The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-08-09
NUMBER 2S
THIRTT-THREE CEILDRE.
A STORY OF THE EARLY DAYS OF MICHIG-
THE TRf NCH SETTLERS AND
THEIR FAMILIES.

The Detroit Post saws: Think Of a faith
climbing ont of bed at daylight and callil
to each Of his thirty or more children tOg
ZIP, and then assigning them their sever
duties for the day Such man was Al
.oine Louis DeScumpt Labadie. With
father aud two brothers. this somewhat I6f
markable sun of Gaul emigrated froi
France and settled in Detroit in 175i
Nineteen years thereafter he married An
gelique Campau, and the two went 10 house
keeping over the river. At that time
the laud where Windsor now stands wa
owned 10y the Ottawa Indians, aud tn
famed Pontiac, or Pondiack, as the ErencI
spelled it, was heir chief. Pontiac, how
ever. with consent Of the nation, was rapid
ly deciding away all the lanes along th
liver to tie French settlers, and very man.
of these deeds are now IN possession Of Mr.
Charles +. Labadie, of the tiIm Of Labadit
& Windsor.
The collection OF deeds now held by Mr.
Ldbadie is quite interesting, two OF three
of them being signed by Pontiac himself
One of these deeds Is made to Mr.. Labadle
grandfather, Antomne !. D., and reads a.
all of them do: Il, Pondiack, Chief O.
the Ottawa Nation, with consent Of all
nation, IN the presence Of George CrOgh'
/ Esq, Superintendent Of Indian affairs,
consideration of Tie good viii bea. to A.
touine," &c. The will is dated 1863, an
I
! mark consists Of a sort of bieroglyphic tha,
resembles a Q more than anything else
! with two parallel and one perpendicular
/ line drawn across IL. The deeds are all on
/ paper which has grown yellow and must =
/ with age. Most of them are in French,
/ and some are DO longer than a mans hand,
aud yet contain the signatures Of eight or
/ niue chiefs. These signatures or t0feMs
consist of rude representations of crows
bears, deer, foxes, ducks, fish, &c.
| They are all sin consideration Of the good
will we bear, and according To the amount
/ of good Wiil chief bore 10 a Freuchm
/ was the measurement OF his river front, fol
/ the far seeking redskins would give a man
odly many feet 9r acres of iiver-fronU.
/ but he might extend the grant as far back
/ into the forest as he chuse. Among the
/ deeds is one granting to L'Assumptiou
! Church the land which it now holds, three
J acres in width and 40 acres in length. -
/ There are twodeeds of the land upon which
! Hiram Walkers distilleries now stand
! one is from Pontiac To Lieut.. Abbott Of his
I Majesty's Artillery, the other from the
/ Lieutenant TO GIaude Pere Labadie.
Bus TO return to the father of the SO chill
| dIen. Antoine Labadie lived happily with
/ hiS wife five years, when she died. having
! borne him seven children during that time.
! He had traded extensively with the In
dians, and had treated them with such
/ UNIFORM kindness and consideration that
l upon the death of his wife they eutreated
him to marry a maiden from out their
/ tribe. This be did, choosing he daughter
/ of a Sauteuse Chief, as the records Of the
/ Catholic Church at Sandwich have IL.
/ Seventeen children bis dusky ride present
ed him, aud then her spirit fed TO the
Happy Hunting Grounds.
Aboriginal aud Norman blood minglinr
1 in the veins of the L descendants Of this
last union helped 10 build up hardy and
| rather industrious community. and still
| Labadie faltered not. lie was welded "a
/ Miss Charlotte Bartue, aud the fruits oi
I this union xere nine children. the oldest
I son being the father of Gregoire l. Laba-
/ die, Of tins city. aud Of Capt Charles +.
/ Labadie, Of the firm of Labadie & Parent.
| Windsor. The latter still holds a portion
of the old homestead in WalkeIvine.
old citizens say that it was not ar uncom-
mon thing for the old French settlers u
raise families Of Is and 20 children. An
old resident says that Van Avery. who
lived on the present site Of the water works
was the father Of % children, all by oue
wife.