Ohio History Journal

The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  45

 

 

THE FRENCH SETTLEMENT AND SETTLERS OF GALLIPOLIS.

Preceding addresses and other papers have given the story

of the Scioto Company, under whose auspices the French set-

tlers came to America. I shall not attempt to repeat any part

of this history, but begin my narrative with the sailing of the

first party of emigrants to their new homes in the unknown

West, which had been described to them in such glowing terms

by those who had induced them to come. In February, 1790,

six hundred emigrants set sail from Havre de Grace. Five

ships had been chartered to take them to Alexandria, Va., prob-

ably the nearest port to their new homes. Their experiences

then were inauspicious as an omen in regard to the future. In

these days of rapid transit, when a voyage across the ocean rep-

resents a not unpleasant journey of a few days' duration, we

cannot imagine what it must have been when, on account of

stormyseas and contrary winds, the traveler was compelled to

spend weeks, and even months, on the great deep. Yet such

experiences as the latter were common once, and they were felt

by the Franch emigrants. A desolate feeling must have been

theirs then. Behind them was stormy France, its peace that

was, having been swept from it, with little hope of its return in

the near future; about them the stormy waves of old ocean

threatening to engulf them, and thus violently end their new-

born hopes. Before them-what? A fair land they believed,

but an uncertainty; they had only man's representation upon

which to base their hopes, and man is more than liable to mis-

represent facts when he has a purpose to gain thereby. The

future only could reveal that which they so ardently desired to

know, and they awaited its developments, which, with their

characteristic, sunny disposition, we believe they did as content-

edly as was possible with men. At length, after a voyage of

about three months' duration, they arrived at the town of Alex-

andria, about seventy-five miles up the river Potomac. Here

they encountered circumstances which both cheered and de-

pressed them. They were gladdened by a cordial reception on

the part of the people to whom a Frenchman was a welcome

visitor in view of the recent benefits conferred upon the country

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46        Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.  [VoL. 3   by the assistance of the French Government in the war with the British. The emigrant, no doubt, felt as if his fond hopes were about to be realized, as, with his land titles in his pocket, he landed on these hospitable shores. But he was destined to be bitterly disappointed, for it was not long before he knew that difficulties had arisen, which threatened the complete frustration of his plans. The Scioto Company, from which he had made his purchase, had forfeited its title to the lands, having failed to make the payments according to contract with the government, and consequently their dealings with it were null and void. Furthermore, the lands which they thought they had purchased, had been purchased from the government by another corporation, known as the Ohio Company, and contrary to representation, their prospective homes were far away in the Western land, in a wilderness infested by hostile bands of Indians. A pitiable con- dition, truly, and one which called forth the sympathy of their new-made friends. They were literally strangers in a strange land, and their own country, for which they would naturally yearn under such circumstances, unsafe as a retreat from the dangers which there presented themselves. Their sad condition soon became noised abroad, and reached the ears of those in authority, and ere long a movement was inaugurated, in which President Washington was interested, to compel the Scioto Company to reimburse them the money of which they had been defrauded. As might have been expected, these negotiations occupied much time, and sorely tried the patience of the forlorn emigrants, insomuch that some gave up in despair, and sought other homes, some going to New York and Philadelphia, some settling in Alexandria, and a few return- ing to France. At length an agreement was entered into with Colonel Duer, the Company's agent at New York, whereby, as far as the means under his control would permit, the emigrants should be transported to the West, and established on the Ohio River at a point opposite the mouth of the Big Kanawha, where they expected their town to be located, erect suitable block houses for defence against the attacks of Indians, and survey and lay out a town to be divided among them in proportion to cash paid in Paris by each individual on their lands. A written

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  47

 

agreement to this effect was made, and with such a compromise,

which was more perhaps than they had dared to hope for, the

emigrants abandoned all claims upon the lands for which they

held deeds. The second stage journey was now about to begin.

Wagons and supplies were obtained, and the travelers departed.

This journey was far more perilous, no doubt, than the long and

stormy passage across the Atlantic. The dangers by the way-

side consisted of attacks from the Indians, sickness and fatigue.

In addition to these, progress was slow in consequence of the

almost impassable condition of the roads, and the insufficiency

of the supplies provided for their maintenance. Their route was

through the Valley of Virginia, near the town of Winchester;

thence in a north-westerly direction via Brownsville, Pennsyl-

vania, and to the Ohio. The traveler of the present day, when

he speeds through this section of the country, and views it from

the window of his Pullman car, can form but little idea of the

trials and privations of that long jonrney. Think of a number

people, including women and little children, finding a way over

those high mountains, and across swollen streams, meagerly

supplied with food, and harassed at all times by fear of the ever-

vigilant savage, and you may fancy the experience of these emi-

grants. The Scioto Company had contracted with General

Rufus Putnam to erect buildings and furnish the settlers with

provisions for a year, and he sent Major Burnham down from

Fort Harmar on the Muskingum River with forty men for that

purpose. The first town, under the name of Fair Haven, had

been laid out by the Company opposite the mouth of the Kana-

wha, was intended as the point for the location of the French

settlers, but as the ground was considered low there, and

liable to overflow, Major Burnham and his party wisely pro-

ceeded to a point four miles below, where the high banks could

well withstand the rising waters, as has been since proved to the

satisfaction of the residents. The locating party arrived here

June 8th, 1790, and immediately began the work of preparation

for the settlers, who would make a home here in the wilderness.

This was no doubt a most arduous undertaking, but determined

energy made itself felt, and soon there were evidences that order

would emerge from chaos. Trees, brush, and other debris made

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way for the houses, which formed the new town. On what is

now the Public Square were erected eighty log cabins, twenty

in a row. At each of the corners were block-houses two stories

in height. In front of the cabins, close by the river bank, was

a small log breast-work. Above the cabins, on the square, were

two other parallel rows of cabins, which, with a high stockade

fence, and block-houses at each of the upper corners, formed a

sufficient fortification in times of danger. These upper cabins

were a story and a half in height, built of hewn logs, and

furnished in better style than those below, being intended for

the wealthier class, and those appointed to manage and superin-

tend the interests of the colony. Such was the home which the

emigrant found for his reception, when, weary and travel-worn,

he at length reached his final destination. He had journeyed

far by sea and land, and dreamed bright dreams, and was it all

for this? A few log cabins with a background of forest, in

which was the home of the sworn enemy of the white race.

France is a country no larger in extent than one of the

average-sized states of the Union, and at this time its popula-

tion was about twenty-five millions. Think of five hundred

people from this thickly populated place, and composed entirely

of those ignorant of what would be required of them in a new

land-physicians, lawyers, jewelers and other artisans, a few

mechanics, servants to the exiled nobility, and many with no

trade or profession-suddenly placed in a wilderness of this

kind, and infested by wild beasts and murderous bands of

Indians. They were as inexperienced in pioneer life as children.

The hardy natures of such rugged characters as Daniel Boone,

or any one of those who preceded the march of progress, could

readily combat the difficulties which were likely to present them-

selves. They knew what to expect in frontier life, and it was

even with a sense of enjoyment perhaps, that they engaged in

the work of preparing the way for the settler. Our French

emigrants, however, could not view    the prospects without

consternation and conjecture as to the many difficulties which

would arise in their work of making the best of a bad bargain.

The solution of the problem was with them, and as subsequent

events proved, many of them rose bravely to the occasion.

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  49

 

There are some people whose strength and grandeur of character

would never be known save by means of severe tests. Heart

trials most frequently prove to be blessings in disguise, on

account of the way in which they represent the true worth of a

man's character. The pure metal cannot be obtained save

through the medium of the smelting furnace. Thus it was with

the French settlers at Gallipolis, for they not only determined to

remain, but made a success of what appeared a hopeless cause.

At an early meeting of the settlers, the town was named Galli-

polis (City of the Gauls-French). The work of making their

new home attractive was long and arduous, this latter being the

natural result of the inexperience of the settlers. Everything

that they did had to be learned, and with as many hard knocks

as a school-boy experiences with his Latin verbs, but indomitable

perseverance gave its usual testimony, in that the lesson was

learned. Quoting the words of one who has written on this sub-

ject: "A description of early attempts to adapt themselves

to circumstances, would be amusing, but doubtless was no joke

to them."

