USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. I > Part 71
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To provide for the proper yard facilities to meet any abnormal develop- ment in the down-river section, a large traet of land was acquired on the De- troit River in River Rouge village. A further large tract of land was acquired for the main receiving, classification and storage yard west of the River Rouge. In the northern seetion of the city, near Livernois Avenue, on the belt line, a large traet of land was acquired for local yard purposes, which will be de- veloped to a capacity of about one thousand cars. Another large tract has been acquired on the east side to have a capacity of one thousand ears. For central freight service, space has been acquired fronting on Third Street and extending baek three bloeks along Larned Street and Jefferson Avenue west. The im- provements here involve an expenditure of between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000.
A COAL ROAD SALE
The year 1920 witnessed another railroad event of considerable impor- tance to Detroit. This was the purchase by Henry and Edsel Ford of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad. This road was made up of a number of consolidations, the Detroit end of it having come to the city as the Detroit & Lima Northern. The whole road has 454 miles of main track and 155 miles of sidings, and gives access to the Ohio and West Virginia coal fields. It has never been a paying road and has not been able to keep its equipment up to a high degree of efficiency. The Fords think that with the addition of the capital which they are able to furnish the road will be in position to insure to Detroit at all times an abundant supply of coal. It passes through no congested centers between Detroit and the coal fields. It avoids Toledo by striking south through Adrian; avoids Columbus by going through Springfield, fifty miles west, and avoids Cincinnati by taking a southwesterly course from Springfield to Ironton. Solid trains of coal may be run directly through to Detroit and other points in Michigan without being held up or diverted. The city has heretofore suffered much by having its coal held up, under the plea of neces- sity by cities through which it was passing.
THE EXISTING LINES
Detroit has quite elose connection with nearly all the roads in Michigan, and is a terminal point for the following lines, eighteen in all: Michigan Cen- tral, five divisions; Pere Marquette, three divisions; Grand Trunk, three divi- sions; Wabash East and West Divisions; Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, Pennsylvania, Canadian Pacific; Detroit, Toledo & Ironton, Detroit & Toledo Short Line.
PART IV EDUCATIONAL
CHAPTER XXVII
EARLY SCHOOLING IN DETROIT AND PRIMITIVE METHODS OF EDUCATION
BY CLARENCE M. BURTON
EDUCATION UNDER CADILLAC-ILLITERACY PREVALENT-CHANGE TO BRITISH CONTROL-ROBERT NAVARRE-AN EARLY SCHOOL FEE-CHARACTER OF EARLY SCHOOLS-PEDAGOGUES OF LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY-MATTHEW DONOVAN -PETER JOSEPH DILLON-DAVID BACON-EARLY PROGRESS AFTER 1800- REV. GABRIEL RICHARD.
EDUCATION UNDER CADILLAC
We have very little authentie information regarding the sehooling, or eduea- tional facilities, of the early French people of Detroit. At the time of the founding of the village in 1701, much more attention was paid to educating boys to be successful hunters and trappers, or farmers, and girls to become frugal housewives, than to teach them to read and write.
On Cadillac's first expedition in the spring of 1701, he brought with him two priests-a Recollet and a Jesuit-because no expedition was undertaken, or settlement made, without a priest. The church was of much more importance 'to these pioneers than was the school house. The erection of the church of Ste. Anne was begun on the day the French made their first landing.
The Jesuit priest did not remain with Cadillac, but started from the post on the day of its location and started on his way overland through the dense and trackless woods to Mackinac, where there was a Jesuit Mission. He changed his plans, however, and returned to Montreal. The Recollet spent the remainder of his life in Detroit and was murdered by the Indians in 1706.
The only child that came with the first expedition was Antoine, Cadillac's oldest son.
Cadillac's father was a judge at Montauban, in Southern France, and the son was well educated for his time. It is possible that Cadillac gave some in- struction to his son and to his younger children as they grew up in Detroit. His secretary, Etienne Veron de Grandmesnil, was also a man of some education and acted as the recorder of the village, and amanuensis of Cadillac. Some instruction may have been given by this man. Perhaps the village priest, Constantin de l'Halle, might have helped, as it was necessary that he should give instruction in religious matters.
