The Saucier Family - Page 33
FRANCOIS SAUCIER was born in 1712 at Mobile, the fifth and last child, he was the youngest of the four sons born to John Baptiste Saucier and Marie Gabrielle Savary. Francois was a grandson of Louis Charles Saucier and Marguerite Gaillard of Quebec, Canada and he was a great grandson of Charles Saucier and Charlotte Clairet of Paris, France.
The following excerpt is from the St. Louis Cathedral website on the “History of Music at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France” in New Orleans where the Saucier family attended services:
“The music program of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, is one of the oldest continually operating music programs in the United States. Dating from the establishment of the parish in 1720, it has historically fostered great music. Among the earliest musicians was François Saucier, the great-grandson of Charles Saucier who was organist of St. Eustache in Paris a century earlier”.
Francois would have continued his service as the lead singer in the Cathedral’s Choir until his departure for Paris to commence his education. He would not be destined to continue his singing with the church choir after his return from Paris.
In May of 1728, Francois had drawn one of the earliest maps of New Orleans with precise geometry, creativity and a hand for artistic design that was unusual for a sixteen year old boy lacking any formal instruction or schooling. This map still survives today. It was this display of talent by Francois that helped to determine the course of schooling in Paris to pursue. Francois studied in Paris, France for two years where he learned mathematics. This chosen course for his education would prepare Francois for a future in the engineering profession. Upon the completion of his studies in Paris and his return to New Orleans, Francois dedicated his life and career to the colonial government. It appears that Francois was the only family member to receive a formal education in France, the other siblings learning what their mother taught them. Another map from March of 1849, one of 10 drawn by Francois, shows Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas in addition to their connecting Bayous, Rivers and the course of the Mississippi River from below New Orleans to the north of the territory of colonial Louisiana. Francois Saucier is listed among passengers returning on the ship L’Union which sailed from France to Louisiana. Upon his return to New Orleans from France, he became a draftsman with engineer Francois Broutin.
Governor Bienville of colonial Louisiana said of Francois in a letter to French officials in Paris:
"He is a Creole of good family, educated in Paris, where he learned mathematics, and who has for the ten years since returning to the colony served with indefatigable zeal."
He served until 1737 as assistant to Captain Ignace François Broutin, principal engineer of the colony. Francois’ main work from 1730 until 1737 was in surveying the lands in the territory of colonial Louisiana. François was then given the task of surveying "Bienville's lands". There were 19 surveys conducted and signed by Francois during this period. Francois conducted a survey with Captain de Memberde between the Mobile and Yazoo rivers, crossing the present state of Mississippi. The work was completed on May 7, 1738. On this journey to survey the areas, he met with the Choctaw Chief Red Shoes. The survey was ordered by the government to decide on how to best defend the settlement against attacks by the British and the Indian tribes.
In another letter by Governor Bienville to the French Minister of Marine, he mentioned and complimented Francois on the infinite pains that he took in the journeys he made by land and for the explorations of lands in the territory and for the journey from Fort Assumption, now Memphis, through Indian territory to Mobile and then to New Orleans.
In this letter Governor Bienville stated:
“He is a good fellow who deserves that Monsieur should kindly remember him."
This letter praised Francois and proposed he function as engineer for the Mobile Post, with responsibilities as well for forts Tombecbe and Toulouse. Shortly afterwards Francois received his commission as engineer. His later engineering work was mainly on the Forts Conde, Toulouse and Tombecbe. He spent a good bit of time on assignment at Fort Toulouse. His work also included repairs of Fort Conte at Mobile, construction of Fort Toulouse, finished in 1751 and Fort Tombecbe. Francois married Marie Jeanne Fontaille, daughter of Jean Fontaille and Marie LeMir on November 25, 1743, seven weeks after the birth and baptism of their first child, Jean Francois, who was born at Biloxi on October 1, 1743. In the colonies at this time it was not unusual for couples to enter into marriage without the benefit of a priest and church ceremony, since a priest was not always available to perform marriages. They would have a church marriage by a priest as soon as one was available to them. Mathieu was born about 1745, Caesar Philippe was born on March 13, 1748, Marie Jeanne in 1749, Jean Baptiste on February 26, 1751 and Jeanne Felicite in 1754. In 1751 François was summoned from Mobile to New Orleans to discuss the construction of a new fort and made engineer of the existing Ft. Chartres in Illinois. He was assigned in 1751 the task by the governor to design and construct the new stone Fort de Chartres in Illinois which was completed about 1756. Francois who went to Illinois without his family accompanying him was eventually able to have them join him there along after making a special request to the Territorial Governor at New Orleans. Francois died on February 26, 1757, age 45, after completing all but some small final finishing work to the Fort.
Francois left a wife and large family in Illinois. Today, the restored Fort de Chartres is located in an Illinois state park. Francois, a noted military engineer, designed and built Forts Toulouse, Massac and Chartres during the 1750’s.
Jean Francois Saucier was born on October 1, 1743 at the Mobile fort, the son of Francis Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille, grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, spent his early years at Mobile, working with his father at various periods of time. Jean Francois was described by his father as being “the other myself”. His writings, contacts and the positions he held in Missouri and Illinois show he started his formal education in France in 1752, as requested by his father. Soon after his father’s death, he returned the colony and to his family home in Illinois. Since his father's death, the family was no longer receiving his salary. So a stay elsewhere could no longer be paid. Jean Francois’ assistance was now needed by his mother who was left with young children to rear. Records show that in 1774 Francois was serving as an officer of the troops of France at Prairie du Rocher. Jean Francois Saucier and his brothers Mathieu and Jean Baptiste in later years all served in the Cahokia County Court as Judges and Justices of the Court according to the court records showing their participation in different court cases and their signatures on their ruling in different cases appearing before them at Cahokia.
