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Queen Marinette Story- Big Impact

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 Born Post Lake 1793. Died June 3, 1865. The commenerative plaque is in Marinette, WI on the south side of the river.Her father was Bartholomew Chevalier and mother an Indian woman. She had a brother Joseph Bartholomew(Joe Bart). Marinette's education by Jesuit's at Michilimackinac, marriage to William Farnsworth, association with the Menominee Indians, friendship with Chief Sitting Bull, hospitality toward all resulted in a unique chapter in our frontier history. The city of Marinette, Wisconsin is named after her and her story is told reasonable well at the local historical center. The Marinette story is also unique because it is told in both white history records and in Indian lore. The story focuses around her marriage and separation with William Farnsworth. To understand the historic backdrop to Chevalier-Marinette story follow this hyperlink to an excellent History of the Menominee and Ojibwe.
  • Marinette married William Farnsworth who was born in Vermont 9/26/1796. He died 9/8/1860. He was her second husband. They had three children. Her first husband was John Jacobs. They had three children(John Jr., Elizabeth and Polly). With William they had the following children. George P. born in Green Bay July , 1828; Joseph(no decendents) and Jane, who married George Dunette.
  • George P. married Susan Clarke Thompkins. They had four children: George died in Buffalo, N.Y.(no decendents); William J. born in Ripon, WI. 1856. He died in 1915. Married Ellen Dougherty and had four children; Joseph born in 1859 and married Ann Tickler. They had three children; Mary Farnsworth born in 1861 married Henry Tickler born 9/15/1852 and died 9/15/1932. Ann and Henry were brother and sister. George owned the "United States Hotel" in Green Bay. Here we see George in a formal portrait.
  • Mary and Henry had six children: Alma married Herman John Van Rens; George; Ronald and Margaret(Peggy), married Walter Newlin of Philadelphia; Harry; and Clearence. The children were put in St. Joseph Orphanage in Green Bay after Mary died 8/27/84. A note has Henry living in New Orleans after her death.
  • Alma was working for the Heintz family as a servant, age 24 in 1910 census. She married Herman and had two children Ed and John.


Fur Trading Nexus

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Jean Baptiste Chevalier's (Marinette's Grandparent's) home is reconstructed in Fort Michilimackinac at present Mackinac City. The reconstruction of the fort and the house is a beautiful job by the Mackinac State Historic Parks and the University of Michigan. He was born in Montreal in 1677. A record of his marriage appears below. Jim and Chuck stand next to the rebuilt "Chevalier House".  This life style is well documented in the Virtual Museum of New France web site. Chevalier was key link in the Voyageur fur trading business.New France ConnectionJim, Judy and Chuck attended the Festival of New France in Quebec on Aug. 8th,1999.

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Chuck and Jim find the Jean Batiste Chevalier house at Fort Michilimackinac

New France Connection

On August 13th of 1999 Jim, Judy and Chuck found the baptismal certificate of Jean Baptiste Chevalier at Basilica of Notre-Dame in Montreal. He was baptized August 9th, 1677. The baptismal record also contained his mother and fathers names. We found there marriage certificate as well.  They were Joseph-David Chevalier, born Dieppe, Saint-Jacques, France in 01/01/1644 and Francoise-Marthe Barton, born 01/01/1650 in Poiters, Saint-Michel. They were married Oct.7th, 1670. They had a home on the 218 rue Saint-Paul.  She died in Aug. 13th, 1699.  He died may 26th, 1726.  They both died in Montreal.  His parents were Jean Chevalier(born Sept.14,1602) and Madeleine L'Heureux(Leureux)(abt. 1620) and he was from Dieppe,Saint-Jacques, France.  Jean's parents were Laurent Chevalier(born 1580) and Claude Reine (born 1582).  They were married in 1600. Dieppe was the primary France sea port for trade and expedition to New France.   Francoise-Marthe Barton's parents were Jacques(Philippe) Barton and Renee Pitre(Pestre) from Poitou. Poitou is presently the Pitou-Chartres region of France.  The record is in the oldest parish record book in North America.

Les Felles du Roi- The King's Daughters

Francoise-Marthe Barton was one of 770 French women who was known as 'Les Felles du Roi".  This is incredible story and well documented.  Be sure to check the this web site for the full story. It is the Virtual Museum of New France.  For reference to the list of King's Daughters.

Jean Baptiste's Marriage Certificate

We also found the parish record for Jean Baptiste's marriage to Marie-Francoise Alavione.  He was 35 years old and she was 19.  They were married April 28th, 1709.  Her parents were Charles Alavione born 01/01/1660 at La Rochelle and Marie-Therese Marchand, She was born in 01/01/1664. Charles owned a stone house on the rue Saint-Jacques. He was a merchant of large goods. She was a merchant of small goods.

