Genealogy of Madame Magdeleine La Framboise

Darcy John Bouchard. Li Exule 2010

Chief Kewinoquot ODAWA Marie Nakesh

Benjamin Elizabeth Pierce Merrill

J-Bte Marcotte

SIOUX (Governor) Ben a!"n #"er$e Fur Trader Anna B +endr"$& Louis Marguerite Jose!h Magdeleine La #ramboise Marcot %Wal&"ng Day' %Slee(y )ye*' illiam "ickson

Ben a!"n 0o*e(."ne +endr"$& %0o*e--e' #"er$e 2a Fra!3o"*e

1,-. #re*/ USA Fran&l"n #"er$e

0o*e(. # 2a Fra!3o"*e 1 2

1agdele"ne %Slee(y )ye*' S"**e-on 4

0ane D"$&*on ,

Josette 5arr"e#"er$e

Benjamin Pierce

Jose!h La #ramboise

#ran$ois La #ramboise

illiam La #ramboise

%au&hter La #ramboise

%au&hter La #ramboise

Madame Magdeleine La Framboise

Magdeleine La Framboise (1780-1846) was the daughter of a French-Canadienne fur trader, Jean-Baptiste arcotte (17!0-178"), and an #dawa (#ttawa) $other, arie %a&esh (c'1740(c'17)0), daughter of Chief *ewino+uot' ,he was one of the $ost pro$inent fur traders conducting -usiness in the %orthwest .erritor/ (later known as Michigan)' ade0eine 1a Fra$-oise was -orn in Fe-ruar/ 1781, on ac&inac 2s0and ( ichigan), after her parents were re$o3ed fro$ ,t-Joseph -/ the British41 she was -apti5ed on 1 6ugust 1786, on ac&inac 2s0and' ade0eine was on0/ three $onths o0d when her father died' ,he was raised a$ong her $other7s peop0e in a Lac Courtes Oreille (#8i-we) 3i00age on ac&inac 2s0and, founded -/ French sett0ers, near the $outh of the 9rand :i3er, (near Grand Haven, Michigan)4 this fur-trading outpost was ca00ed Gabagouache! -/ the ;ottawatta$ie (and #ttawa) nati3es, and was a $a8or trade route into the interior' 2n the 0anguage of the #ttawa, the word <Gabagouache= descri-ed <the widening of the ri3er and the s0owing of the current as the f0ow reached 1a&e ichigan'= B/ the ti$e ade0eine was 1> /ears of age, in 17)4, she $arried Joseph 1a Fra$-oise (176>(1806)4 their first daughter, Josette was -orn on !4 ,epte$-er 17)> (died 1806)4 she was -apti5ed in 17)), at ,t-6nne7s of ac&inac, and was the first entr/ in the church7s register' ade0eine was a great asset to her hus-and in the fur trade, in addition to spea&ing four 0anguages f0uent0/? French, @ng0ish, #ttawa, and Chippewa, a0though she cou0d neither read nor write in an/ 0anguage, she &new the fur trade and assisted ion negotiations' 60though ade0eine and Joseph were a0read/ $arried a la faon du pays, a Catho0ic priest so0e$ni5ed their $arriage on 11 Ju0/ 1804, on ac&inac 2s0and' 2n arch 180>, ade0eine -irthed a son na$ed Joseph 1a Fra$-oise (died 18>6)'

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1a$&"na$ Ar$."ve* T.e -rad"ng (o*- 6a* la-er -a&en over 3y 3u*"ne** -y$oon and f"r*- !"ll"ona"re "n -.e Un"-ed S-a-e*7 0o.n 0a$o3 A*-or and7 3y -.e la-e e"g.-een-. $en-ury7 -.e A!er"$an Fur 8o!(any 6a* o(era-"ng -6en-y (o*-* "n -.e area/ Fro! 190: -o 19217 A*-or;* (o*-* 6ere !anaged 3y 1ada!e 2a Fra!3o"*e< and7 6.en *.e re-"red -o 1a$&"na$ I*land7 *.e 6a* re(la$ed 3y ="> =o3"n*on7 often cre%ite% for la'in& the foun%ation of Michi&an/

