Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/112

 52 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI lage for the petitioner promises to set aside a certain part of it for a chui-ch. The grant was made as requested and is dated 1752. It appears that at this time one Chaponga cultivated a part of what is now the Big Field of Ste. Genevieve. In the same year one Geneaux prays for a grant of land along the Saline Creek adjoining the land of one Dor- lac who must have been in the Big Field also. ' A fort named Fort Joachim was located in the old village during the year 1759. A ref- erence to this old fort is to be found in the register of the Catholic church of Ste. Gene- vieve. V Numerous other references to old events are found scattered through church records, in court proceedings and the letters and books of private persons. None of them give an exact date for the founding of the town, but all of them indicate that it was settled early in the eighteenth century. The original settlers of the old village of Ste. Genevieve were Francisco Valle, Jean Baptiste Valle, Joseph Loisel, Jean Baptiste Maurice, Francois Maurice, Francois Cole- man, Jaques Boyer, Henri Maurice, Parfait Dufour, Joseph Bequette, Jean Baptiste Tho- mure, Joseph Govreau, Louis Boldue, Jean Baptiste St. Gem, Laurent Gabouri, Jean Beauvais, B. N. Janis and J. B. T. Pratte. Of these settlers the Valle family were very prominent, Francois Valle, Sr., and his sons Francois, Jr., and Jean Baptiste were all commandants of the post at various times. Francois, Jr., lived for many years in a large one story frame building on South Gabouri Creek. This house is still standing and is a typical French residence of that time. It is low but has large porches making it comfort- able. The wife of Francois Valle was Louise Carpentier whom he married in 1777. They reared a number of children. One of the daughters of the family married Robert T. Brown of Perry county, another married Dr. Walter Fenwick who was afterward killed in a duel, a third daughter became the wife of Joseph Pratte, and the fourth married Captain Wilkinson. Francois Valle, Jr., died March 6, 1804, and was buried under his pew in the old Catholic church. Jean Baptiste Valle, the brother of Fran- cois, Jr., married Jane Barbau. He was a prosperous merchant and lived in Ste. Ge- nevieve for a number of years. Another of the sons of Francois Valle, Sr., was named Charles. He married Pelagic Carpentier in 1769, and Marie Louise Valle the only daugh- ter of Francois Valle, Sr., was married to Francois LeClere in 1776. Another of the influential families of the old village was the St. Gems, or as they are frequently known St. Gem Beauvais a short- ening of St. Gem de Beauvais. Some mem- bers of the family finally discontinued the use of St. Gem in their name and became known as Beauvais. The founder of the fam- ily in this counti-y was Jean Baptiste, who came to Ka-skaskia about 1720 and was mar- ried in 1725 to Louise LaCi'ois at Fort Chartres. Their family consisted of five sons and two daughters. Two of the sons, Jean Baptiste, Jr., and Vital St. Gem, or as he was often called. Vital Beauvais, removed from Kaskaskia when that place was cap- tured by Clark, to Ste. Genevieve. The former of the two brothers built what was perhaps the first grist mill west of the Missis- sippi. The house in which he lived for many years is still standing in Ste. Genevieve. He was an office holder for a number of years be- ing one of the first judges of the Court of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions remain-