In the year 1702 Madam Cadillac and Madam Tonty came to the settlement, bringing children and servants. Cadillac's children in Detroit at this time were his two sons, Antoine and James (Jaeques) and a daughter, Magdelene. Another
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daughter, Judith, was left in the Ursuline Convent at Quebec. Two other children, Peter Denis and Mary Ann, died before 1701.
Madam Tonty was Anne Picote, but we do not have the names of her children. Her husband, Alphonse Tonty, was an Italian. He was subsequently com- mandant at Detroit and died November 10, 1727. His body rests in Mt. Elliott Cemetery, but his grave is unmarked.
The records of the church of Ste. Anne were kept with considerable care and it is necessary that reference should be made to them for current statistics, for no other record was kept during this early period. From these records it is ascertained that between 1701 and 1710 there were ninety-four children bap- tized. There were three marriages and thirteen deaths during the same time. There must have been considerable more than one hundred children under ten years of age in the year 1710.
In one of his earliest official reports Cadillac recommended the institution of schools. His report was from Detroit and is dated August 31, 1703. He wrote:
"Permit me to continue to persist in representing to you how necessary it is to set up a seminary here for instructing the children of the savages with those of the French in piety, and for teaching them our language by the same means. The savages being naturally vain, seeing that their children were put amongst ours and that they were dressed in the same way, would esteem it a point of honor. It is true that it would be necessary at the beginning to leave them a little more liberty, and that it would be necessary for it to be reduced merely to the objects of civilizing them and making them capable of instruction, leaving the rest to the guidance of heaven and of Him who searches hearts.
"This expense would not be very great. . I believe, if His Majesty grants the seminary of Quebec a thousand crowns, it will begin this holy and pious undertaking. They are gentlemen so full of zeal for the service of God, and of charity towards all that concerns the King's subjects in this Colony, that one cannot tire of admiring them, and all the country owes them inexpressible obligations for the good education they have given all the young people, for their good example, and their doctrine, and it is that which produced very good success in the service in the church in New France. I venture to tell you that you cannot begin this work too soon; if you fear its expense afterwards, I will supply you with devices for continuing this bounty to them by taking it on the spot, without its costing anything to the King."
This appeal for the establishment of a school for the Indians would hardly have been proposed if they were to be treated better than the white children.
When Madam Cadillac started from Quebec in 1701 to follow the pathway her husband pointed out leading to Detroit, she left her daughter, Judith, to be educated and domiciled by the Ursuline nuns in Quebec. It is very probable that she, as Therese Guyon, had been educated in the same institution before her marriage to Cadillac in 1687.
ILLITERACY PREVALENT
The early settlers at Detroit were soldiers, artisans, trappers, hunters, farmers and Indian traders. The trade of the post was originally in the hands of Cadillac and was subsequently claimed by the Company of Canada. Even- tually it again came into Cadillac's possession. The general public never had the right to engage in any kind of trade without permission, either from Cadillac
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or the Company. All of the citizens, excepting the officers and priests, were ignorant and very few of them could even write or print their names. The men were greater pleased to have the outdoor life of freedom from all restraint, to live as the savages did, than to build sehool houses or pay teachers. It was a difficult matter to get them to pay the small taxes they had, which were used to keep the fort in repair, the tithes to keep and maintain their church and pay the priest the small sum he needed. It would have been impossible to have collected much additional money to pay for maintaining a school. And yet a school of some kind was a necessity and it is very likely that some sort of education was supplied.
For some years the village grew rapidly. Within the first ten years of its existenee nearly 600 Canadians had come to the place, and left their names permanently attached to it, either in the notarial records of Montreal or in the church and public records of Detroit. There is no record of the employment of a school teacher at this date. The only record we have of the existence of any books in the village is contained in the inventory of Cadillac's household goods. In this is an item of "three shelves for books, lined with boards for one-fourth of the height." We find also, that he, on several occasions, quotes from Tele- machus, which, in his day, was a new work.
