and lastly

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the several councilors, each of whom took a whiff. These formalities were observed with as close exactness as state etiquette in civilized courts.

The dwellings of the Indians were of the simplest and rudest character. On some pleasant spot by the bank of a river, or near an ever-running spring, they raised their groups of wigwams, constructed of the bark of trees and easily taken down and removed to another spot. The dwell- ing places of the chiefs were sometimes more spacious, and constructed with greater care, but of the same materials. Skins taken in the chase served them for repose. Though principally dependent upon hunting and fishing, the uncertain supply from those sources led them to cultivate small patches of corn. Every family did everything necessary within itself; commerce or an inter- change of articles being almost unknown to them. In cases of dispute and dissension, each Indian relied upon himself for retaliation. Blood for blood was the rule, and the relatives of the slain man were bound to obtain bloody revenge for his death. This principle gave rise, as a matter of course, to innumerable bitter feuds and wars of extermination, where such were possible. War, indeed, rather than peace, was the Indian's glory and delight-war, not conducted as civilization, but war where individual skill, endurance, gallantry and cruelty were prime requisites. For such a purpose as revenge, the Indian would make great sacrifices, and display a patience and perse- verance truly heroic ; but when the excitement was over, he sank back into a listless, unoccupied, well-nigh useless savage. During the intervals of his more exciting pursuits, the Indian occupied his time in decorating his person with all the refinement of paint and feathers, and in the manu- facture of his arms and of canoes. These were constructed of bark, and so light that they could easily be carried on the shoulders from stream to stream. His amusements were the war dance, athletic games, the narration of his exploits, and listening to the oratory of the chiefs ; but during long periods he remained in a state of torpor, gazing listlessly upon the trees of the forests and the clouds that sailed above them ; and this vacancy imprinted an habitual gravity and even mel- ancholy upon his general deportment.

The main labor and drudgery of Indian communities fell upon the women. The planting, tending and gathering of the crops, making mats and baskets, carrying burdens -- in fact, all things of the kind were performed by them, thus making their condition but little better than that of slaves. Marriage was merely a matter of bargain and sale, the husband giving presents to the father of the bride. In general they had but few children. They were subjected to many and severe attacks of sickness, and at times famine and pestilence swept away whole tribes.

THE GAME OF LA CROSSE.

The earliest notice of this game as played by the Indians is probably that of Capt. Carver, who visited the State in 1766, and may be found on page 364 of his book entitled " North Amer- ica," and is as follows : "They amuse themselves at several sorts of games, but the principal and most esteemed among them is that of the ball, which is not unlike the European game of tennis. The balls they use are rather larger than those made use of at tennis, and are formed of a piece of deerskin, which, being moistened to render it supple, is stuffed hard with the hair of the same creature, and sewed with its sinews. The ball-sticks are about three feet long, at the end of which there is a kind of racket, resembling the palm of the hand, and fashioned of thongs cut from a deerskin ; in these they catch the ball, and throw it to a great distance, if they are not prevented by some of the opposite party, who fly to intercept it. This game is generally played by large companies that sometimes consist of more than three hundred, and it is not uncommon for different bands to play against each other. They begin by fixing two poles in the ground at about six hundred yards apart, and one of these goals belongs to each party of the combatants. The ball is thrown up high in the center of the ground, and in a direct line between the goals, toward which each party endeavors to strike it, and whichever side causes it to reach their own goal, reckons toward the game. They are so exceedingly dexterous in this manly exercise that the ball is usually kept flying in different directions by the force of the rackets, without touching the ground during the whole contention, for they are not allowed to catch it with their hands. They run with amazing velocity in pursuit of each other, and when one is on the point of hurling it a great distance, an antagonist overtakes him, and by a sudden stroke dashes down the ball. They play with so much vehemence that they frequently wound each other, and sometimes a bone is broken ; but notwithstanding these accidents, there never appears to be any spite or wanton exertions of strength to effect them, nor do any disputes ever happen between the parties."

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

VISIT TO THE INDIAN VILLAGE.