A number were seriously wounded, and some lost their lives

in learning to fell trees. Having no knowledge of the use of

the axe, some two or three would tackle a monster of the

forest, girdling the tree, and giving the death blow at the heart;

as can readily be seen, the tree would oftentimes slip from the

stump upon the workmen, or more frequently they (or the

admiring group who were watching the process) not being able

to tell the direction in which the tree would fall, would be

crushed to the ground under the heavy branches. A short

experience of this kind sharpened their wits, and by placing

strong men at the ends of the two ropes, the other end being

fastened to the tree, they found that they could guide it in its

fall, and this operation thereafter became less dangerous.

It will be seen from such incidents as this that, although the

settlers were enterprising, courageous, and willing to work, and

mainly very intelligent, as a class, they were obliged to suffer by

practical experience before they were able to adapt themselves

to the new mode of living, or make much substantial progress in

rendering their situation comfortable, as we must all suffer, when

Vol. III-4

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we are learning a new principle in life. We must always learn

effectually, by means of experience, but experience is quite

frequently a stern and merciless teacher.

An account of this settlement, by an eye witness, will

not, we believe, be uninteresting here. The letter of Mon-

sieur Mentelle to the American Pioneer, a magazine published

in Cincinnati, in the April number, 1843, among other matters

contains the following:                 "I did not arrive till nearly all the

colonists were there.                    I descended the river in 1791, in flat

boats loaded with troops, commanded by General St. Clair,

destined for an expedition against the Indians. Some of my

countrymen joined that expedition, among others was Count

Malartie, a captain of the French Guard of Louis XVI."  Con-

cerning the settlement at Gallipolis, he said among other things:

"Notwithstanding the great difficulties, the difference of tem-

pers, education and professions, the inhabitants lived in har-

mony. The Americans and hunters employed by the Company,

performed the first labors of clearing the township which was

divided into lots. Although the French were willing to work,

yet the clearing of the American wilderness and its heavy tim-

ber was far more than they could perform. To migrate from

the eastern States to the 'far west' is painful enough now-a-days,

but how much more so must it be for a citizen of a large Eu-

ropean town! Even the farmer of the old countries would find

it very hard, if not impossible, to clear land in the wilderness."

The hunters, who supplied the colonists with fresh meat, " were

paid by the colonists, to prepare their garden ground, which was

to receive seeds brought from France; few of the colonists

knew how to make a garden, but they were guided by books on

that subject, likewise brought from France. The colony began

to improve in its appearance and comfort. The fresh provisions

were supplied by the Company's hunters, the others came from

the magazines." These represented some of the bright features

of the early life of the colonists, and all seemed working well,

and no doubt lively hopes were excited in their breasts that the

difficulties of their hitherto trying position were lessening, but

again they were called upon to face disappointment. At this

time it became apparent that the Scioto Company could not

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  51

 

obtain for them any further remuneration for the impositions

that had been practiced upon them. The Company had fulfilled

nearly all their engagements for the first six months, after which

they ceased their supply of provisions to the colonists, and it

was given as a reason, that one or two of their agents who had

received the funds in France for the purchased land, had run off

with the money to England, and the Company were defrauded

of the whole, without having purchased or gained title to any

of the tract which they had sold to the deceived colonists.

An unusually severe winter had set in, and the rigor of

climate was added to other trials and difficulties. The Ohio had

frozen over, so that flat boats could not come down with flour

from above; the hunters no longer had meat to sell. The peo-

ple were destitute of almost everything except a scanty supply

of vegetables, and almost a famine was produced in the settle-

ment. The money and clothes they had brought with them

were nearly gone; they knew not to whom to go to get their

lands (for they did not even own their homes), and their con-

dition became such as to excite despair. Looking back upon

them through the lapse of years, our minds are filled with sym-

pathetic thoughts, and the fact that these difficulties were suc-

cessfully combated kindles within us a feeling of admiration and

pride. The Pilgrim Fathers, who landed "on wild New Eng-

gland's shore," and whose hardihood and determination have

sounded their praises down the ages, deserve little less laudation

in the pages of history than the settlers of our town, who have

left, as a rich heritage, to those who have lived after them, the

testimony of the unconquerable nature of brave perseverance.

Following this condition of affairs, the fear of the Indians dis-

turbed their peace of mind. "When," says Mentelle (speaking

of some months previous of the expeditions of Generals St.

Clair and Wayne), "many of the troops stopped at Gallipolis,

the Indians who, no doubt, came there in the night, at last saw

the regulars going morning and evening round the town in order

to ascertain if there were any Indian traces, attacked them, kill-

ing and wounding several- a soldier, besides other wounds, was

tomahawked, but recovered. A French colonist, who had tried

to raise cane some distance from town, seeing an Indian rising

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from behind some brushwood against a tree, shot him in the

shoulder.  The Indian, hearing an American patrol, must

have thought that the Frenchman made a part of it, and

sometime afterward a Frenchman was killed, and a man

and woman made prisoners as they were going to collect

ashes to make soap, at some distance from town. After

this, although the Indians committed depredations on the

Americans on both sides of the river, the French had suf-

fered only by the loss of some cattle carried away, until

the murder of the man referred to. As the severe winter ad-

vanced, "the dangers from the Indians augmented every day.

Kanawha had been visited by one of these sad events, that few

of the present generation can realize, otherwise than by compar-

ing it to a romantic tale with ghosts. A Captain Vonbever had

gone to make sugar at a little distance from and opposite to

Kanawha. He had his negro man with him, intending to make

sugar and raise corn, but staid to make sugar only. The camp

was fronting the river and in sight of Kanawha. They had not

been there long when the negro saw an Indian running after

him. He warned his master, who was not far from the house,

and they both entered it at the same time and secured the door.

The Indian, thinking they had no arms, and whose intention it

was to carry off the negro, turned back as soon as he saw them

in the house, and was shot by the negro with a gun that was

loaded with buck-shot. The alarm spread to Kanawha; the in-

habitants came in their canoes, thinking that there might be

more Indians, but on their landing they saw only the body of a

single one, which, after having stripped of what he had, they

threw into the river; the corpse floated down and was carried by

the stream on the shore of Gallipolis the next day, as if to con-

firm the rumor which they had heard that morning, and as a

warning to themselves. Captain Vonbever had let his beard

grow, and had sworn to leave it so until he should have taken a

complete revenge of the Indians, who had killed one of his

children.

The expedition against the Indians by General St. Clair

having met with signal defeat, the Indians were encouraged to

greater depredations in the Western land, but fortunately for our

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  53

 

colonists they were directed principally against Americans. The

hostile tribes imagined that the French settlers were from

Canada, and with the French at that place they were on terms

of friendship.  Immediately after St. Clair's defeat, Colonel

Sproat, of Marietta, appointed four spies for Gallipolis, one of

whom was Mousieur Mentelle from whom we quoted a moment

ago. These were released after the treaty of Greenville in 1795.

Honorable Rufus Putnam, at Marietta, was the acknowledged

head of all the settlements in Washington county, which then

embraced a territory now covered by nearly forty counties, and

to him an application was made and steps were taken to organize

a defensive force. By his orders, Colonel Ebenezer Sproat ap-

pointed Captain Dr. Francis Hebecourt, a man of distinguished

qualifications, to take command. A Frenchman named Malden

was appointed Lieutenant, and C. R. Menager, Ensign. A com-

pany of ninety colonists offered their services, who were divided

into squads of ten, and on each succeeding day one squad, or

patrol company, was to start out in the morning to act in con-

junction with the scouts or spies, whose duty it was to return

every night and report the presence or absence of Indians. In

this way a defense was kept up until General Wayne defeated

the Indians at the battle of " Fallen Timbers," on the Maumee

Rapids, five miles above Perrysburg, Ohio, August 20th, 1794,

and made the treaty of peace at Greenville in 1795 with all the

Western tribes. After peace was declared, a free intercourse

took place between them and the colonists from Massachusetts

and other New England states at Marietta and Belpre, and with

settlements at Point Pleasant and Charleston, Virginia. Thus,

in an alternate atmosphere of hopes and fears, the colonists

passed the first years of their lives in the New World. They

were, perhaps, becoming accustomed to the changed conditions

of their existence. Even in the far away western wilderness,

they were recognizing home ties, and pleasant associations were

being formed which endeared this wild country to them. France,

with its attractions, had passed out of their lives; such repre-

sented but features of the past, and would be to them but fond

recollections of what had been. There was one great difficulty

which had to be surmounted, however, before they could reso-

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lutely face life in this country. The titles to their homes had

never been perfected; indeed, there was every reason to suppose

that they were living on land which belonged to other people.

