St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-03
NAPOLEON'S niece.
Death Of a Child of Joseph
Bonaparte and an Ameri-
can Girl.
The Ex-King Of SPANS Affair
With an Unfortunate
QuakereSs.
She Was a Philadelphia
When He Won Her Heart
and Hand.
The Union Legitimized by
Napoleon III. on a Daugh-
ter's Petition.

CHt lll9S VI WI OAlttl AONbS -. CNA4NSN'i
daughter of Joseph Bonaparte and niece
OF Napoleon Bonaparte, says the Utica
Observer. Though so near a descendant
of family that made history there were
very few who were prepared, on the an
nouncement Of the death of Mrs. Ben
ton, to give any accurate facts concern
ing her life, although many with whom
she had become acquainted during her
frequent visits in this city and vicinity
knew her history in a general way. 1t
may not, therefore, be undressing to
sketch ner history.
When Joseph Bonaparte. who had
been king of Spain when his great
brother had thrones and crowns to give
away, lived in Philadelphia, soon after
his arrival in this country, he met and
loved a beautiful Quaker girl. Her
family had been for long years noted
for its responsibility, and it was great
blow to the Stad old Quaker family and
all their friends when the quiet little
Quakeress fell a victim to Bonaparte' S
Establishments and became for time his
companion. Outside of her descend
ants, whose position in Philadelphia
has since been untouched by a breath
of scandal. there was for amy years
no one who knew the name OF This fair
Quakeress. Joseph Bonaparte soon be-
gan to-spend the greater part OF Ills time
aft Point Breeze. Some claim that IT,
was while resident there that he had
his second Philadelphia atfalre de cGur,
and 10 young. beautiful and accom-
plished Girl gave his heart and what
was left Of his hand. This is not so.
The little Quake ress VINO had left her
friends to unite with him and the Iren-
ton. y. j., girl were one and the same
person. This union resulted in two
daughters, both born near Trenton.
The younger died in infancy, and the
other is the one whose death calls for
this sketch.
After while Bonaparte moved his
establishment from Trenton to the
northern part of this state. Here he
chose TO be known as the Count de Sur
Viliers. He purchased of Herman lie
Ray tract OF 10000 acres, lying partly
in'JeifersOn and partly in the adjoining
county Of st. LaWrence--all uncultivated
and nearly all timbered notwithstanding
to hold it for himself and friends in
exile as a forest retreat and game pre-
L. W
under Il, of April 8, 1921, to the Ant
Werp company" said that the count had
selected "a tract Astounding with pictur-
eSque landscapes, whose remote and eX-
tenSive forests. affOrdng retreat to game,
will enable him to establish great
hunting ground; qualities Of soil and
fitness for settlers were only secondary
considerations" This description of
the region is a truthful one to-day, for,
although miles of the forests have dis
appeared, much forest still remains,
and the delightful landscapes LIE Ray
spoke of have lost none of their beauty
by the clearing and cultivation of large
areas of what is still known as the
Bonaparte tract. BY an act of congress
OF March 81, 1925, Joseph Bonaparte was
empowered to hold the real estate
above described by deed.
The eX-king remained Oh his North
ern estate most of the time, until soon
after lie heard of the French Revolution
of July, 1886, when he abandoned his
American estate, and, going back to
Europe, never returned. By an in
strument dated July Il, 1882, he made Jo-
seph Raphneau his attOrneyto dispose
OF his holdings in America, reServing
tract-gOodly in extent, but almost val
utItSS lOI OCCOIilC lllO
property of his natural daughter,
Charlotte. The mothers maiden name
was Annette Savage, and when Joseph
BOnaparte returned to France she
married a Frenchman named De-
lafOile. Bonaparte had given her alarge
tract of land near Indian River, Jeffer-
son county, and here they resided in a
fine country mansion for number of
years. When Mrs Delafoile was left
a widow she had three children to pro-
vide for, as two had been born to her
after her marriage to DelafOle. She
moved to WatertoWn, and aided III their
support by keeping small store for the
sale of fancy work. From the BOnaparte
estate Charlotte received 81, 200 per year
until the FrdncO-Prussian war. She
married Zebulon Ii. Benton, who sur
wives her and resides on the remnant
of the estate i'll Jefferson county.
1t is rich i'll iron ore beyond doubt,
but owing to a lack of tact that Mr..
Benton has never been able TO do any
thing advantageous with it, although
tor many years the couple lived fairly
well upon the proceeds of sales of piece
after piece suitable for timber or pas
turage. But the possibilities in this
line narrowed down. and Mrs. Benton
had for some years aided i'll their sup
port by teaching French III this city and
elsewhere. She was the mother of two
children, a son, Joseph Bonaparte Ben
ton, Of Philadelphia, and daughter.
who. it is believed, also resides in Phila-
delphia.
MIR. and Mrs. Benton visited Paris in
1856 and were recognized by Napoleon
III. as of his kindred, and were kindly
entertained by the emperor and en-
press, who presented them with souve-
Mrs, which are at the same time testi-
monials of the visit. Napoleon LII. at
this time legitimized by his i'm
perial will the union of Mrs.
Benton's parents, and thus, in French
law, made her legitimate child. of
which she was certainly proud. He also
made her daughter, Josephine, maid of
honor to Empress Eugene, which place
she occupied until affairs in France
compelled their return to this country.
Napoleon III. often said to Mrs Ben
ton, "Que je Paime," in speaking of
her visit to France, thus expressing the
regret he felt that she had not come
before, so that he might have placed
her children i'll the places to which they
were entitled.
Mrs. Benton was known in her youth
as Miss Caroline Delafoile, When in
her teens she attended for some time
the school taught by Mrs. Evarts on
Whitesboro street, this city. She was a
particularly handsome girl, and her
eyes were large, dark and lustrous,
and never dimmed by age. She had
many souvenirs given her by her
mother that were left by her father,
and she received many more on her
visit to France. 1t was her delight to
talk by the hour about the Bonapartes
and the French people. She wrote a
book called France and Her People"
and correspondent with many papers and
several magazines. Throughout her
life. so far as known, she had an abid-
ing faith in fortune telIers, and her be-
lief in them in no manner departed as
her years increased. Few women had
greater ambition, and the downfall of
her family and fortunes was the source
Of much grieyous disappointment.