ade0eine and Joseph owned $an/ trading posts in west Michigan? @3er/ fa00 the/ wou0d tra3e0 with $erchandise to trade with the #ttawa nati3es fro$ ac&inac 2s0and down to the 9rand :i3er area to present-day Ada (Michigan), where the/ -ui0t another trading post ( the first per$anent $ercanti0e -ui0ding in west ichigan' @3er/ spring the/ wou0d return to ac&inac 2s0and with their furs' 2n 1806, Joseph 1a Fra$-oise was &i00ed -/ a sa3age at their trading post, near present-day Lowell' 6t this point, ade0eine gathered up her winter furs and too& her hus-and7s -od/ to ac&inac 2s0and' 6 widow raising two chi0dren, she continued to $anage se3era0 trading posts in the pays den haut, or <savage country=,1 eApanding her -usiness throughout the western and northern portions of Michigans Lower eninsula' For the neAt fourteen /ears, ada$e 1a Fra$-oise continued wintering in the 9rand :i3er Ba00e/ trading, and, in the 0ate spring, super3ising the transportation of the winter furs to ac&inac 2s0and' ,he was no ordinar/ wo$an4 inte00igent, a0wa/s fair in her trades, and, in a ti$e when an eAperienced fur trapper cou0d earn C1000 per /ear, she was earning C>000-to-C10,000 per /ear' ,he a$assed a fortune, -ui0t a 3er/ fine ho$e on ac&inac 2s0and, and was a-0e to pro3ide a ontrea0 education for her chi0dren' #n ! 6pri0 1816, her acco$p0ished and educated daughter, Josette, $arried Ben8a$in *' ;ierce (17)0-18>0), co$$andant of the fort and brother of a future resident of the !nited "tates #ranklin ierce' .he e3ent of the su$$er, the $arriage too& p0ace at the ho$e of the itche007s ( ade0eine7s friends' .he wedding guests wore their finest si0&s and satins, whi0est ada$e 1a Fra$-oise, .herese ,chind0er, Josette7s aunt, and @0i5a-eth itche00 wore their -est traditiona0 rega0ia' B/ age 41, ada$e 1a Fra$-oise was so successfu0 that John Jaco- 6stor of the 6$erican Fur Co$pan/ $onopo0/, a co$petitor, in 1818, con3inced her to $erge with the American Fur Company to her ad3antage ( and, a wea0th/ wo$an, she was a-0e to 0i3e in great co$fort the rest of her 0ife' Dowe3er, after on0/ four /ears of $arriage, Josette and her infant son Ben8a$in died, on 4 %o3e$-er 18!0, and are -uried in ,te-6nne7s church/ard on ac&inac 2s0and4 and, Ben8a$in ;ierce surrendered his sur3i3ing
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( )nu& Little Place* Memories of (%a+ Michi&an ,-.,-,/01< Ada 5"*-or"$al So$"e-y?0ane S"egel7 1::4 (S"egel 1::4)7 ( 24

chi0d, Josette Darriett, to the care of her grand$other, ada$e 1a Fra$-oise' 6t her retire$ent fro$ fur-trading, ada$e 1a Fra$-oise taught her to read and write French and @ng0ish' ,he supported the first schoo0 on the is0and, -eco$ing a ,unda/ schoo0 teacher at ,te-6nne7s Church4 she was 3er/ acti3e in the parish, 0isted as god$other for $an/ -aptis$s and witnessing $an/ $arriages' Der ho$e, at ti$es a schoo0, was used for re0igious purposes and, at ti$es, a we0co$e ha3en for entertaining passing nota-0es, such as, 60eAis de .oc+ue3i00e, John and Ju0iette *in5ie, Denr/ :owe ,choo0craft, as we00 as her own nati3e fa$i0/ $e$-ers' (,he surpassed her re$ar&a-0e achie3e$ents in the fur-trade -/ her efforts to educate the /oung') Ehen the church 0eaders decided to $o3e the church fro$ its origina0 0ocation, 1a Fra$-oise donated the propert/ neAt to her ho$e as the new site' 2n eAchange for her gift, she re+uested to -e -uried -eneath the a0ter of ,te-6nne7s Church on ac&inac 2s0and, at the end of her 0ife' 6t her death on 4 6pri0 1846, ade0eine 1a Fra$-oise was -uried under the church a0ter a0ong side of her daughter, Josephine <Josette=4 in her wi00, ade0eine 0eft her state0/ ho$e to granddaughter $osette Darriet ;ierce, and pro3ided a$p0/ for her son FranFois and friend 6gatha Bidd0e' %uring the last half of the &'th century, the to(bs were re(oved fro( beneath the church to a garden on the grounds for renovations ) and her lovely ho(e is now a hotel' ada$e 1a Fra$-oise7s son, Joseph, -eca$e a fur trader, 0i3ing $ost of his 0ife a0ong the innesota :i3er Ba00e/' De $arried agde0eine <,0eep/ @/es= ,isseton, a ,iouA, around 18!7' .he/ had one son, FranFois 1a Fra$-oise' Joseph7s second wife was Jane Gic&son, the daughter of fur-trader Ei00ia$ Gic&son'

Joseph 1a Fra$-oise died on ) %o3e$-er 18>6, in *icollet +ounty, Minnesota'