Although it had been sold to them by the Scioto Company,

which had transported them thither, the fact remained that the

Ohio Company still held the titles to it, inasmuch as that corpora-

tion had bought and paid for it, and there had been no just or

legal transfer of it to other parties, it was but rational that the

owners should be demanding their rights. This dilemma which

they had known that they must face, when it reached its climax,

brought with it its disheartening influences; indeed, so great

must have been the discouragements that the disruption of all

the new ties must have been threatened. A letter from Mr.

B. J. D. Le Ture, a Gallipolis merchant, who had removed to

Cincinnati for business purposes, and which is now in the

possession of Maj. E. C. Dawes, of Cincinnati, throws some

light on the situation at this time. It is written under date of

July 6th, 1792, and is addressed to Mr. John Matthews at

Gallipolis. Mr. Le Ture says: "The situation of the colony

alarms me much. I cannot think so many people will be sacri-

ficed to a few speculators. Should anything turn up that would

oblige me to go to the settlement, I believe it will be in my

power to advise them on the methods they are to take in order

to have justice done them." Some of the colonists became dis-

heartened and went off and settled elsewhere with the means

that remained to them, and resumed their trades in more popu-

lous parts of the country. Others led a half savage life, com-

mon among pioneers, as hunters for skins; and affairs, for a

time, wore a gloomy aspect. The more determined ones, how-

ever, who appear to have represented the rank and file of the

colony resolved upon a course of action, which, if successful,

would give them homes which they so ardently craved. Six

years had now passed since they had sailed from Havre de

Grace, and an enumeration showed that but three hundred of

them were left. These, in general assembly, resolved to make a

memorial of their grievances and send it to Congress. The

memorial claimed no right from that body, but was a detail of

their wrongs and sufferings, together with an appeal to the

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  55

 

generosity of the government, and they did not appeal in vain.

Monsieur Jean G. Gervais started with the petition, and at

Philadelphia met with a lawyer, M. Duponceau, through whose

aid he obtained from Congress a grant of twenty-four thousand

acres of land, known as the " French Grant," and located oppo-

site the Little Sandy, for the people who still remained in Galli-

polis. The act annexed the condition of settling on the lands

for three years before the deed of gift would be given. M.

Gervais received four thousand acres of this land for his serv-

ices in the matter, according to previous agreement. Each in-

habitant had thus a tract of two hundred and seventeen and a

half acres of land; but before the surveys and other arrange-

ments could be made, some time was necessary during which

those who had reclaimed the wilderness and improved Gallipolis,

being reluctant to lose all their labor, and finding that a com-

pany, owning the lands at Marietta, had met to divide lands,

which they had purchased in a common stock, the colonists sent

a deputation with a proposal to sell to them the tract where

Gallipolis is situated, and to be paid in proportion to what was

improved, which was accepted. When at last the distribution

of the French grant was achieved, some sold their share, others

went to settle on it, while many sent tenants, and either re-

mained at Gallipolis or went elsewhere. Colonel Robert Safford,

so familiarly known as one of the number of Major Burnham's

band, who felled the first tree on the site of what was afterward

Gallipolis, was present at the drawing of these lots, and has

thus related the circumstances: "General Putnam appointed

Mr. Martin to survey the grant, and after this was done and the

lots numbered, Messrs. Manmey, Putnam and Talmadge ap-

pointed a day when all who were to get land were to meet in the

public square. The day came and all assembled. The names

of those having an interest were written upon square pieces of

paper, and as many like pieces were numbered. The papers

were placed in two small boxes, two clerks were appointed and

two disinterested men were selected, to each of whom one of

the boxes was given. When all was ready, the boxes were

shaken and then opened. Colonel Safford was selected to draw

out the papers which were numbered. As he drew out one and

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announced the number the clerk took it down, then from the

other box a name was drawn which, being announced, was

taken down as the owner of the number just drawn. They pro-

ceeded thus until the whole number were distributed."

After a long time, as it appeared to the settler, some of the

hopes which had encouraged him, were realized, in that the

French grant had been obtained and Gallipolis had become the

property of its citizens. True, there were not many left, com-

paratively speaking, to enjoy the homes which had been won in

so laborious and perilous a manner, but there was deep satisfac-

tion, no doubt, in realizing, that although the fierce battle had

been fought, the victory was won.

Now, having described the inauguration and accomplish-

ment of this enterprise of establishing a colony and build-

ing a town on the banks of the Ohio, we will turn our

attention, for a brief period, to the topography of Galli-

polis, in the first stages of its growth.  We have before us

a map of the town and surrounding country as they were in

earlier days. It represents the plan of the lots drawn by the

inhabitants of Gallipolis January 20, 1791, and the outlines of

the city are very accurate, and easily recognized by those

acquainted with it now. A more interesting document than this,

and which we have been fortunate enough to secure, is a list of

the town lots of Gallipolis with their original disposition. The

original of this was probably made in Paris, when the anti-

cipative colonist was about to depart to his new home, or it may

have been made after the first stages of his long and weary

journey had been completed, when, after having been tortured

by apprehension, the order had come for him to move on to

possess the land, just before he left Alexandria, Virginia. We

append this list, thinking it peculiarly interesting in this connec-

tion.

A numeral list of the town lots of Gallipolis, with their

original disposition:

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.      57

Claude Morrell................                                          1 Jean B. Laurent............                                              2 Charles Vaux Maret ...........                                      3 Maguet, son ..............                                      4 Colinet ...................                                          5 Etienne Chandivert ...........                                      6 Mad. Clavet ................                                               7 Jean B. Cherrin .............                                            8 Pierre A. L. Huillier...........                                      9 Francis Picard  .................                                         10 Minguey, father ............... 11 Pierre Louis LeClerc.........                                      12 Claude Bana ...................                                            13 Claude J. Naudet. ............                                          14 Marchand  .....................                                              15 Winant Devacht ..............                                         16 Jean M. Hammer .............. 17 Jean Buzenet ......... .....     18 Nicholas Vissinier ............. 19 Sald ..................                                                 20 Grouet ..................                                            21 Humbert Pamar ..............                                           22 Guillaume Duduit............ 23 Jean G. Vallot ................  24 Louis Victor Vonschritz ....... 25 Michaud  ...... ..........                                         26 Jean  B. Ancil......   ...........                                         27 Michel Cranzat ...............                                           28 Pierre Chandivert ............. 29 Nicholas Thevenin .......... 30 D'Hebecourt ...............                                               31 Retained 30th Dec ..........                                         32 "    "    ~..........                                         33 33 "        "           ...........   34 Saugrain                ..............      35 "   ........ . ...... . ... 36 Pierre Magnier ................ 37 D'Hebecourt ................                                              38 Jos.Dazet............. ...  ...                                                39 Frederick Bergeret ............ 40 Jacques Petit Jean ...........   41 Jean G. Petit .     ........... . 42 Francis Darveux ............. 43 Alexander Roussell ...........                                       44 Jean B. Quetee ...............                                             45

Jean B. Parmentier ............ 46 Francis Valten ...............                                          47 Laurent Bergnen ..........                                            48 Jean B. Duchallard ........... 49 Nicholas Petit ..............    50 Antoine Porquier ........... 51 Etienne Willermy ..........                                          52 Francis Quartel .............                                            53 Benjamin Armand ............. 54 Jean M. Guillot .   .......  ..  55 Charles Soudry .............. 56 Catherine Avelin ..............  57 Matthieu Berthelot ........... 58 Peter Lecke ...................  59 Jacques Renouard ............. 60 Antoine Vibert ............... 61 Jean B. Ginat .......... ....    62 Sigisbert Chevraux........... 63 Pierre Lafellard .   .............                                        64 Gervais  ...................                                         65 Lemoyne, younger ........ 66 Jean  C. Belliere  ..........   ....                                       67 Droz......................                                             68 Joseph Dupont    .   ........ .                          69 Jean Louis Vonschritz ........                                   70 Francis Dutiel ............... 71 Alexander Frere ............... 72 Claude DuBois ........... ...                                         73 Jean  B. Ferard ..... ..........                                           74 Jean P. Laperouse ...........                                         75 Nicholas Hedouin..... ....... 76 Michel Mazure ...............    77 Pierre M. Richards ............ 78 Colat  ........... .........                                            79 Petit ............. ........                                            80 Coupin .................                                             81 "   ...................                                          82 Laforge retained ............)                                          83 84 Jean Louis Imbert .. ........                                          85 Jean Courtier ................                                              86 Pierre Matry .................                                              87 Joseph Goiyon ............:...                                         88 Alex. Chevalier .    ..........                                           89 Claude Dupligny ..............                                       90