On November 29, 1774, Jean Francois married his first wife, Marie Marguerite Cadron, who was born in 1760 and they had two children, Charles and Brigitte Saucier. Marguerite was the daughter of Charles Renard Cadron and Marie Jeanne Mercier. Marguerite died in 1778 in Cahokia, Illinois at age eighteen. Marguerite's death was shortly after the birth of her daughter Brigitte in June of 1778. Marguerite Caldron's sister, Marie Jeanne Cadron, married Jean Francois' brother Mathieu Saucier
Two years later, on October 7, 1780, Francois married Angelique Roy du Lapensee, his second wife, who was born in 1762. They had four children before the death of Angelique on April 16, 1787 at age twenty-five in the village of Cahokia. Those children were Francois, Marie, Catherine and Angelique Saucier. Angelique died following the birth of her last child, Catherine, who only survived her mother by three months. Only one daughter of Jean Francois and his wife Angelique Lapensee survived, Angelique, who was born in 1783, the other three children, Francois, Marie and Catherine Saucier all died at an early age. All were born and died at Cahokia according to the Cahokia Church records. Having not resided in his home for several years after the death of Angelique he had been renting out the house for several years to the county for the county court's use. Jean Francois sold the house for the sum of One Thousand Dollars. After he sold the home it became the Cahokia Courthouse for many years thereafter. Although he sold the old home in 1793, according to some records the sale was not finalized until 1795. One of the reasons for selling his home in 1793 was because the death of his two wives and four children at the family home in Cahokia had left him with bad memories and put him into a state of great depression. Afterwards, not wanting to remain in the home he decided to move elsewhere with his remaining family.
On June 12, 1891, before the selling of his home he had purchased an additional 400 acres of land in Cahokia, Illinois. On April 20, 1792 he had bought a home and land in Saint Louis, Missouri with a frontage of 120 feet x 300 feet in depth which was enclosed by a wooden fence with the intentions of moving his family there after selling his home in Cahokia. The 25 x 20 foot house he purchased had a high thatched roof, a granary, along with equipment and tools. The house was located on 2nd Street in Saint Louis. Jean Francois occupied the house on May 8, 1892 over a year before he remarried. On October 7, 1793, after being widowed for almost five years, he married his third wife, Marie Francoise Nicolle, daughter of Etienne Nicolle and Marie Angelique Giard; born in 1757 and together they had eight children before his death on August 6, 1821 at age 78, Anastasie, Brigitte, Francois, Jean Baptiste, Sylvestre, Amaranthe, Henry Adrien, and Eugene Saucier. Marie Francoise Nicolle died on February 18, 1840 in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. All the children born after 1794 were born in St. Charles County, Missouri, those earlier were born at Cahokia, Illinois. Jean Francois' third wife was the widow of Charles Lefevre. Jean Francois adopted the eight children of her first marriage, Charles Gabriel, Auguste, Louis, Alexis, Emelie, Clarisse, Marie Louise, and Elenore Lefevre. Jean Francois Saucier’s daughters all married prominent men of St. Louis and they and his sons all received college educations. Jean Francois raised and educated a total of twenty-two children.
One of the oldest homes still surviving today is the old former home of Jean Francois Saucier located at Cahokia, Illinois. The log house is believed to have been built in 1737 and acquired in later years by Jean Francois from his first wife's family as her dowry. Jean Francois sold the old log house in 1793 about five years after the death of his second wife, it then became the Cahokia Courthouse and jail for a period of time. The house later had a colorful history, first as a saloon, next as a home, and later a display at the Chicago World’s Fair, as well as other uses before it was bought and restored by the state of Illinois. It now stands on its original stone foundation, completely restored and includes the interior furnishings from its Courthouse era, located at Cahokia, the oldest town in Illinois; it serves as a museum at a state historical site. The Courthouse was reconstructed from some of the usable timber returned from the Chicago World’s Fair, along with a lot of new timber. It is smaller in size than the original house had been at the time of its sale in 1793.
Charles Saucier, first born of the two children of Jean Francois and Marguerite Cadron, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born in 1775 and died on May 24, 1826, age fifty-one at Portage des Sioux. On June 2, 1817, at the age of forty-two he married twenty-year-old Marie Placide Bienvenue at St. Charles. She was born on October 30, 1896, in St. Louis, Missouri and died on January 31, 1851, at age fifty-four. She was the daughter of Louis Bienvenue and Catherine Nicoile. Charles and Marie had six children, Brigitte, Charles, Jr., Marie Felonise, Elizabeth, Catherine and Celeste Saucier.