Previous to the departure of the Hurons, it was certainly worth one's while to visit one of their villages. A Frenchman who visited them in 1808 or 1810 described their villages on the Clinton at that time. He says: "I remember one fine afternoon, about ten years ago, accompany- ing an old Indian trader thither. Seated in a light canoe, and each armed with a paddle, we started from the mouth of the river for the ostensible purpose of bartering with the Indians for furs, etc., etc. For my part, I was perfectly delighted with the idea, as I never had an opportunity hitherto of seeing the Indians at home, at least during the summer season. The river was sufficiently agitated to cause our tiny boat to rock dreamily, and as we sped onward the rich wavelets leaped and sported against our canoe's prow and sides like sportive kittens, ever and anon greeting our faces with a damp paw that was by no means unpleasant. On, on we sped, now under the shadow of the green woods, now by the fringed, rich border of the clearings, or by the grass-covered marsh. We could see from a bend in the river the Indian village, and hear the wild, joyous shouts of the dusky juveniles as they pursued their uncouth sports and games. As we approached their camp, what a busy and exhilarating scene was presented to our view ! I clapped my hands in the exuberance of my spirits, for never before had I witnessed a scene so full of real, unaffected, natural happiness as there greeted my senses. My companion did not appear to share in my enthusiasm, owing, doubtless, to the fact that he was accustomed to such scenes. Little Indian boys and girls could be seen prowling around like little cupids-some wrestling, some shooting with tiny bows and arrows, some paddling their toy canoes, while others sported in the waters of the river like so many amphibia, each striving to excel the other in the manner and demonstration of its enjoyment.

"Superannuated Indians and squaws sat by the tent doors, looking on with a quiet, demure pleasure, or arranging some toy or trinket for a favorite little toddler, while the more efficient were engaged in various occupations. Oh ! how I longed for an artist's skill, that I might sketch the wild and picturesque scene ! Here, thought I, is human nature in its free, untrammeled state. Care seemed to be a stranger to those children of nature ; no thought of sorrow seemed to engross their minds ; and the world, with all its vicissitudes and vexations, was allowed to pass along unnoticed by them. Buoyancy of spirit was a striking feature in their character. As we drew our canoe out upon the beach, the Indians came forward to greet us, and with a hearty shake of the hand, wished us a cordial bon jour. The dusky urchins left their sports to take a full survey of the visitors ; which having done, they returned to their games with a yelp and a bound.

"Situated upon the greenest and most beautiful portion of the camp ground were a number of white and neat-looking tents, which were closed, and isolated from the dingy, smoky tepees of the village. The trader, who seemed a sort of privileged character, was entirely at home ; while I, considering myself among strangers, clung to him, and followed him wherever he went, not ventur- ing to throw myself upon my own responsibility. I was therefore pleased when I saw him start toward the white tents, for I was curious to know what they contained. Drawing aside the canvas, he entered without ceremony, I, of course, following after. Seated upon beautiful mats of colored rushes, which served as carpets and divans, were some three or four good-looking squaws, very neatly and even richly attired in the fanciful style of the native, busily engaged in embroidering and ornamenting moccasins, broadcloth leggings, and blankets with variegated beads and porcupine quills. Everything around evinced the utmost order, neatness and taste. No bustling nichee or dirty urchin was allowed the freedom of those apparently consecrated tents ; but all was quiet and calm within ; and if converse were carried on it was in that calm, soft, musical tone so peculiar to them. So, so, thought I, here we have a sort of aristocracy-a set of exclusives, and a specimen of high life among the natives ; yet it was just that kind of high life, in many respects, after which their white sisters might take pattern. No idle gossiping or scandal was indulged in ; they quietly plied their needles, and kept their counsel to themselves. If they had occasion to visit their neighbors' tents, it was done quietly and pleasantly, after which business was resumed." This description of the Indian villages on the Riviere aux Hurons or Clinton is based upon fact. Though the Wyandot or Huron is now far away from his olden land, his wife, or sister, or mother may look back with pride to their settlements by Lake St. Clair, and in charity wish that the new Americans there will be as happy as their fathers were.

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History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan, Part 26

Author: Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co.
Number of Pages: 818