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Jean Louis Colat .............   91 Minguey, son ............ 92 Louis DelaBouye ............ 93 Cesar Maufelit ................ 94 Pierre Chabot ................ 95 Taillem  ...................  96 Pierre L. Guibert ............ 97 Pierre A. Laforge.......... .. 98 Claude Berthelot.... ......... 99 Antoine Duc................ 100 Jean F. Grand Jean.    ........ 101 Michel Chanterelle ........... 102 Jean Pellison  .................  103 Jean B. Anthiaume........... 104 Lemonye, elder ........... 105 Louis Roublot ............ 106 Antoine Saugrain ............. 107 Thoncy Dehafosse ............ 108 Marin Dupont ................ 109 Petit Jean ...................  110 Antoine Prieur ............... 111 Augustin LeClerc ............                                     112 Leclere and .................                                             113 Genet .................                                            114 Petit Jean ................ 115 Gervais...................  116 Sigismund D'llmee .......... 117 Jean L. Violette. ............. 118 Madam LaCaisse...    ......... 119 D. Petit ........... .......  120 Jean Pierre Ginet............. 121 Louis P. LeClerc .............. 122 Francis L'Anguette ............ 123 Pierre Serre ...... ..... ......  124 Louis A. Viment ............ 125 Jean Autran  ................. 126 Pierre Duteil ......... ........  127 Maximin Lefort ............. 128 Minguet DeViguement ........ 129 Francois Bourgougnat ........ 130 Louis Berthe ..................  131 Louis Maldant ................ 132 Antrox Noel .................. 133 Nicholas Quelet ............... 134 Valton  ............... ...  135

Philip Aug. Pithon ............ 136 John Rowe ................... 137 Mennessier ...............138 DeHibecour ............                                      139 do    .............. 140 Firmin Bremiere .............. 141 Brice DuCloz ...........   ... 142 Valton  ....................  143 Claude Coupin ......... .... 144 Pierre Maguet ............... 145 Jean Desnoyers ............... 146 Pierre Bidon .................. 147 Claude Cadot.................. 148 Pierre Thomas ................ 149 Malcher ............... 150 Remy Cuif ................... 151 Claude Menager .............. 152 De Hibecour           ............ 153 do                   . ...........                          154 do                   .. ...........                         155 do                   ..............                         156 Menager.....             ............                           157 Bastede ......             ·.... . ......                         158 LeClar................... 159 Etienne Allrien ............. 160 Jacques Auger .............. 161 Pierre Ferard ................ 162 Marie Dallier .............. 163 Michel Chillard ............... 164 Menager ..................  165 do .........   ....... . 166 Doctor Petit ..................  167 Berthelot Senior ............... 168 Gervais .................. 169 DeLaBaume ............... 170 do                   .............                          171 Louis Vialett ...                ..............                         172 Francois P. Malcher ...........173 Francois Durand ............. 174 I. Guion Caille ................175 Antoine Jacquemin ...........176 Francois Patin ................177 Joseph Damervalle .......... 178 Antoine Charpentier .......... 179 Jean Louis Devanne.......... 180

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.    59

Jean Rouilly. ................ 181 Julien Pradel   ............... 182 Simen Batterelle............. 183 Jean Aug. Pingard ........... 184 Mouvel     .   ............. 185 George Chalot ................. 186 Jean Regnier ................ 187 Antoine Rouby    ............ 188 Cesar Baredot ............... 189 Jacquemin              ................                         190 Eloy Frere .                     ............. 191 Abel Sarazin .                 ............ 192

Jean A. Foulon .............. 193 Hullier ................... 194 do ...................    195 DeHebecourt ............. 196 Rouby ........     ....... 197 Emille Lefeve ................. 198 Nicholas Hingston ............ 199 Pierre F. Perot ............... 200 Francois Valot ................ 235 Francois Carteron ............. 236 Prioux Aiglemont ............. 234

Whether this plan was followed, we are unable to say, but are inclined to the opinion that it was not, in view of the com- plications arising from subsequent events. We have access also to the account of the price and distribution of the lots of Galli- polis, which were written about five years after the settlers landed here. This also we think is right to give in full: "Gal- lipolis, this the 14th day of December, 1795. P. Bureau and J. M. Berthelot have published and given notice, that Monday next they will render account to the French inhabitants of their mis- sion as agents to treat with the Ohio Company. To-day, Mon- day, the assembled inhabitants, after having agreed to purchase the land of the Ohio Company, have proceeded to choose by secret ballot, commissioners to examine the rights of pre-emp- tion of the inhabitants to the city lots, and of four acres of cul- tivated land, and also to fix the price of city lots and of the four acres according to what they were worth before they were occu- pied. Whereupon the inhabitants have unanimously named for commissioners: Marin Duport, Mathieu Berthelot, Jean Par- mentier, Christopher Etienne, Francis DeVacht, Jean Baptiste, Le Tailleur, Jean Pierre, Roman Bureau. To-day, Monday, 6 o'clock P. M. The commissioners have unanimously appointed Marin Duport moderator, and Christopher Etienne secretary, of the committee. It has also been resolved that Anselm Tupper, surveyor, be chosen for any operations of surveying that may be found necessary. Resolved, That Mr. Tupper, accompanied by Mr. Bureau, shall go to examine the line which separates the lands proposed to be bought from the reserved lands, and from

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60       Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.  [VOL 3

 

those belonging to the Ohio Company, in order to proceed im-

mediately to such operations as they shall judge to be proper.

[These reserved lands were those set apart for educational and

religious purposes, being sections 16 and 29.] It has been re-

solved that the public be warned by notices to repair to the

house of Messrs. Saugrain and Bureau, in order to make known

their rights and claims to the property of Gallipolis. Signed Le

Tailleur, Parmentier, M. Berthelot, J. G.. DeVacht, M. Duport,

P. Bureau

December 16. The committee, after having been occupied

the entire day in receiving the claims of proprietors, have re-

solved to give new notice to those who have not yet presented

their claims to come to-morrow, in order to finish the work.

December 16. Resolved, That this plan shall hereafter be

placed before the eyes of the people as the only one which ap-

pears proper, in order to conciliate the different interests of the

proprietors considering the position of the different pieces of

land, in order that those persons who have few lots, and of

which the situation is not advantageous, be not overcharged.

 

 

PLAN.

The banks of the river and the commons not having been

surveyed, and never having been regarded as property, we have

thought it right that they be placed at a price proportioned to

their importance by reason of their position. Lots on the bank

of the river and of the square (Public Square), being a source

of wealth by reason of their position, we have thought that they

should be placed at a price higher than the others. The lots on

the banks of the river more remote have been placed at a price

lower than, the preceding, but higher than those which are re-

mote from the river. The lands which remain to be divided,

being for the greater part mountainous or hilly, have been, in

consequence, placed at a low price. Then follows the designa-

tion of the lots, and prices attached, after which the following

resolutions:

Resolved, For the public good, and for the interests of the

inhabitants, the streets and Public Square shall remain free,

without being closed on the bank of the river by any building,

or being sold.

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62        Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.  [VOL. 3

 

Resolved, That the public be notified to meet to-morrow to

receive the report of the work of the committee.

Resolved, That the banks of the river shall remain open,

facing each street, that lines shall be drawn in the direction of

the streets, without trespassing thereon.

Plans accepted, Etienne, sec.

December 17, Resolved, That the secretary be ordered by the

committee to go the house of DHebercourt, to request him to

declare if it is his intention to join himself with us for the ac-

quisition of our property, as his partner Dr. Petit has done; and

to say to him that the execution of the plan adopted by the in-

habitants requires a positive answer.  Etienne, sec.  Mr.

DHebercourt has replied that he is disposed to agree to the ac-

quisition of the lands of Gallipolis, paying for his property seven

shillings, six-pence per acre, and that he will not conform to the

plan adopted until he has taken such steps as he believes his

interests require. Etienne, sec.

Resolved, That Messrs. Berthelot and Duport, whom we

have appointed collectors, go to the houses of the inhabitants to

receive the sums set down on the list made between us, accord-

ing to the plan agreed on by the inhabitants, December 17th,

1795.

Resolved, That Mr. Duport is by us appointed cashier, and

in this capacity the money remain in his hands until the time of

payment for the lands.

December 19, 1795. According to the resolutions of the

committee on the 16th of this month, agreed to by the assembled

inhabitants, reserved lots near the square, divided into eighteen

equal portions, have been drawn by lot, in the presence of the

assembled inhabitants, and fell to Messrs. Vandenbemben,

Chandiver father, Chandiver son, Vonschriltz, Gervais, Ferrare,

jr., La Cour, Davoux, Villerain, Muqui, Quarleron, Michau,

Brunier, Bureau, Lafillard, child of Vonschriltz, sr., Francis

Valodin, and Pierre Richou.