These records are in 'old french'.  We will have them translated and they are bound to yield lots of interesting information.  Other recorded notes are below.

p. 247, 2e colonne
CHEVALIER, Jean-Baptiste
* m 1709
ALAVOINE, Marie-Françoise 

1. Marie-Charlotte [m 30-10-1729 (Michilimackinac) Antoine DES HÊTRES] 

Source: PFF 1 124(Dictionnaire généalogique de nos origines)Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec.
There are references in the reconstructed St. Anne's Church to the presence of the Chevalier family.

"June 4, 1752, after publishing one ban, at the parochial or common mass of michilimakina and suppressed the two others in accordance with the permission expressly given the Reverend father du jaunay by Monseigneur the bishop of Quebec for the reasons alleged by the contracting parties, I, the undersigned priest of the society of Jesus, received at ten o'clock in the evening the mutual consent of Etienne Chesnier of the parish of la chinne, son of joseph chesnier, of the parish of the town of Montreal, deceased, and of Magdelaine de Cok, his mother, married a second time; and of anne Tharse Esther, daughter of the late jean Baptiste chevalier, of the parish of Montreal, and of maried francoise alavoine jasmin, widow of the parish of Montreal and residing at this post. . . (The records of the Parish of St. Anne's of the Lakes, located at Michilimackinac).
Chevalier was a famous fur trader of his day. Other Chevalier at the Fort, Esther, daughter of Jean Baptiste, Marie Anne(1750), Constante(1762), Louis(c.1804), Pascal(1779), Magdeleine Chevalier, daughter of the late Pascal Chevalier(1779).

In 1763 are busy trading and delivering mail:

Captain George Ertherington [at L'Arbe Croche] to Charles Langlade, Jr. [at Mackinac], July 1, 1763.

" I have just received your letter through Chabollee [Chabollier = prominent Mackinac fur trade family] and I will write you more at length by him." [Vol. 18, 254-55].
 

Ke-che-waub-ish-ashe (The Big Marten) Ojibwa Chief -References

Marinette's other Grandparent was Ke-che-waub-ish-ashe (The Big Marten) OjibwayFor an exciting exploits of Ke-che-waub-ish-ashe(The Big Marten) read this link.

Reference :
William. W. Warren
"History of the Ojibway People- 1885 "by William W. Warren.

Reference:
 "Queen Marinette :Spirit of Survival on the Great Lakes Frontier."
"Over fifty years after Ke-che-waub-ish-ashe (Big Marten) died at Elk River,
the Americans negotiated a boundary treaty with the Chippewas, Menominees
and Winnebagos at Butte des Mortes on the Fox River in August 1827. One of several Chippewa chiefs who signed the treaty with his "x" mark was GitsheeWaubeshass (also called Big Marten), a descendant of Ke-che-waub-ish-ashe. Gitshee Waubeshass was a contemporary of Marinette's, and it is likely they both were descendants of the original warchief who had died at Elk River in approximately 1773. Another chief who signed the 1827 treaty for the Menominees was Marinette's good friend, Joset Caron."

It shows a family tree with Marie Chevalier (Marinette) b. 1793 d. 1865.  Barthelemy Chevalier father, Louise mother. Louise's parents are
Ke-Che-Waub-ish-ashe and a Chippewa Woman.

I don't see any mention of clans, etc., but if you wish to purchase the
book, it is published by White Water Associates, Inc., 429 River Lane, P.O.
Box 27, Amasa, Michigan 49903.


Reference:
 "The Wisconsin Creoles" comments that "This family provided more early settlers to Wisconsin. than any other."  Marinette's life is the subject of a reasonable good biography. She retained a grew her trading business after Farnsworth left and gracely succeeded in the transition of frontier to commerical settlement guiding those in the Menominee area.The history of Marinette, as a Chevalier,  is a chapter in the Creole History of Wisconsin.

Marinette and Farnsworth to Herman and Alma Van Rens

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George P. Farnswoth
Marinette married William Farnsworth who was born in Vermont 9/26/1796. He died 9/8/1860. He was her second husband. They had three children. Her first husband was John Jacobs. They had three children(John Jr., Elizabeth and Polly). With William they had the following children. George P. born in Green Bay July , 1828; Joseph(no decendents) and Jane, who married George Dunette.

George P. married Susan Clarke Thompkins. They had four children: George died in Buffalo, N.Y.(no decendents); William J. born in Ripon, WI. 1856. He died in 1915. Married Ellen Dougherty and had four children; Joseph born in 1859 and married Ann Tickler. They had three children; Mary Farnsworth born in 1861 married Henry Tickler born 9/15/1852 and died 9/15/1932. Ann and Henry were brother and sister. George owned the "United States Hotel" in Green Bay. Here we see George in a formal portrait.

Mary and Henry had six children: Alma married Herman John Van Rens; George; Ronald and Margaret(Peggy), married Walter Newlin of Philadelphia; Harry; and Clearence. The children were put in St. Joseph Orphanage in Green Bay after Mary died 8/27/84. A note has Henry living in New Orleans after her death.

Alma was working for the Heintz family as a servant, age 24 in 1910 census. She married Herman and had two children Ed and John.

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