Brigitte Saucier was the second and last born child of Jean Francois and Marguerite Cadron and she was born June 9, 1778 at St. Phillipe, Illinois and died on May 19, 1829 at age fifty-one in St. Louis, Missouri. Brigitte was also a granddaughter Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary. At the age of fifteen she married on February 15, 1794 Jean Pierre Chouteau, age thirty-five, who was born in 1758 and died in 1849, a widower with six children. Jean Pierre's first wife Pelagie Kiersereau had died the previous year. Brigitte Saucier's husband Jean Pierre Chouteau was actually the son of Pierre Laclede and Marie Therese Bourgeouis. Marie Bourgeouis' first husband, Auguste Rene Chouteau, had abandoned Marie Therese and their infant son, Auguste, and returned to France. Since the Church would not dissolve her earlier marriage to Auguste Chouteau, she gave her children with Pierre Laclede, Jean Pierre and his sisters the surname of Chouteau, her legal married name from her first marriage. Marie and Pierre Laclede were never legally married due to the problem with the Catholic Church. But all their children were baptized with the surname Chouteau in the church at New Orleans. Brigitte and her husband Jean Pierre had five children together, Francois Gesseau, Cyprien Liquest, Louis Phamamond, Charles and Frederick Chouteau. Only the names of four of the six children of Jean Pierre Chouteau and his first wife Pelagie Kiersereau are known, August Pierre, Pierre, Pelagie and Paul Liquest Chouteau. Brigitte Saucier and Jean Pierre Chouteau were considered the first family of St. Louis and were active in the affairs of St. Louis.
Marie Catherine Saucier first born of the four children of Jean Francois Saucier and his second wife Angelique Roy de Lapensee, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born in about 1780 at Cahokia, Illinois and died there in September of 1876 at around the age of ninety-six. No additional information is known about Mary Catherine Saucier.
Francois Saucier was the second born child of Jean Francois Saucier and his second wife Angelique Roy de Lapensee, he was a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, and he was born in February of 1781 and died on June 21, 1784 at Cahokia, Illinois at the young age of three years. Francois is buried in the Holy Family Church Cemetery in Cahokia.
Angelique Saucier, third born child and the only surviving daughter of Jean Francois Saucier and Angelique Lapensee, born in 1773, married Pierre Menard on September 22, 1806. The marriage was performed by the Reverend Donatien Olivier, the priest of the parish at the church of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia, Illinois. This was the first marriage for Angelique, but the second for Pierre who was a widower with four children. Pierre Menard, husband of Angelique, was elected Illinois’ first Lieutenant Governor, serving from 1818 to 1822. Angelique Saucier and Pierre Menard had eight children before her death in 1839 at age 56. Their children were Francois Xavier, Jean Baptiste, Henri, Emelie Matthew, Matthew Saucier, Louis Cyprien, Joseph Amedee and Sophie Angelique Menard. Angelique Saucier Menard was very active in the establishment of a girl's school in Kaskaskia, Illinois and she continued to support the Sisters of the Visitation over the course of her lifetime. Their home in Ellis Grove, Illinois is today operated as a museum by the state of Illinois with all its original furnishings. Their home is referred to as “the Mount Vernon of the West”. Angelique was also a granddaughter Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary.
Angelique's step-daughter and Pierre Menard's daughter from his first marriage to Therese Godin, Bérénice, married in 1819 François Chouteau, the son of Brigitte Saucier and her husband Jean Pierre Chouteau. Brigitte was the daughter of Jean Francois Saucier and his first wife. Francois Chouteau founded the settlement that evolved into Kansas City, Missouri, which is now the largest city in Missouri. Widowed in 1838, Bérénice supported her family of nine children in the merchandising end of the Chouteau family trading business, later establishing and running a retail store. She continued to be active in the church and community, and was known as the "Mother of Kansas City." She was a generous benefactress and distributed her large fortune in promoting the interests of the Roman Catholic Church, of which she was a devout member. She built in Kansas City the first church edifice, and her generosity during her life expanded with the growth of the church and its institutions in that locality. She lived to witness Kansas City create a diocesan see, and a Cathedral take the place of her first little chapel. She died in Kansas City, Missouri on November 20, 1888.
Catherine Saucier, fourth and last child born to Jean Francois Saucier and his second wife Angelique Roy de Lapensee, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born in April of 1787 at Cahokia, Illinois and died there on July 8, 1787 and is buried at the Holy Family Church Cemetery in Cahokia.
Anastasie Saucier was the first of eight children born to Jean Francois Saucier and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was baptized on 30 Jan 1794 at Cahokia, Illinois.
Brigitte Saucier was the second child born to Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on October 5, 1895 at Portage de Sioux, Missouri. No additional information about her is known at this time.
Francois Saucier was the third child born to Jean Francois Saucier and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, Francois was born on September 23, 1797 and died somewhere around 1850-1852. He married on October 16, 1822, Melanie Lepage, the daughter of Joseph Lepage and Therese Gaudin. Melanie was born in about 1800 and she died in about 1835 and was buried in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. They had eight children born at Portage des Sioux during their marriage, Therese, Francois, Marie Adel, Joseph, Henry, Joseph, Marie Amaranthe, and Julie Saucier. Melanie Lepage was the sister of Marguerite Lepage who was married to Francois’ (twin?) brother Jean Baptiste. On November 6, 1837 at Portage des Sioux, after the death of his first wife, he married Pelagie Robidoux who was born in about 1810. She was the widow of Isidore Boyer. They had six children during their marriage, Sophie, Sylvestre, Joseph, Louis Philippe, George, and Julius Saucier. Francois raised a total of fourteen children.
Jean Baptiste Saucier was the fourth child of Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on September 23, 1797 and died sometime between 1850 and 1855 at Cahokia, Illinois. He married Marguerite Lepage on December 28, 1828 at Portage des Sioux. She was born in 1807 and died on April 5, 1830 and was buried at Saint Francis Cemetery in Portage Des Sioux. Marguerite Lepage was the sister of Melanie Lepage who was married to Jean Baptiste’s (twin?) brother Francois. Jean Baptiste Saucier and Marguerite Lepage had one son, Francis Saucier before her death.
