The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-20
LAST OF FONTENELLES
DEATH or HENRI, DESCENDANT
or A NOBLE FRENCH FAMILY.
First In This Country Was the Mar
quis of Francois, an Emtgre- His SON
Marries an Indian and Chi ldren Fol-

quis of Francois, an Emtgre- His Son
Marries an Indian and Children Fol.
low Suit.
Henry Fontenelle is dead.
At the extreme southeastern corner of
the Omaha Indian reservation on the
Missouri river, whose waters ever wash
the bank on which stand his home, and
then move swiftly, quietly and resist
lessly down to the Southland and the
home of his ancestry, he passed away,
the last of family who bore roman
tic part in the settlement of the trans
Mississippi country
When the century was passing
through it's first year, Francois, Marquis
| de Fontenelle, came from France to
Louisiana in company with sister,
Nine, Merlier. They belonged to a fam
lily of the French nobility. Francois
settled on plantation a short distance
below New Orleans, where several chill
| dren were born to them and the two old
err ones, Lucian and Amalie were sent
to their aunt, Nine. Merlier, in New
| Orleans, to be educated. While there a
terrible uprising of the waters of the
| Mississippi caused by hurricane swept
away and drowned the whole family re-
naming at the plantation, leaving Lu-
| clan and Amalie to be brought up by
| their aunt. a stern and severe arsto-
| crat, Lucian was placed in banking
house when about sixteen, but not
wit he 1aft tn, no
night and for twenty years was not
heard from.
He made his way to st. Louis, then
the outpost of civilization and the point
from which went all the adventurous
souls up the great rivers and into the
unknown land of the red men. The
flowing waters whispered their romances
to him as they had done to many before
him, and lured by their seductive tales,
he wandered into the strange country,
joined the Great American Fur compa-
ny and lived the varied life of prairie
and mountain from the Mississippi river
to the Pacific ocean and northward to
Hudson bay, at last settling down in the
midst Of it all on the banks of the Mis-
souri, at the point called by some enthu-
View''--just below which the waters of
the Platte joined those of the Missouri.
Here he was married by the we'll
known Father De Smet to Me-um- ba-ne
THE SUM- daughter of the chief of the
Omahas, or 1.-THE tribe furthest up the
river" and to them were born five chill
dren, Logan, Albert, Tecumseh, Henry
and Susan. After twenty years of this
life. Lucian Fontenelle, having made
money in his trading post and remem-
bering the days of his childhood and his
family, determined to go back to New
Orleans and see if they still remembered
him.
Amalie had married Judge Lockett,
Lucian returned after a very short in
terval to his prairie home and his fami-
ly, who loved and looked for him and to
whom he was ever a loving father
Never again did he attempt commune
cation with his kindred while alive, al
though 1t is stated that he sent a mes
sage to his sister from his deathbed,
asking her to take and educate his only
daughter, which she refused to do.
His eldest boys he sent to St Louis to
school during his lifetime, and had he
lived all his children would have had the
best educational advantages of that
time but he died a few years after this
visit to New Orleans
Tecumseh, Henry and Sarah were sent
after his death to the Shawnee Indian
mission school, near Kansas City, where
they stayed about two years. Getting
into an alteration with another youth.
,,rith
Henry in return giving him beating.
the teacher punished Henry and he ran
away, finally wandering TO Kansas CITY.
where lived his fathers old partner. Mr..
Dripps Here he learned the carpen-
ter's trade and remained about two
years. One day Mrs Chouteau. Of the
well-known st. Louis family of that
name. to daughter of whom Luciar
Fontenelle was said to have been en-
gagged at one time told him that his
brother Logan had Just gone down the
river to st. Louis as interpreter. and |
that he would be back on the return |
TRIP of the st. Ange. IT was five wears |
since he had seen his family and when
Logan offered to take him home he
gladly went with him. Arrived at
Bellevue he went to work for the old |
French trader, Peter A. Sarpy, taking
charge Of several ferries which carried |
across the stream the thousands of en-
ierants who We're following the Indian
trails over the mountains to the land of |
gold.
Later he was made United States in
terpreter, residing at Bellevue at the /
mission, the ralying point for all bust
ness with the tribes of the middle Mis-
souri,, and here he met his wife Emily
at the home Of Rev. Mr.. Allis. a mis-
sionary.
Emily's mother was the sister Of
chief Of the Skedes band of
the Pawnee Indians. and was very SUI
psrfCr Indian even among the Skedea
band, which was much above the aver
age in intelligence and physical bearing.
They were supposed to have descended
from the ancient Aztecs F,mily's faith
er was white man, so she. like her
husband, was half-breed. When
about seven years old Emily's mother
took her to Mrs. Mather the wife of the
superintendent Of the farms, and asked
that she be educated among the whites.
as, being a twin she was specially ia
vored of God, and she thought it proper
That no ebp,115 no e6i1na tod Nv ,,.,>;.a !