There was a record of current events, land transactions, military court martials, inventory of estates and like matters, kept by Cadillac. The original of this is in the archives at Quebee, and a copy is in the public library of Detroit. The church records, containing marriage, birth and death records, were fre- quently signed by people of the village, showing that many of them had learned to sign their names. Quite as frequently it appears that the witnesses on these occasions were unable to show even that slight evidence of schooling. For nearly one hundred years, the majority of conveyances are signed by the notary alone, or by but few of the contracting parties. In such cases, a note is appended to the document explaining that the persons who did not sign were unable to write.
The growth of the village is shown by the vital statisties taken from the records of the church of Ste. Anne. The records between 1701 and 1760 show the following :
1701 to 1710- 94 baptisms, 3 marriages, 13 deaths.
1711 to 1720- 89 baptisms, 7 marriages, 15 deaths.
1721 to 1730-106 baptisms, 16 marriages, 44 deaths.
1731 to 1740-156 baptisms, 27 marriages, 73 deaths.
1741 to 1750-235 baptisms, 24 marriages, 114 deaths.
1751 to 1760-363 baptisms, 70 marriages, 216 deaths.
Among these names there are to be found a few Indians, but nearly all are Freneh-Canadians. In the first decade there were fifty-five Indians baptized and in the second decade 123; many of them were of mature ages, while the French baptisms were all of children.
In the year 1747 another church was established on the south side of the Detroit River, which cared for the various Indian tribes and also for such of the Canadians as lived in that section
CHANGE TO BRITISH CONTROL
In 1760 the British troops tooks possession of Detroit and the adjacent country. The English were mostly Protestants, or non-attendants of church,
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and their names seldom appear in the church records. Many of the French people left the settlement at this time and the number of births decreased some- what in consequence. There were from
1761 to 1770-351 baptisms, 80 marriages, 217 deaths.
1771 to 1780-476 baptisms, 60 marriages, 182 deaths.
1781 to 1790-551 baptisms, 80 marriages, 219 deaths.
1791 to 1800-914 baptisms, 167 marriages, 367 deaths.
Marriages between Catholics and Prostestants sometimes took place without the assistance of the priest, the ceremony being performed by the commandant or by some civil officer. There is no record of these marriages to be found.
ROBERT NAVARRE
About the year 1730 there came to Detroit a man named Robert Navarre. Many of his descendants are living in Detroit and Michigan today. Navarre was a man of much more than ordinary education for his time, at least for Detroit. He was born in France and had received his education in that country. Shortly after coming to Detroit he was appointed sub-delegate and royal notary. These offices implied almost everything. Of course, the man in actual charge of the post was the military commandant, and it is nowhere intimated that there ever was a question of authority between the commandant and Navarre, but, subject to the commandant, the notary was the authority on all occasions. He was the record keeper, the lawyer, the general scrivener, the surveyor, tithe gatherer, tax collector, treasurer of the king's revenue, and perhaps the school teacher of the settlement. He also was trustee of and kept the financial and business records of Ste. Anne's Church. During his thirty years of public life: he made nearly all of the public records, save only the church records which were kept by the priests. His receipts for tithes and quit rents are to be found among the family papers of every Canadian of the period, and his name, pe- culiarly written "Navarre," for he had long since dropped his first name, is to be found on every public document between 1734 and 1760. No marriage was consummated during this time, without the making of a marriage contract, drawn up and signed by Navarre, and it has been stated that he was the author of that entertaining document known as the "Pontiac Journal."
Navarre was born at Villeroy, France, in 1709 and married Marie Lootman dit Barrois at Villeroy, February 10, 1734. He died at Detroit, November 24, 1791 and was burried here. He was the father of nine children. He did not impart his own education to his children to any great extent, for some of them could not even write their names, and those who did only learned the accom- plishment in later years. The names of his children were as follows:
1. Marie Françoise Navarre, born January 9, 1735, married Capt. George McDougall. He died iu 1780, leaving two sons, George and John Robert McDougall. She married, secondly, Jacques Campau, in 1784. She was unable to sign her name in 1752, but had learned how by 1784.
2. Marie Anne Navarre, born October 14, 1737, married Jacques Baudry dit Desbutte dit St. Martin. Her husband died June 18, 1768 and in 1770 she married Dr. George Christian Anthon. Doctor Anthon died in New York in 1815. He had three sons (not of this marriage) who became very prominent. Marie Anne Navarre could not write her name in 1752, but learned to write before 1757.