Silvestre Saucier was the fifth child of Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on October 14, 1799 at Cahokia, Illinois and died at Portage des Sioux on August 17, 1843. Silvestre remained single and never married.
Marie Arminthe Saucier was the sixth child of Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary was born 1801 in Portage des Sioux and died on September 3, 1855 at Saint Louis, Missouri. On May 9, 1817 at Saint Louis, Missouri she married George Atchison who was born in about 1799. They had one known son named George.
Henry Adrien Saucier was the seventh child born to Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary was born on February 11, 1803 at Portage des Sioux and died in 1833. He married Tabitha Remy on January 1, 1828. Tabitha was born on October 2, 1811 in Kentucky and died on May 12, 1879 in Oregon. Henry and Tabitha had two daughters, Francis Adeline and Mathe Anna Saucier before his early death. Henry’s wife Tabitha married Turner Crump after his death.
Eugene Frederick Saucier was the eighth and last child born to Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on October 10, 1807 at Portage des Sioux and died in Missouri on January 8, 1879. On June 16, 1835 at age twenty-seven he married Pelagie Rosalie Roussin at Old Mines, Missouri. Pelagie was born in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri on December 15, 1815 and died at St Louis, Missouri on October 17, 1902. She was the daughter of Etienne Roussin and Aspasie Walle of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The Sullivan, Missouri newspaper obituary in 1913 for one of his sons stated that Eugene Frederick Saucier was the first organist at the old Cathedral in Saint Louis, Missouri now known as the Basilica of Saint Louis. Eugene Frederick Saucier and Pelagie Rosalie Roussin had eight children, Zoe Pelagie, Eugene Felix, Maria, Emily, Henrietta, Isabelle, and Francis Stephen Saucier.
On October 18, 1902 the following obituary appeared in the St. Louis newspaper:
Mrs. Pelagie (Roussin) Saucier, widow of Frederick Eugene Saucier, aged 86, died in St. Louis last Friday (17th). Surviving children: Mrs. Alexander Waldbart of St. Louis; Mrs. Zoe LaBaume of DeSoto; Miss Jennie of Alton, Ill.; Frank of St. Louis; and Eugene of Stanton.
Mathieu Saucier was one of the first settlers of Portage des Sioux, Missouri; he was born in 1745 and died on January 5, 1833, at age 90, son of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and grandson of Jean Baptiste and Gabrielle Savary. Mathieu was also involved in the establishment of the settlement of Portage des Sioux along with his brother. About a year after the settlement was established by his brother Jean François with Mathieu's help, Mathieu was given a large land grant by the Spanish government, as was his brother the year before, for his assistance in founding the settlement. Mathieu was elected as Justice of the Cahokia Court in 1785 and was very active in the affairs of the County of St. Clair. Unlike his older brother Jean Francois, Mathieu did not receive a formal education. He did learn to sign his name clearly, but was not proficient in writing otherwise, which was more than gained by most area settlers. His limited writing skills did not seem to slow him down in his work with the court of the county. He was married twice, first in 1780 to Marie Jeanne Cadron who was born in about 1765 and died about 1785 at about age twenty. She was the daughter of Charles Pierre Renard Cadron and Marie Jeanne Mercier. Mathieu and Marie Jeanne Cadron had two children, Marie Angelique and Madeline Saucier. Marie Jeanne Cadron's sister, Marie Marguerite, married Mathieu's brother Jean François. Mathieu’s second marriage was in 1785 to Catherine Gaudin who was born in about 1767 and died on February 26, 1845 at Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. Catherine was the daughter of Pierre Gaudin (or Godin) and Catherine Lavallette. Mathieu and Catherine had eight children, Mathieu, Marie Louise, Marie Duvienne, Lucille, Brigitte, Therese, Catherine and Jean Baptiste Saucier. Both Mathieu and Catherine are buried at Saint Francis Cemetery in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri along with a number of their children
Brigitte Saucier, daughter of Mathieu Saucier and his second wife Catherine Gaudin was born on March 1, 1800 at Portage des Sioux, Missouri. Brigitte, who died on April 7, 1899, was a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste and Gabrielle Savary. On September 22, 1834 at age thirty-four she married Etienne Bienvenu Delisle at Portage des Sioux; he was born in about 1786 and died in February of 1860. Etienne was the son of Louis Bienvenue Delisle and Marie Therese Vincennes. They had two children, Jean Baptiste and Louis Phillip Bienvenue Delisle. Both Brigitte and her husband Etienne Delisle are buried at Saint Francis Cemetery in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri.
It has been written and stated that Brigitte Saucier was the first white child to be born at Portage des Sioux, Illinois and in the year 1800. This distinction has generally been given to a daughter of Jean Francois Saucier in some publications. This writer has questions about one of Francois’ daughters actually being the first white child to be born in Illinois as stated in the old newspaper articles. (Jean) François had two daughters named Brigitte, the first born in 1778 at St. Phillipe, Illinois during his first marriage, and the second born about twenty years later on October 5, 1795 at Portage des Sioux, during his third marriage; his brother Mathieu also had a daughter named Brigitte who was actually born on March 1, 1800 and in Portage des Sioux. In the following short article published in 1821 in a Missouri newspaper's historical column the newspaper reported that the Brigitte Saucier in question was the daughter of Francois Saucier, which would have actually have been Jean Francois Saucier.
