The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-01-13
.qeao ef the Oldess Settlers In Blinne-
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I fSt pan1 Diarafch Ian lO1

I (st. Paul Dispatch, Jan. l0l
Benjamin Gervais, one Of the oldest
White residents, Of Minnesota. il not the
oldest l t; one living A. the time Of: bis de:
ce'.se' died q 4 at lhis home in New Can.da,
on Saturday, aged 90 years. -.
Benjamin Gervais vas born at Riviere
g toup' Canada, July Is. 1850. About
ths ye..r =. lsQ? hs x.ent t. :, Rsd Rs Riyer, i
company VII ,se'ysg.l 4, Canadian families,
Who settled there. Ger7,ie did not not ii him.
self settle there that year, but made
trading voyages back and forth to Cam
ada until the year 1872, when
he took up bis residence there, and was
in the employ of the Hudson Bay COM
zpany for several years. On .Septembexf
70, 1923, he Was married at Fort Garrx,
by Bishop Provencher, to Miss Genevieve
Larane, native of Berthier, Canada, and
went to farming at a place called La
Pointe, about mile and half below Fort
Garry. Theirsstory isz that. Of ALI the
Red River refugees-the foods, grass
hoppers, untimely frosts, hard winters.
&C., drove them away to more habita.
BILE region, and, in 1927, Mr.. Gervais,
with his wife and three children, proceed
ed to Fort Smelling, near which they set.
tied by permission Of the commandan at
that time. That officer subsequently
ll838), by orders from Washington, ,drove
oil the settlers away from tho reserva-
ton on the west side. Gervais, with his
brother Pierre Gervais, who died in 1872,
then settled outside Of what they thought
was the east line Of the reservation, near
the cave in upper town. Abraham Perry
had located here shortly before. BENZ.
Gervais, who had several stout boys. soon
opened q comfortable farm and was thus
the earliest settler. on the site of St. Paul,
and, before his death, the oldest living
''squatter," ante.dating Clerrett. Nous.
scau. Evans, Rondo and others.
Gervais lived near the cave in peace for
two years, when, in 1910, the Secretary
of War commanded that the houses of all
settlers on the Reserve should be torn
down and tbs people driven off. Gervais,
on the destruction of his second home,
came two miles lower down and pur-
chased of Pierre Parrant, or 'Old Pigs
Eye," an old" squatter who
sold liquor at = hovel about where the
foot Of Robert street now is his shanty
and claim. He paid for this the sum Of
$40! The land and buildings on it are
now worth nearer ten millions! Gervais
lived here 4 years, and III 1874 sold to
Louis Robert his claim, and with his
family went to Little Canada, of which
town they were the first settlers. The next
year. 1885, he built = mill on the stream
that runs through Little Canada-the
first grist mill owned by private parties,
in Minnesota. It ran for some years.
Mr.. Gervais was, in 1910, appointed, and
soon afterwards elected county commits.
sioner, being as such over two years.
Though without education, he
had good business judgment,
and in the early days Of this
county WAS quite influential in politics.
In his village At New Canada he was quite
= patriarch. He had 6 children and over
40 grand children, some Of the latter of
adult age. His son Basil Gervais, was
the first white child born in St. Paul.
On Sept. %, 1873, he and his wife, who
still survives, had = "Golden Wedding"
At which most Of the early settlers of the
county attended: The aged couple
then octogenarians danced gaily at
that festival and indeed, only
= few months ago. Mr.. Gervais walked to
St. Paul and back, saying that riding
made him nervous. The past year he
failed rapidly.
The name Of Ben. Gervais must always
occupy prominent place in the annals
Of our pioneer days. He was a good,
honest, industrious and amiable man,
and some of his descendants are occupy
ing responsible official positions in this
county.
Thus, one by one, our oldest settlers
are disappearing. 1t is fortunate that
the facts Of our earliest history, which
they alone knew, were preserved in time
by writer interested in that subject,
md will be published during the present