Dec. 22d. By virtue of the resolution of the committee of

the 18th, Messrs. Marin, Duport and Mathieu Berthelot have en-

gaged in receiving the sums to be given by each proprietor,

which sums have amounted to £194 5s. 6d. in money, and orders

to Mr. Sproat for the appointment of spies, of which sum the

money amounted to £91 ³s. 2d.    Bills on different persons,

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  63

 

£203.  Orders of spies on current appointment, £553, which

sums form a total of £1042 2s. 8d.

Resolved, That Messrs. Mathieu, Berthelot, Roman Bu-

reau, and Marin   Duport, De Vacht, and Jean Le Tail-

leur, go to Marietta in the name of the committee of the

inhabitants of Gallipolis, to conclude with the Ohio Com-

pany the acquisition of the two squares (of land) indicated in

the plan which has been given us by the agents of the Ohio

Company.                              ETIENNE, Sec.

PARMENTIER.

Of the manner of life of the early settlers in Gallipolis, our

sources of information are meagre, but sufficient to give us a

tolerably accurate idea of the state of affairs. The French, like

other nations of Southern Europe, possess a cheerful disposi-

tion, but being also excitable, this is characterized very often by

extreme degrees of elation or depression. They have winning

manners and are warmly hospitable, and are remarkable for their

thrift and ingenuity. That these traits were marked among the

early settlers we think is proved by what has already been

said, as well as what we have learned from the early historian.

Quite a flood of light is thrown upon this branch of our

subject by the account given by John Heckewelder of his visit

to Gallipolis, in company with General Putnam, when making a

journey from the upper waters of the Ohio to the Wabash

River in the interest of the government in Indian affairs, in the

year 1792. He says: "We rode to the French settlement of

Gallipolis, situated on the north bank of the Ohio, between

three and four miles from the Kanawha. Here we spent the

whole of the following day in visiting the skilled workmen and

the gardens laid out in European style. The most interesting

shops of the workmen were those of goldsmiths and watch-

makers. They showed us work on watches, compasses and sun-

dials finer than any I had ever beheld. Next in interest were

the sculptors and stonecutters. These latter had two finished

mantels, most artistically carved. General Putnam at once pur-

chased one of them for twelve guineas, the other was intended

for a rich Dutch gentleman who has built a two-story house

here, fifty feet long. The upper part of a mantel was lying

there, ordered by a Spanish gentleman in New Orleans, which,

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because of the fine workmanship upon it, was to cost twenty or

twenty-two guineas. The worker in glass seemed to be a born

artist. He made us a thermometer, a barometer, a glass tobacco

pipe, a small bottle (which would contain about a thimble full),

and a most diminutive stopper, and a number of works of art

besides. He also manufactured precious medicine, nitric acid,

etc. As we were on a journey, and were in daily need of light

and fire, he presented us with a glass full of dry stuff, which

burns as soon as a match is applied. This stuff, he told us, was

manufactured from bones. Concerning the fine gardens, I must

add the following: that in them were to be found the most beau-

tiful flowers, artichokes, and almond trees, and besides many

vineyards and some rice fields. At a distance of about one hun-

dred steps from the Ohio, there is a round hill, which probably

dates its origin from the former inhabitants of this land, as also

the remarkable fortifications and buildings to be found in this

country. The hill, about thirty feet high, has been improved as

a beautiful pleasure garden, with a pretty summer house on top.

The town of Gallipolis consists of one hundred and fifty dwell-

ings. The inhabitants number between three and four hun-

dred. A detachment of from fifty to sixty men of the regular

army is stationed here for protection. Besides a few Virginia

spies or scouts are kept and paid by the government. The

militia are also willing to serve for remuneration. The Chicke-

mage Creek flows back of the town, and below it empties into

the Ohio. Fine boats are also manufactured in this town; our

vessel is one of them. At noon we dined with the most promi-

nent French gentleman of the place, at the home of the judge

and doctor, Mr. Petit."

On his return from Vincennes, on the Wabash, Mr. Hecke-

welder speaks of again stopping at Gallipolis, and alludes feel-

ingly to the troubles through which the people were passing,

owing to the complications in the matter of their land titles, a

very clear but concise account of which he gives, together with

the whole transaction with the agents of the Scioto Company.

From this it will be seen that our settlers were not people who

would remain inactive or slothful even when surrounded by

many and great difficulties, but worked faithfully to make their

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  65

 

new homes attractive, and their works have, through the years

which have since elapsed, borne testimony to their earnestness

of purpose.

A much fuller account of life among our settlers is given in

a work entitled "Recollections of Persons and Places in the

West," by H. M. Brackenridge. Mr. Brackenridge was born

at the village of Fort Pitt, on the site of what is now the

city of Pittsburg. At a very early age he was sent by

his father to the village of St. Genevieve in Louisiana for

the purpose of making him acquainted with the French lan-

guage. This distance of fifteen hundred miles, which lay be-

tween him and his home, was traveled by means of a flat boat.

After spending several years at the village of St. Genevieve, and

acquiring the language, he departed in company with a gentle-

man sent for him to return to Fort Pitt. On account of the in-

clemency of the weather to which he was exposed, owing to the

scanty accommodations afforded by the flat boat, as well perhaps

as climatic causes, he was taken quite sick with fever and ague

shortly after the arrival at Louisville, where, it seems that a stop

of some days was made. After the journey had been further

prosecuted, he grew no better, and on the arrival at Gallipolis

he was taken to a house in the village and left there. The

exact date of this is not given, but from the dates previously

mentioned it appears to have been some time previous to 1795.

The account of his sojourn here can best be given in his own

words:

"Behold me once more in port, and domiciliated at the

house or inn of Monsieur, or rather Doctor, Saugrain, a cheer-

ful, sprightly little Frenchman, four feet six, English measure,

and a chemist, natural philosopher, and physician, both in the

English and French signification of the word. I was delighted

with my present liberation from the irksome thralldom of the

canoe, and with the possession of the free use of my limbs.

After wrapping my blanket round me, which was my only bed-

ding, I threw myself into a corner for a couple of hours, during

the continuance of the fever and ague, and then rose up re-

freshed, with the lightness of spirits which I possessed in an

unusual degree. I ran out of the house and along the bank,

Vol. III-5

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66        Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.  [VOL. 3

 

where I met a boy about my own size. I laid hold of him in

mirth, but he, mistaking my vivacity, gave me a sound beating.

The next day the doctor tried his skill upon me, or rather upon

my ague, and pretty much on the plan of another celebrated

physician, whether on the principle of the solviente universal, I

do not so well know, but certain it is, he repeated the very

words recorded by Gil Bias: 'Bebe agua, hijo mio, bebe agua in

abundancia'- drink water, my son, drink plenty of water. But

the ague was not to be shaken off so easily; it still continued to

visit me daily, as usual, all that winter and part of the next

spring. I was but poorly clad, and was without hat or shoes,

but gradually became accustomed to do without them; like the

Indian, I might in time have become all face. My guardian left

no money, perhaps he had none to leave; Mr. Saugrain had none

to spare; besides as this was the period when the French Revo-

lution was at its height, sans culottism was popular with those

who favored the breaking up of social economy. Dr. Saugrain,

however, and many others in Gallipolis were not of that party;

they were royalists, who bitterly lamented the condition of their

native country. Gallipolis, with the exception of a few strag-

gling log houses, of which that of Dr. S. was one, consisted of

two long rows of barracks built of logs, and partitioned off into

rooms of sixteen or twenty feet wide, with what is called a cabin

roof and wooden chimneys. At one end there was a larger

room than the rest, which served as a council chamber and ball

room. This singular village was settled by people from Paris

and Lyons, chiefly artisans and artists, peculiarly unfitted to sit

down in the wilderness and clear away forests. Their former

employments had only been calculated to administer to the

luxury of high polished and wealthy societies. There were

carvers and guilders to the King, coach-makers, frizeurs and

peruke-makers, and a variety of others, who might have found

employment in our larger towns, but who were entirely out of

their place in the wilds of Ohio. Their means by this time had

been exhausted, and they were beginning to suffer from the

want of the comforts and even the necessaries of life. The

country back from the river was still a wilderness, and the Galli-

politans did not pretend to cultivate anything more than small

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  67

 