The following excerpt is from the St. Louis Cathedral website on the “History of Music at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France” in New Orleans where the Saucier family attended services:
“The music program of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, is one of the oldest continually operating music programs in the United States. Dating from the establishment of the parish in 1720, it has historically fostered great music. Among the earliest musicians was François Saucier, the great-grandson of Charles Saucier who was organist of St. Eustache in Paris a century earlier”.
Francois would have continued his service as the lead singer in the Cathedral’s Choir until his departure for Paris to commence his education. He would not be destined to continue his singing with the church choir after his return from Paris.
In May of 1728, Francois had drawn one of the earliest maps of New Orleans with precise geometry, creativity and a hand for artistic design that was unusual for a sixteen year old boy lacking any formal instruction or schooling. This map still survives today. It was this display of talent by Francois that helped to determine the course of schooling in Paris to pursue. Francois studied in Paris, France for two years where he learned mathematics. This chosen course for his education would prepare Francois for a future in the engineering profession. Upon the completion of his studies in Paris and his return to New Orleans, Francois dedicated his life and career to the colonial government. It appears that Francois was the only family member to receive a formal education in France, the other siblings learning what their mother taught them. Another map from March of 1849, one of 10 drawn by Francois, shows Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas in addition to their connecting Bayous, Rivers and the course of the Mississippi River from below New Orleans to the north of the territory of colonial Louisiana. Francois Saucier is listed among passengers returning on the ship L’Union which sailed from France to Louisiana. Upon his return to New Orleans from France, he became a draftsman with engineer Francois Broutin.
Governor Bienville of colonial Louisiana said of Francois in a letter to French officials in Paris:
"He is a Creole of good family, educated in Paris, where he learned mathematics, and who has for the ten years since returning to the colony served with indefatigable zeal."
He served until 1737 as assistant to Captain Ignace François Broutin, principal engineer of the colony. Francois’ main work from 1730 until 1737 was in surveying the lands in the territory of colonial Louisiana. François was then given the task of surveying "Bienville's lands". There were 19 surveys conducted and signed by Francois during this period. Francois conducted a survey with Captain de Memberde between the Mobile and Yazoo rivers, crossing the present state of Mississippi. The work was completed on May 7, 1738. On this journey to survey the areas, he met with the Choctaw Chief Red Shoes. The survey was ordered by the government to decide on how to best defend the settlement against attacks by the British and the Indian tribes.
In another letter by Governor Bienville to the French Minister of Marine, he mentioned and complimented Francois on the infinite pains that he took in the journeys he made by land and for the explorations of lands in the territory and for the journey from Fort Assumption, now Memphis, through Indian territory to Mobile and then to New Orleans.
In this letter Governor Bienville stated:
“He is a good fellow who deserves that Monsieur should kindly remember him."
This letter praised Francois and proposed he function as engineer for the Mobile Post, with responsibilities as well for forts Tombecbe and Toulouse. Shortly afterwards Francois received his commission as engineer. His later engineering work was mainly on the Forts Conde, Toulouse and Tombecbe. He spent a good bit of time on assignment at Fort Toulouse. His work also included repairs of Fort Conte at Mobile, construction of Fort Toulouse, finished in 1751 and Fort Tombecbe. Francois married Marie Jeanne Fontaille, daughter of Jean Fontaille and Marie LeMir on November 25, 1743, seven weeks after the birth and baptism of their first child, Jean Francois, who was born at Biloxi on October 1, 1743. In the colonies at this time it was not unusual for couples to enter into marriage without the benefit of a priest and church ceremony, since a priest was not always available to perform marriages. They would have a church marriage by a priest as soon as one was available to them. Mathieu was born about 1745, Caesar Philippe was born on March 13, 1748, Marie Jeanne in 1749, Jean Baptiste on February 26, 1751 and Jeanne Felicite in 1754. In 1751 François was summoned from Mobile to New Orleans to discuss the construction of a new fort and made engineer of the existing Ft. Chartres in Illinois. He was assigned in 1751 the task by the governor to design and construct the new stone Fort de Chartres in Illinois which was completed about 1756. Francois who went to Illinois without his family accompanying him was eventually able to have them join him there along after making a special request to the Territorial Governor at New Orleans. Francois died on February 26, 1757, age 45, after completing all but some small final finishing work to the Fort.
Francois left a wife and large family in Illinois. Today, the restored Fort de Chartres is located in an Illinois state park. Francois, a noted military engineer, designed and built Forts Toulouse, Massac and Chartres during the 1750’s.
Jean Francois Saucier was born on October 1, 1743 at the Mobile fort, the son of Francis Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille, grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, spent his early years at Mobile, working with his father at various periods of time. Jean Francois was described by his father as being “the other myself”. His writings, contacts and the positions he held in Missouri and Illinois show he started his formal education in France in 1752, as requested by his father. Soon after his father’s death, he returned the colony and to his family home in Illinois. Since his father's death, the family was no longer receiving his salary. So a stay elsewhere could no longer be paid. Jean Francois’ assistance was now needed by his mother who was left with young children to rear. Records show that in 1774 Francois was serving as an officer of the troops of France at Prairie du Rocher. Jean Francois Saucier and his brothers Mathieu and Jean Baptiste in later years all served in the Cahokia County Court as Judges and Justices of the Court according to the court records showing their participation in different court cases and their signatures on their ruling in different cases appearing before them at Cahokia.