3. Robert Navarre, born November 25, 1739, married Marie Louise Marsac.
.
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He was buried at Detroit, December 19, 1813. The two Roberts, father and son; were popular with the Indian tribes about Detroit and to distinguish them from each other the father was called Tonton, the writer, and the son was termed Robiche, the speaker. The son could not write in 1752, but we have his writing in 1775.
4. Joseph Navarre, born August 3, 1748, died in infancy.
5. Marie Catherine Navarre, born July 6, 1749, died young.
6. Bonaventure Pierre Navarre, born October 5, 1753 and died September 29, 1764.
7. Marie Catherine Navarre, born August 12, 1757, married Alexander Macomb May 4, 1773. She died in 1789. Their son, Alexander, became a major-general in the United States Army. In 1771 Marie Catherine Navarre was unable to sign her name.
S. François Marie Navarre, dit Utreau, born November 19. 1759, married Marie Louise Godet dit Marantette. He could not write in 1776 and we have no evidence that he could ever write.
9. Jean Marie Alexis Navarre, born September 21, 1763, married Archange Godet dit Marantette in 1787. He died in 1836.
Jean Baptiste Roucoux maintained a school during a portion of the American Revolution and for some years later. In an old account book we find "Rocourt, clerk of the Mess," connecting him with the soldiers in some manner. Roucoux was born in France and, after coming to Detroit, he married Marie Joseph Deshetres in 1765. He lived on St. Jacques Street in the old town and kept school either in his own house or in a building belonging to Ste. Anne's Church. In addition to his duties as school teacher he was the leader in the choir of that church. His name appears as a teacher as late as 1783. He died May 2, 1801.
Ste. Anne's Church was located on Ste. Anne Street, near the eastern gate of the village; that would be a short distance west of the present intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Griswold Street. The church lot extended northerly nearly to Larned Street and at the north end was a building, termed a "factor," owned by the church. This building might have been used, if required, for school purposes, though its proper use was in connection with the church for storage, work shop and possibly a priest's dwelling. There was quite a large burial lot around the church buikling. Burials were so numerous that the portion of the lot which fell within the lines of the present Jefferson Avenue was filled with graves. In 1817 interments ceased in this cemetery, but human remains have been unearthed there as late as 1921.
The English came in 1760, not because they wanted to take possession of the country as permanent traders and tillers of the soil, but because a military duty forced them to take whatever property of the enemy they could find. They came as soldiers, not civilians. After the war closed in 1763, and even before that date, there were a great many pack traders, peddlers we might call them, who wended their way through Canada, and along the south shore of Lake Erie, to visit the far-western post of Detroit, to trade with the Indians and French and with the few English people who were here. There were, at first, only a few English families in the settlement, and consequently not many English children to be looked after by the new commandant.
The old notary, Navarre, continued to do his work for the French people and there were two English notaries appointed by the English authorities, Gabriel Le Grand and Philippe Dejean. Neither of these two men was suffi-
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ciently educated in the English language to act as a teacher in English. Dejean was appointed to keep the official records and his work was done either in French or English, as requested. We have many wills, deeds, marriage contracts and other writing of both of these men, some of them in one language and others in another.
It is probable that there was a chaplain in the garrison part of the time, but there is only slight evidence that there were religious services held under English rule. Marriages and baptisms were attended to by the commandant, though there is some evidence of a chaplain occasionally.
AN EARLY SCHOOL FEE
James Sterling, of Scotch ancestry, was here as early as 1763, for it is related that Angelique Cuillerier, who became his wife shortly afterward, told him of Pontiac's attempt to capture Detroit in 1763. The story is told in Miss Crow- ley's "Heroine of the Straits." Sterling was afterwards appointed tax collector, or collector of the king's revenue, quit rents, etc. He kept an account book which contains some interesting entries on our subject. James Sterling, son of James and Angelique, was born in 1765. In 1778, when this boy was thirteen years old, we find this entry in his father's accounts:
"1778. John Peck. "Sept. 8. By teaching Jas.
Cr.
5 mos. at 20/
£5. "
Two other entries of about this time are as follows:
"1777. Jean B. Rocour. Cr.