garden spots, depending for their supply of provisions on the

boats, which now began to descend the river; but they had to

pay in cash, and that was become scarce. They still assembled

at the ball room twice a week; it was evident, however, that

they felt disappointment, and were no longer happy. The pre-

dilections of the best of them being on the side of the Bourbons,

the horrors of the Revolution, even in their remote position,

mingled with their private misfortunes, which had, at this time,

nearly reached their acme, in consequence of the discovery that

they had no title to their lands, having been cruelly de-

ceived by those from   whom   they had purchased.   It is

well known that Congress generously made them a grant

of twenty thousand acres, from which, however, but few of

them derived any advantage. As the Ohio was now more fre-

quented, the house was occasionally resorted to, and especially

by persons looking out for land to purchase. The doctor had a

small apartment, which contained his chemical apparatus, and I

used to sit by him, as often as I could, watching the curious

operations of his blow-pipe and crucible. I loved the cheerful

little man, and he became very fond of me in turn. Many of

my countrymen used to come and stare at his doings, which

they were half inclined to think had too near a resemblance to

the black art. The doctor's little phosphoric matches ignited

spontaneously when the glass tube was broken, and from which

he derived some emolument, was thought by some to be rather

beyond mere human power. His barometers, and thermome-

ters, with the scale neatly painted with the pen, and the frames

richly carved, were objects of wonder, and some of them are

probably still extant in the West. But what astonished some of

our visitors was a large peach in a glass bottle, the neck of

which could only admit a common cork. This was accomplished

by tying the bottle to the limb of the tree, with the peach when

young inserted into it. His swans, which swam round basins

of water, amused me more than any of the wonders exhibited

by the wonderful man. The doctor was a great favorite with

the Americans, as well for his vivacity and sweetness of temper

which nothing could sour, as on account of a circumstance

which gave him high claims to the esteem of the backwoods-

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men. He had shown himself, notwithstanding his small stature

and great good nature, a very hero in combat with the Indians.

He had descended the Ohio, in company with two French phil-

osophers, who were believers in the primitive innocence of and

goodness of the children of the forest. They could not be per-

suaded that any danger was to be apprehended from the Indians;

as they had no intention to injure that people, they supposed,

of course, that no harm could be meditated on their part. Dr.

Saugrain was not altogether so well convinced of their good in-

tentions, and accordingly kept his pistols loaded. Near the

mouth of Big Sandy, a canoe with a party of warriors ap-

proached the boat; the philosophers invited them on board by

signs, when they came rather too willingly. The first thing

they did on entering the boat was to salute the two philosophers

with the tomahawk; and they would have treated the doctor in

the same way, but that he used his pistols with good effect;

killed two of the savages and then leaped into the water, diving

like a dipper at the flash of the guns of the others, and suc-

ceeded in swimming to the shore, with several severe wounds,

whose scars were conspicuous.

"The doctor was married to an amiable young woman, but

not possessing as much vivacity as himself. As Madame Sau-

grain had no maid to assist in household work, her brother, a

boy of my age, and myself, were her principal helps in the

kitchen. I used to go in the morning about two miles for a

little milk, sometimes on the frozen ground, barefoot. I tried a

pair of sabots, or wooden shoes, but was unable to make any

use of them, although they had been made by the carver to the

king."

Speaking of his other occupations, Mr. Brackenridge says:

"In the spring and summer a good deal of my time was passed

in the garden weeding the beds. It was while thus engaged

that he formed an association which is interesting, as it bears

somewhat on the future history of Gallipolis. He formed the

acquaintance," he says, "of a young lady of eighteen or twenty,

on the other side of the palings," who was often occupied as he

was. "Our friendship," says he, "which was purely Platonic,

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The French Settlement aud Settlers of Gallipolis.  69

 

commenced with the story of Blue Beard, recounted by her, and

with the novelty and pathos of which I was much interested.

"Connected with this young lady there is an incident which

I feel pleasure in relating. One day while standing alone on the

bank of the river, I saw a man who had gone in to bathe and had

got beyond his depth without being able to swim. He began to

struggle for life, and in a few seconds would have sunk to rise

no more. I shot down the bank like an arrow, leaped into a

canoe, which, fortunately, happened to be close by, pushed the

end of it to him, and as he rose, perhaps for the last time, he

seized it with a deadly, convulsive grasp, and held so firmly that

the skin afterward came off the parts of his arms which pressed

against the wood. I screamed for help; several persons came

and took him out perfectly insensible.  He afterward mar-

ried the young lady, and they raised a numerous and re-

spectable family. One of his daughters married a young law-

yer, who now represents that district in Congress. Thus at

eight years of age I earned the civic crown by saving the life of a

human being. I say this incident is interesting, and you will

agree with me when I tell you the young lawyer referred to was

Hon. Samuel F. Vinton, whom we recognize as one of the

prominent figures, both in our State and Nation.

"Continuing his narrative in reference to the life in Galli-

polis at that time, Mr. Brackenridge says that toward the latter

part of the summer, the inhabitants suffered severely from sick-

ness and want of provisions. The situation was truly wretched.

The swamps in the rear, now exposed by the clearing between it

and the river, became the cause of a frightful epidemic from

which few escaped, and many became its victims. He, himself,

had recovered from the ague, and was among the few exempted

from the disease; but the family with whom he lived, as well as

the rest, suffered much from absolute hunger. To show the

extremity of the distress, he says that on one occasion, the

brother of Madame Saugrain and himself pushed a light canoe

to an island above the town where they pulled some corn and

took it to a flouring mill, and excepting some of the raw grains,

they had had nothing to eat since the day before, until they

carried home the mela and made some bread, but had neither

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milk nor meat. "I have learned," said he, "to be thankful

when I had a sufficiency of wholesome food, however plain, and

was blessed with health; and I could put up with humble fare

without a murmur, although accustomed to luxuries, when

I have seen those, who had never experienced absolute starva-

tion, turn up their noses at that which was very little worse-

than the best they have ever known, such are the uses of

adversity?"

It has not been our privilege to learn the internal state

of affairs in the colony during the years which immediately

succeeded this interesting narrative, but from what can be

learned through old inhabitants, some of whom were acquainted

with the early colonists, and most of whom have gone to their

reward, we feel assured that the thrift and enterprise of these-

early days was but an index of what was to come after. After

the colonists had been safely established in their new homes, and

knew that in the future they would be free from the harassing.

influence of litigation in consequence of defective land titles,

and had learned some of the secrets of border life, insomuch

that the prospective attacks from the Indians lost much of their

terror, being better acquainted as they were with the modes of

defence, their minds being less harassed, they were the better

able to enter heartily in the work which was before them, of

making the wilderness blossom as the rose.

We are persuaded that these years, which represented the

lull after the storm, were years of peace and contentment, and

consequently could, in after years, be regarded by those who

passed through them with pleasant remembrance. We are often

told that the good works which live after the performers have

gone, are the most powerful witnesses as to their faithfulness,

inasmuch as they not only benefit their day and generation, but

bespeak the earnestness of purpose, as well the kindly dispo-

position of the performers.

There are not many institutions among us which were

identified with the far off time indicated by our subject, but

there are those which indirectly sprung from the efforts of that

time and in which the characters and desires of the citizens are

so clearly portrayed, that we are forced to acknowledge that they

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  71

 

being dead yet speak. The influence of the French settlers has

been felt through the many intervening years, and though our

town has changed its population to a great degree, and American

blood is flowing in the veins of many of our people, we cannot

but think that the happy disposition of La Belle France is ever

cropping out, and the pleasure-loving hearts of long ago are

calling to us across the ages, and that the name Gallipolis is still

appropriate when applied to our town, for in love, sympathy,

and gratitude, as well as by the nearer ties of blood, we are the

inhabitants of the city of the French.

Among the institutions which bring us into a close relation-

ship with the earlier years of our town's history, there is

one which we feel illustrates, to a certain degree, what has

been said in regard to the works of its early inhabitants.

A time honored and much appreciated institution we con-

sider in the Gallia Academy. True it is, that this was not

founded until about twenty years after the settlers arrived

here, but the names of those who inaugurated it as an

Educational medium are to be found among those who braved

the difficulties identified with the settlement. This is among

the oldest institutions of learning in the State, and at it

"not only nearly all of the older residents of Gallipolis

and Gallia county received their education, but many who

afterward became men of great prominence, throughout the

country, here took the first step in learning which led them on

to fame."