On November 29, 1774, Jean Francois married his first wife, Marie Marguerite Cadron, who was born in 1760 and they had two children, Charles and Brigitte Saucier. Marguerite was the daughter of Charles Renard Cadron and Marie Jeanne Mercier. Marguerite died in 1778 in Cahokia, Illinois at age eighteen. Marguerite's death was shortly after the birth of her daughter Brigitte in June of 1778. Marguerite Caldron's sister, Marie Jeanne Cadron, married Jean Francois' brother Mathieu Saucier
Two years later, on October 7, 1780, Francois married Angelique Roy du Lapensee, his second wife, who was born in 1762. They had four children before the death of Angelique on April 16, 1787 at age twenty-five in the village of Cahokia. Those children were Francois, Marie, Catherine and Angelique Saucier. Angelique died following the birth of her last child, Catherine, who only survived her mother by three months. Only one daughter of Jean Francois and his wife Angelique Lapensee survived, Angelique, who was born in 1783, the other three children, Francois, Marie and Catherine Saucier all died at an early age. All were born and died at Cahokia according to the Cahokia Church records. Having not resided in his home for several years after the death of Angelique he had been renting out the house for several years to the county for the county court's use. Jean Francois sold the house for the sum of One Thousand Dollars. After he sold the home it became the Cahokia Courthouse for many years thereafter. Although he sold the old home in 1793, according to some records the sale was not finalized until 1795. One of the reasons for selling his home in 1793 was because the death of his two wives and four children at the family home in Cahokia had left him with bad memories and put him into a state of great depression. Afterwards, not wanting to remain in the home he decided to move elsewhere with his remaining family.
On June 12, 1891, before the selling of his home he had purchased an additional 400 acres of land in Cahokia, Illinois. On April 20, 1792 he had bought a home and land in Saint Louis, Missouri with a frontage of 120 feet x 300 feet in depth which was enclosed by a wooden fence with the intentions of moving his family there after selling his home in Cahokia. The 25 x 20 foot house he purchased had a high thatched roof, a granary, along with equipment and tools. The house was located on 2nd Street in Saint Louis. Jean Francois occupied the house on May 8, 1892 over a year before he remarried. On October 7, 1793, after being widowed for almost five years, he married his third wife, Marie Francoise Nicolle, daughter of Etienne Nicolle and Marie Angelique Giard; born in 1757 and together they had eight children before his death on August 6, 1821 at age 78, Anastasie, Brigitte, Francois, Jean Baptiste, Sylvestre, Amaranthe, Henry Adrien, and Eugene Saucier. Marie Francoise Nicolle died on February 18, 1840 in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. All the children born after 1794 were born in St. Charles County, Missouri, those earlier were born at Cahokia, Illinois. Jean Francois' third wife was the widow of Charles Lefevre. Jean Francois adopted the eight children of her first marriage, Charles Gabriel, Auguste, Louis, Alexis, Emelie, Clarisse, Marie Louise, and Elenore Lefevre. Jean Francois Saucier’s daughters all married prominent men of St. Louis and they and his sons all received college educations. Jean Francois raised and educated a total of twenty-two children.
One of the oldest homes still surviving today is the old former home of Jean Francois Saucier located at Cahokia, Illinois. The log house is believed to have been built in 1737 and acquired in later years by Jean Francois from his first wife's family as her dowry. Jean Francois sold the old log house in 1793 about five years after the death of his second wife, it then became the Cahokia Courthouse and jail for a period of time. The house later had a colorful history, first as a saloon, next as a home, and later a display at the Chicago World’s Fair, as well as other uses before it was bought and restored by the state of Illinois. It now stands on its original stone foundation, completely restored and includes the interior furnishings from its Courthouse era, located at Cahokia, the oldest town in Illinois; it serves as a museum at a state historical site. The Courthouse was reconstructed from some of the usable timber returned from the Chicago World’s Fair, along with a lot of new timber. It is smaller in size than the original house had been at the time of its sale in 1793.
Charles Saucier, first born of the two children of Jean Francois and Marguerite Cadron, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born in 1775 and died on May 24, 1826, age fifty-one at Portage des Sioux. On June 2, 1817, at the age of forty-two he married twenty-year-old Marie Placide Bienvenue at St. Charles. She was born on October 30, 1896, in St. Louis, Missouri and died on January 31, 1851, at age fifty-four. She was the daughter of Louis Bienvenue and Catherine Nicoile. Charles and Marie had six children, Brigitte, Charles, Jr., Marie Felonise, Elizabeth, Catherine and Celeste Saucier.
Brigitte Saucier was the second and last born child of Jean Francois and Marguerite Cadron and she was born June 9, 1778 at St. Phillipe, Illinois and died on May 19, 1829 at age fifty-one in St. Louis, Missouri. Brigitte was also a granddaughter Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary. At the age of fifteen she married on February 15, 1794 Jean Pierre Chouteau, age thirty-five, who was born in 1758 and died in 1849, a widower with six children. Jean Pierre's first wife Pelagie Kiersereau had died the previous year. Brigitte Saucier's husband Jean Pierre Chouteau was actually the son of Pierre Laclede and Marie Therese Bourgeouis. Marie Bourgeouis' first husband, Auguste Rene Chouteau, had abandoned Marie Therese and their infant son, Auguste, and returned to France. Since the Church would not dissolve her earlier marriage to Auguste Chouteau, she gave her children with Pierre Laclede, Jean Pierre and his sisters the surname of Chouteau, her legal married name from her first marriage. Marie and Pierre Laclede were never legally married due to the problem with the Catholic Church. But all their children were baptized with the surname Chouteau in the church at New Orleans. Brigitte and her husband Jean Pierre had five children together, Francois Gesseau, Cyprien Liquest, Louis Phamamond, Charles and Frederick Chouteau. Only the names of four of the six children of Jean Pierre Chouteau and his first wife Pelagie Kiersereau are known, August Pierre, Pierre, Pelagie and Paul Liquest Chouteau. Brigitte Saucier and Jean Pierre Chouteau were considered the first family of St. Louis and were active in the affairs of St. Louis.