"Apr. 2. By nursing Francis. and
200 = (livres). "
"1778. Jean Baptiste Rocourt. "Sept. S. By his a/c for Mrs. S. and children. £8:14:4. "
Cr.
The last entry, if for schooling, would indicate that Mrs. Sterling, as well as her children, was taking lessons. Roucoux is also sometimes termed the French schoolmaster.
In 1775 Sterling sold some goods to "Drouin, schoolmaster at Chapoton's." In the same year he sold to Lieut. Jchu Hay (afterwards lieutenant-governor of Detroit) "one spelling book 2/6." He also sold Lieutenant Hay various other items, boys' hats and shoes, two rings and some fiddle-strings.
Daniel Garrit, "cook to Commodore Grant," is mentioned as "school teacher to the children of the Regiment" in 1781, and the same year Capt. Andrew Parke is charged 125 6ª "paid for schooling of the regiment."
During the Revolutionary War the great commercial firm of Macomb, Edgar & Macomb was the agent for the military department. The partners were Alexander and William Macomb, sons of John Macomb, and John Edgar. The Macombs have been connected with Detroit ever since. They were interested in educational matters and all of their children were educated. John Edgar was "sent down the country" as a suspect, that is, one who favored the new United States government. He never returned to Detroit to live, but moved westward to Illinois and took up some large tracts of land. Edgar County, Illinois, is named from him.
Some mention of General Macomb has already been made. The three sons Vol. 1-45
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of William Macomb were John, David and William. They owned the islands in the river, and on Grosse Ile are to be found today many of their descendants.
Mention has also been made of Dr. George Christian Anthon. His three noted sons were Charles, the lexicographer, John, lawyer and author in New York, and Henry, pastor of "St. Mark's in the Bowery" also in New York.
CHARACTER OF EARLY SCHOOLS
The schools were not like the public schools of today. Then a teacher would obtain a subscription for his employment, the contributions made by a number of citizens who were interested in educating the children. Each subscriber agreed to pay a stipulated sum for the teacher's salary and was permitted to send pupils, on his own account, to the extent of his payments. The teacher could obtain other pupils if he so desired. The school room was usually a room in the dwelling of the teacher or in a room rented for the purpose, or in one provided by the subscribers. There were no school houses. The pupil paid for his tuition by the term and was expected to supply a portion of the firewood used in heating the room, also candles for lighting it on dark days. Each pupil furnished his own books and they were not uniform for all scholars in the same class. These books were handed down from generation to generation until they were entirely worn out. Boys were usually sent to one school and one teacher and the girls to another. Classes were not large, the entire school usually numbering less than thirty students. Only one teacher was engaged in each school and this teacher was expected to give instruction in every course of study from the primer to trigonometry.
There were, necessarily, several schools in the village. The French inhab- itants, being mostly Roman Catholics, were inclined to employ a French Catholic teacher, who would not only give instruction in the French language, but would also instruct in the tenets of the Catholic Church.
One of the old school books would be very interesting to examine at the present time. Books of the lower grades are sometimes mentioned in the old accounts. In 1782 Polly Rice had to pay two. shillings for a "primmer" and in 1783 Peggy Wood was charged four shillings for a spelling-book, which she gave to "Bob" for a Christmas gift. This is not only evidence that Peggy was interested in Bob's education, but that Christmas was observed in our village as early as 1783.
PEDAGOGUES OF LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
The name of Ch. Fr. Girardin appears as a schoolmaster and also as a baker in 1783. If this was Charles François Girardin, his name appears many times in later years as one of the justices and judges under American rule.
"Mrs. Saunders" is mentioned as a school mistress in 1783. Madam Mary Crofton maintained a school for several years. Her name first appears in 1782. Mrs. Crofton's school was for both boys and girls and she received £1 per month for each pupil. She traded with Howard & McCaslan and with Macomb, Edgar & Macomb, also with John Askin. The items in her various accounts are very interesting to show the quality of goods she purchased and the prices she paid for them. The account of 1783 and 1784 includes thread, sugar, salt, spirits, flour, vinegar, flannel, silk stockings and a balance of A. and W. Macomb's account, making a total of £84. To offset this bill is an account for the educa- tion of the daughters of Commodore Grant and John Askin. The Grant and
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