A short account of its organization may not be inappro-

priate in this connection. A meeting was held February 8,

1810, for the purpose of taking into consideration the ex-

pediency of erecting in Gallipolis, an institution to be appro-

priated to the instruction of the youth, and such other purposes

as may be deemed of public utility. Robert Saffort was chosen

chairman and Nathaniel Gates secretary. A series of resolu-

tions, embodying these principles, was passed at this meeting,

and a subscription started which was circulated with satisfactory

results. Among the subscribers are to be noted the names of

some of the oldest and most honored citizens, many of whom

are to be seen among the lot holders of Gallipolis of colonial

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days. In due time, a lot was purchased, and a commodious

building erected thereon, and the work of refining the mind, by

means of education, received an impetus which showed that the

builders of the Gallia Academy had done wisely and well.

From its portals have passed many who, as we say, have won

for themselves fame in after years; men whom the country de-

lighted to honor, as well as those, who, in the more quiet walks

of life, have met the requirements of good and upright citizen-

ship, and who were representatives of that class which compose

the rank and file of those who labored for the sure and steady

advancement of our country, and which has made it the grand-

est the sun shines upon. This venerable institution, could it

speak, could bear greater testimony to the admirable traits of

our forefathers than any ever yet recorded by the pen of the

historian.

As we pause in the spirit of meditation over the shifting

scenes which rise before us in a consideration of the early ages

of the French colony here, as well as the intervening years

which separate us from that distant date, we can find food for

much instructive thought, and we draw our lessons principally

from those who witnessed the early dawn of civilization in this

then far away Western wilderness.

The first trait of character which claims our admiration

was the earnestness of purpose which marked the lives of the

pioneers.  'Tis true, as we have shown, everything seemed

bright and promising when, in accordance with the representa-

tions of the land agents, they resolved to cast their lots in the

new and attractive land across the seas, but when subsequent

events changed the rosy dreams to a dark reality, and they

realized that they must face life in its most responsible and for-

bidding aspects, it required the strongest natures to remain un-

moved. No wonder it is that our record tells us that some of

them were not equal to the emergency, and went to seek satis-

faction in life in more congenial atmospheres, some finding it in

the populous sections of our own country; and some, acknowl-

edging themselves completely defeated, returned to France.

With the principal part of them, however, it was otherwise.

They had not left home and old associations, and come to this

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distant land to fail. Although they had been grievously disap-

pointed, they would accomplish that which they came to per-

form, a home where they would be unmolested by political

storms or persecution. The mountains were high, the valleys

deep, and the distance great which separated them from the

homes of their adoption, but nothing was impossible in the face

of that earnestness, which marked their progress. This disposi-

tion is the material of which heroes are made. The biographies

of the good, the true, and the powerful tell us of exactly the

same spirit as this, and which was the medium by which success

crowned their efforts, and the world greatly was blessed.

Every inventor has to face the difficulties arising from an

incredulous world. Every discoverer has to encounter opposi-

tion which would make those who are less determined quail and

desist. Every person who embarks upon an undertaking which

has as its object the upbuilding of truth has to run the gauntlet,

so to speak, of the furious opposition such as the powers of

darkness only can command. Yet all of these workers, as their

titles indicate, have been successful, nothing has baffled them,

because they made up their minds to succeed, and succeed they

did, not merely to their own satisfaction but to that of their fel-

low beings, who have been benefited by their efforts.

It was no idle sentiment which prompted them to action,

but an inborn determination founded upon a deep-set principle

that " whatever is worth doing is worth doing well." Whenever

such a spirit animates man, we know that there is no such word

as failure in his vocabulary. This feature in man's character

has made him the truly wonderful being that he has proved him-

self, and were it omitted, the history of the human race, instead

of being as it is now, one of the most absorbingly interesting

subjects which could claim the attention of the thinking mind,

would not be worth the reading, and man who was made as the

Bible tells us, but little lower than the angels, and crowned with

glory and " honor," would long since have fallen from his high

estate, and his life be as devoid of interest as that of the

beasts that perish. This is but reasonable, for it indicates that

when man is in earnest in what he does, his heart is given to his

work. How marked is this, we say, among the great ones of

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our world. Think of such a man as Napoleon Bonaparte, when

he was entering upon a great campaign, which would involve

the destinies of Europe. Could the thoughtful one have been

able to read his mind at such a momentous time, what mighty

plans and calculations would be these; what wonderful lines of

battle, what anticipative thoughts when through the mists of the

future he could see success and glory; or take one nearer home,

General Washington, so appropriately known as the Father of

his Country. Think what daring plans he must have formulated,

by which he expected to be borne to success. He, who, with a

small army of half-fed and half-clothed men, dared to stand up

before the mightiest nation of the world and defy it. We might,

if we were privileged to read his thoughts, see some such words

as these: " My country must and shall be free, and my hand

shall be the instrument to give her great assistance."  The

horrors of cold winter and starvation were not sufficient to cause

him to desist in what many of his contemporaries, no doubt,

considered a mad venture, for he made up his mind to succeed,

and saw no such probability as defeat in his pathway.

We might take examples from other departments of work,

and read the thoughts of a great writer, who, by his pen, has

resolved to make the world better, and as his after- works testify

they bear the stamp of earnestness, yes and such earnestness as

will unquestionably bear the stamp of Divine approval. The

great feature of this earnestness, is the utter absence from the

mind of anything which savors of failure. That is not antici-

pated as a possible contingency, and it rarely comes. Do you

think that any of those just mentioned anticipated failure when

they gave their hearts to the work? Not only are we convinced

to the contrary, but it is our firm conviction that if such had

been the case the downfalls of most of them would now be

among the many wrecks which strew the sands of time. Look-

ing, therefore, at our French colonists in this light, we see them

in their true grandeur of character as we perhaps have never

viewed them before.  Instead of the weary and disheartened

band, worn out with the cares and discouragements of the hour,

and ready to faint by the way-side, we see the fire of determina-

tion kindled by deep-set earnestness flash from their eyes. The

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  75

 

little rows of rough cabins in the forest, the back-ground of

seemingly impenetrable wilds, and before them the winding

river, which, to many, would, seem to be murmuring the fare-

wells to departed hopes, but represent to them the life which is

before them, and the grand medium through which they shall

attain success, so that at the conclusion of their mortal exist-

ence, it shall be said of them what we emphatically say to-day:

"They lived not in vain."

The early history of our country is ever presenting scenes

such as these, and how often are we constrained to go back

through the past years and sympathize with our forefathers, and

consider that our lines have, as compared with theirs, "fallen

in pleasant places;" but yet there are other thoughts in this con-

nection that should fill the mind. In consideration of the work

which was given these and its mighty significance, as it bore

upon the events of the future, and the earnestness of purpose

with which it was prosecuted, and its great aim accomplished,

were not their blessings which arise from the fact that they were

the promoters of such a mighty work, as great, yes far greater

than those benefits which accrue to many now-a-days? It were

a privilege, indeed, to live as they lived, and to be moved as they

to do with all their might that which their hands found to do, in

laying the foundation for future success in a great land.

Another trait of character which was the natural out-

come of that just considered, and which shone brightly

among our colonists, was bravery.   As we have remarked

they had much to tax their patience, and many things from

which human nature would shrink in fear and trembling, but

if fear entered their hearts it was promptly banished. The

blood which flowed in their veins was near akin to that which

flowed in the veins of those heroes, whose warlike valor, soon

after our town was settled, filled the minds of the all-great peo-

ple with wonder and admiration. These people showed by their

lives that there was a strong bond of union between them and

such men as the great Napoleon, the hero of France, and of

those fearless and determined men who followed him through

the smoke and carnage of his many battles to victory and re-

nown. We know how invaluable this virtue of bravery is as an

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element of character. Faint hearts and wavering actions are

not such as characterize true men, and only the true man is the

successful man. We have not with the meagre resources at our

command, been able to recount many of their deeds which bear

upon this point, but, from those recited and personal associations

with their descendants, we feel at liberty to pay them this trib-

ute, and after the lapse of a hundred years, such convictions of

their true worth, in this respect, come to us as to make their

memory grateful to us, who are reaping the fruits of what they

planted.