Marie Catherine Saucier first born of the four children of Jean Francois Saucier and his second wife Angelique Roy de Lapensee, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born in about 1780 at Cahokia, Illinois and died there in September of 1876 at around the age of ninety-six. No additional information is known about Mary Catherine Saucier.
Francois Saucier was the second born child of Jean Francois Saucier and his second wife Angelique Roy de Lapensee, he was a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, and he was born in February of 1781 and died on June 21, 1784 at Cahokia, Illinois at the young age of three years. Francois is buried in the Holy Family Church Cemetery in Cahokia.
Angelique Saucier, third born child and the only surviving daughter of Jean Francois Saucier and Angelique Lapensee, born in 1773, married Pierre Menard on September 22, 1806. The marriage was performed by the Reverend Donatien Olivier, the priest of the parish at the church of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia, Illinois. This was the first marriage for Angelique, but the second for Pierre who was a widower with four children. Pierre Menard, husband of Angelique, was elected Illinois’ first Lieutenant Governor, serving from 1818 to 1822. Angelique Saucier and Pierre Menard had eight children before her death in 1839 at age 56. Their children were Francois Xavier, Jean Baptiste, Henri, Emelie Matthew, Matthew Saucier, Louis Cyprien, Joseph Amedee and Sophie Angelique Menard. Angelique Saucier Menard was very active in the establishment of a girl's school in Kaskaskia, Illinois and she continued to support the Sisters of the Visitation over the course of her lifetime. Their home in Ellis Grove, Illinois is today operated as a museum by the state of Illinois with all its original furnishings. Their home is referred to as “the Mount Vernon of the West”. Angelique was also a granddaughter Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary.
Angelique's step-daughter and Pierre Menard's daughter from his first marriage to Therese Godin, Bérénice, married in 1819 François Chouteau, the son of Brigitte Saucier and her husband Jean Pierre Chouteau. Brigitte was the daughter of Jean Francois Saucier and his first wife. Francois Chouteau founded the settlement that evolved into Kansas City, Missouri, which is now the largest city in Missouri. Widowed in 1838, Bérénice supported her family of nine children in the merchandising end of the Chouteau family trading business, later establishing and running a retail store. She continued to be active in the church and community, and was known as the "Mother of Kansas City." She was a generous benefactress and distributed her large fortune in promoting the interests of the Roman Catholic Church, of which she was a devout member. She built in Kansas City the first church edifice, and her generosity during her life expanded with the growth of the church and its institutions in that locality. She lived to witness Kansas City create a diocesan see, and a Cathedral take the place of her first little chapel. She died in Kansas City, Missouri on November 20, 1888.
Catherine Saucier, fourth and last child born to Jean Francois Saucier and his second wife Angelique Roy de Lapensee, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born in April of 1787 at Cahokia, Illinois and died there on July 8, 1787 and is buried at the Holy Family Church Cemetery in Cahokia.
Anastasie Saucier was the first of eight children born to Jean Francois Saucier and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was baptized on 30 Jan 1794 at Cahokia, Illinois.
Brigitte Saucier was the second child born to Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on October 5, 1895 at Portage de Sioux, Missouri. No additional information about her is known at this time.
Francois Saucier was the third child born to Jean Francois Saucier and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, Francois was born on September 23, 1797 and died somewhere around 1850-1852. He married on October 16, 1822, Melanie Lepage, the daughter of Joseph Lepage and Therese Gaudin. Melanie was born in about 1800 and she died in about 1835 and was buried in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. They had eight children born at Portage des Sioux during their marriage, Therese, Francois, Marie Adel, Joseph, Henry, Joseph, Marie Amaranthe, and Julie Saucier. Melanie Lepage was the sister of Marguerite Lepage who was married to Francois’ (twin?) brother Jean Baptiste. On November 6, 1837 at Portage des Sioux, after the death of his first wife, he married Pelagie Robidoux who was born in about 1810. She was the widow of Isidore Boyer. They had six children during their marriage, Sophie, Sylvestre, Joseph, Louis Philippe, George, and Julius Saucier. Francois raised a total of fourteen children.
Jean Baptiste Saucier was the fourth child of Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on September 23, 1797 and died sometime between 1850 and 1855 at Cahokia, Illinois. He married Marguerite Lepage on December 28, 1828 at Portage des Sioux. She was born in 1807 and died on April 5, 1830 and was buried at Saint Francis Cemetery in Portage Des Sioux. Marguerite Lepage was the sister of Melanie Lepage who was married to Jean Baptiste’s (twin?) brother Francois. Jean Baptiste Saucier and Marguerite Lepage had one son, Francis Saucier before her death.
Silvestre Saucier was the fifth child of Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on October 14, 1799 at Cahokia, Illinois and died at Portage des Sioux on August 17, 1843. Silvestre remained single and never married.