There is one trait of character, however, which we feel con-

strained to emphasize, and which was peculiarly apparent among

them. This bears a close relationship, in its turn, to those just

considered. It was the love of country that actuated them,

whether that country was in the sunny fields and populous cities

of beautiful France, or among the wilds of Ohio. Wherever

their home was, there was also their heart. This love of coun-

try, too, is a virtue indispensable with true people. There is no

more unfavorable sign in an individual or community of people

than that of a rebellious spirit toward their government, unless,

of course, such is thoroughly corrupt, and deserves the censure

they are so willing to bestow. When in our reading we see his-

tories of those, who cheerfully left all the dearest objects of life,

to take up arms in defense of the land they love, our hearts are

filled in a manner inexpressible by the grandeur of character

manifested. In the fierce battle which was waged in the siege

of Quebec, the world witnessed a double tragedy, and yet scenes

of grandeur in the deaths of the two leaders of the opposing

forces. General Wolfe, the English general, being mortally

wounded, as his eyes were about to close upon this world for-

ever, being told that victory had perched upon his country's

banner, said: "I die happy." The Marquis De Montcalm,

who commanded the French defensive force, and who was also

wounded unto death, expressed himself as glad to die in that he

would not be obliged to see Quebec surrendered. Those were

brave expressions, and-the men who uttered them were great

men; gallant sons of worthy lands, for a land must be worthy

which has such representatives. The love of country is a fixed

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principle in the minds of those who love great things, and to the

true man his country can make no unreasonable request when

she calls upon him to defend her from her enemies, and make

her name to be glorious in this great world.

There is an old and familiar Latin maxim, which stirs within

us those feelings which are of an ennobling character; it is dulce

et decorum est pro patria mori- it is sweet and honorable to die

for one's country. There is also a great principle embodied in

another somewhat similar to it, and which is: 'tis sweet and

honorable to live for one's country. To die for a principle, indi-

cates that having been brought to a stop, as it were, in the dis-

charge of our duties for it, on account of the difficulties which

would impede our progress in our careers of duty, we give our

lives to the cause of surmounting those difficulties. It is there-

fore the bright ending of a conscientious course; an ending pro-

duced because it is beyond our power to do more. To live for

one's native land, or the land of one's adoption, however, indi-

cates a determination to use every opportunity for its advance-

ment; to face the future with that bravery characteristic of a

noble nature, and acknowledge no difficulty of sufficient moment

to baffle you in what you know to be right.

In the case of dying for one's country, the work is finished,

and, like the bright sunset, the grand life closes in this world.

When we live for our country, the work is about us, the oppor-

tunities thicken around us; our hands are the instruments that

can do it, and the responsibilities of our position are great.

One point in this connection needs to be emphasized, that

unless we live for our country, the chances are not very favor-

able for our dying for it. There are, perhaps, instances in which

men died for the love of country without having given their

lives to the same cause, but such instances are extremely rare.

Now, we love the memory of our early settlers, because they

both lived and died for this, the home of their adoption. We

would dwell particularly on the former of these, as we believe

you will think it meet and proper in view of the life of privation

which marked the first years of the history of Gallipolis, and to

which we have called your attention.

'Tis not natural to suppose that when they came from their

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far-away habitations, and met with the discouraging reception in

America, that they should love the latter place; and the idea that

it was to furnish them their future homes, must at first have been

even repugnant to them, but after having cast their lots here,

and witnessed the returns of their self-denying labors, they began

to love this rough land, and as the years passed away, and home

ties were formed, that love increased and strengthened, until they

became thoroughly domiciled, and then the hearts, which had

once yearned for the beauties and attractions of La Belle France,

awakened, as it were, to the consciousness that their France was

with them.

It is home where the heart is, and their hearts were not

across the seas, but here on the banks of the beautiful river.

They lived, I say, for this home; all of their refined tastes were

called into requisition to make it beautiful. A reference to this

fact, we have already seen in the interesting narrative of Mr.

Heckewelder. In after years, however, we have cause to know

that what he saw in those pioneer days was but an indication of

what would be. The expression, "the wilderness blossoms like

the rose," which we have used, was most appropriate, concerning

the results of their labors, for the wild bluff on the river side be-

came in due time the site of a fair town, inhabited by useful and

contented people.

The town was honored by visits of two distinguished visitors

in its early days. In 1824, General Lafayette, who had assisted

our land so materially in former years, made Gallipolis a visit,

and we cannot but believe that when he left, he was convinced

that his countrymen had proved true to their nature in upholding

the interest of their homes and governments wherever they

might be. Louis Philippe, (then the exiled Duke of Orleans),

stopped here once on his way to New Orleans, and his homeless

feeling and longing after the joys of native land must have been

intensified when he witnessed the thrifty contentment of these,

his brothers, in the home of their choice.

Thus they lived, and thus they died, and when we consider

that death was the culmination of lives given to their country,

we feel additional gratitude for their memory, and should be in-

spired to renewed endeavors in furthering the interests of our

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town and county. We would do honor to their memory, we

would in sacred thought, traverse the years which separate us

from them, and we would thank them for this example which

they have bequeathed to us and the many others who have and

will come after them, being filled with the conviction that the

love of home and country, such as was exemplified in them is one

of the great secrets of a successful community.

Another instructive point presents itself for consideration as

a closing thought, in connection with the work which they did,

and should commend itself to us, as do all of the others hitherto

mentioned: The thorough character of the undertaking upon

which they engaged and which they perfected. There is only

one way in which a thing can be done right, and that is by

beginning at the very root of the matter. We must find a good

foundation upon which to build, and then make our edifice of

the strong and abiding materials. The Bible tells of two men

who built houses, one with a good foundation and one with an

indifferent one.  The rain descended and the floods came, and

the winds blew, and beat upon the former and it fell not, for it

was founded upon a rock," while the same forces acting upon

the latter caused its ruin.  "It fell, and great was the fall

thereof."  The same principle applies in every undertaking,

whether it is great or seemingly insignificant, and we feel certain,

from what history tells of the past, and what we see about us,

that our settlers were moved by it in the performance of their

duties here. the reasons why we feel certain of this are to be

seen in the development of our town during the years which

made up the century, and the result of the works of the hundred

years. The improvements at first were not rapid, as might natur-

ally be supposed in view of the difficulties of the settler, but the

flying years brought wonderful changes.

Let us hear what Mr. Brackenridge has to say in regard to

the town as he saw it in after years: "As we passed Point Pleas-

ant, and the little island below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for

with anxious feelings, hove in sight. I thought of the French

inhabitants-I thought of my friend Saugrain, and I recalled in

the liveliest colors the incidents of that portion of my life which

was passed here. A year is a long period of time; every day is

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crowded with new and striking events. I hastened to the spot

where I expected to find the abode (of Dr. Saugrain), the little

log house, tavern, laboratory and garden of the Doctor-but

they had vanished like the palace of Aladdin. I took a hasty

glance at the new town as I returned to the boat. I saw brick

houses, painted frames, fanciful enclosures, ornamental trees!

Even the pond, which had carried away a third of the French

population by its malaria, had disappeared, and a pretty green

had usurped its place, with a neat brick Court House in the

midst of it."

Looking at the place to-day, we see a substantial and pros-

perous town. True, there are many in our great State which

are much larger, and regarded by outsiders as far more im-

portant; but the basis upon which we stand as a town, is a firm

and solid one, which showed that its beginning was marked by

faithful efforts. We would remark, however, and we do so with

sadness of heart, that the French population of Gallipolis de-

creased with rapidity during the years which marked its early

history, and it was American hands which prosecuted the work

here for many years, and made our town more successful, as was

evidenced by its different stages of prosperous development.

Mr. Brackenridge, in his description of the second visit to Galli-

polis, expresses great disappointment that the French were

nearly all gone. We cannot forget, however, that it was the

French hands that laid the foundation, and the French mind

which planned the building in its earliest stages, so that to the

French rather than to the American is due the prosperity of

after years.

Memories of the past are freighted with their lessons, and

filled with joys and sorrows. It is pleasant to recall the events

which have passed away, on account of the many pleasant char-

acters with which they bring us into close association. The very

difficulties which were encountered by the pioneers have a

charm for us, as we view them by the light of a hundred years.

When soldiers have passed through the wars successfully, or

sailors have endured the perils of the sea, it is a peculiar joy to

them to sit by some bright fireside and go over their perilous

adventures with one another, and the greater the dangers that

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The French Settlement and Settlers of Gallipolis.  81   once were, and the more trying the sufferings, the greater pleas- ure they appear to derive from their naratives. Thus when our town looks back over her history and beholds what she was, and what she might have been but for the brave and determined efforts of her faithful inhabitants, there is a peculiar charm at- tached even to her hardships, inasmuch as she knows that they were successfully faced. Thankful are we for the works done for us by those of the century gone, and we can utter no more fervent wish than that our memory may be as sacred to those who shall stand upon this ground, when the morning of another hundred years shall dawn upon Gallipolis. JOHN L. VANCE.

Vol. III-6

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