Marie Arminthe Saucier was the sixth child of Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary was born 1801 in Portage des Sioux and died on September 3, 1855 at Saint Louis, Missouri. On May 9, 1817 at Saint Louis, Missouri she married George Atchison who was born in about 1799. They had one known son named George.
Henry Adrien Saucier was the seventh child born to Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary was born on February 11, 1803 at Portage des Sioux and died in 1833. He married Tabitha Remy on January 1, 1828. Tabitha was born on October 2, 1811 in Kentucky and died on May 12, 1879 in Oregon. Henry and Tabitha had two daughters, Francis Adeline and Mathe Anna Saucier before his early death. Henry’s wife Tabitha married Turner Crump after his death.
Eugene Frederick Saucier was the eighth and last child born to Jean Francois and his third wife Marie Francoise Nicolle, a grandson of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and a great grandson of Jean Baptiste Saucier and Gabrielle Savary, was born on October 10, 1807 at Portage des Sioux and died in Missouri on January 8, 1879. On June 16, 1835 at age twenty-seven he married Pelagie Rosalie Roussin at Old Mines, Missouri. Pelagie was born in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri on December 15, 1815 and died at St Louis, Missouri on October 17, 1902. She was the daughter of Etienne Roussin and Aspasie Walle of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The Sullivan, Missouri newspaper obituary in 1913 for one of his sons stated that Eugene Frederick Saucier was the first organist at the old Cathedral in Saint Louis, Missouri now known as the Basilica of Saint Louis. Eugene Frederick Saucier and Pelagie Rosalie Roussin had eight children, Zoe Pelagie, Eugene Felix, Maria, Emily, Henrietta, Isabelle, and Francis Stephen Saucier.
On October 18, 1902 the following obituary appeared in the St. Louis newspaper:
Mrs. Pelagie (Roussin) Saucier, widow of Frederick Eugene Saucier, aged 86, died in St. Louis last Friday (17th). Surviving children: Mrs. Alexander Waldbart of St. Louis; Mrs. Zoe LaBaume of DeSoto; Miss Jennie of Alton, Ill.; Frank of St. Louis; and Eugene of Stanton.
Mathieu Saucier was one of the first settlers of Portage des Sioux, Missouri; he was born in 1745 and died on January 5, 1833, at age 90, son of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and grandson of Jean Baptiste and Gabrielle Savary. Mathieu was also involved in the establishment of the settlement of Portage des Sioux along with his brother. About a year after the settlement was established by his brother Jean François with Mathieu's help, Mathieu was given a large land grant by the Spanish government, as was his brother the year before, for his assistance in founding the settlement. Mathieu was elected as Justice of the Cahokia Court in 1785 and was very active in the affairs of the County of St. Clair. Unlike his older brother Jean Francois, Mathieu did not receive a formal education. He did learn to sign his name clearly, but was not proficient in writing otherwise, which was more than gained by most area settlers. His limited writing skills did not seem to slow him down in his work with the court of the county. He was married twice, first in 1780 to Marie Jeanne Cadron who was born in about 1765 and died about 1785 at about age twenty. She was the daughter of Charles Pierre Renard Cadron and Marie Jeanne Mercier. Mathieu and Marie Jeanne Cadron had two children, Marie Angelique and Madeline Saucier. Marie Jeanne Cadron's sister, Marie Marguerite, married Mathieu's brother Jean François. Mathieu’s second marriage was in 1785 to Catherine Gaudin who was born in about 1767 and died on February 26, 1845 at Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. Catherine was the daughter of Pierre Gaudin (or Godin) and Catherine Lavallette. Mathieu and Catherine had eight children, Mathieu, Marie Louise, Marie Duvienne, Lucille, Brigitte, Therese, Catherine and Jean Baptiste Saucier. Both Mathieu and Catherine are buried at Saint Francis Cemetery in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri along with a number of their children
Brigitte Saucier, daughter of Mathieu Saucier and his second wife Catherine Gaudin was born on March 1, 1800 at Portage des Sioux, Missouri. Brigitte, who died on April 7, 1899, was a granddaughter of Francois Saucier and Jeanne Fontaille and great granddaughter of Jean Baptiste and Gabrielle Savary. On September 22, 1834 at age thirty-four she married Etienne Bienvenu Delisle at Portage des Sioux; he was born in about 1786 and died in February of 1860. Etienne was the son of Louis Bienvenue Delisle and Marie Therese Vincennes. They had two children, Jean Baptiste and Louis Phillip Bienvenue Delisle. Both Brigitte and her husband Etienne Delisle are buried at Saint Francis Cemetery in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri.
It has been written and stated that Brigitte Saucier was the first white child to be born at Portage des Sioux, Illinois and in the year 1800. This distinction has generally been given to a daughter of Jean Francois Saucier in some publications. This writer has questions about one of Francois’ daughters actually being the first white child to be born in Illinois as stated in the old newspaper articles. (Jean) François had two daughters named Brigitte, the first born in 1778 at St. Phillipe, Illinois during his first marriage, and the second born about twenty years later on October 5, 1795 at Portage des Sioux, during his third marriage; his brother Mathieu also had a daughter named Brigitte who was actually born on March 1, 1800 and in Portage des Sioux. In the following short article published in 1821 in a Missouri newspaper's historical column the newspaper reported that the Brigitte Saucier in question was the daughter of Francois Saucier, which would have actually have been Jean Francois Saucier.