From: "C.P. Coaches" <CPCoaches(a)xc.org>
To: <ewandert(a)home.com>
Subject: Dominique Rousseau I, father of K County's First Citizen
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 16:30:12 -0700
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
Importance: Normal
The Rousseau/Cook riddle has been solved. I found the answer right here in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, local library in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol.
VI (1821 - 1825). There are five pages on Dominique. It is extremely
interesting!
His parents are Louis-Alexandre Rousseau, dit Beausoleil, (b. abt 1709
France),a merchant, and his second wife,
Marie-Joseph Chabot (b. Nov. 16, 1730). Marie-Joseph Cabot was from St.
Joachim.
Dominque Rousseau-Beausoleil was born November 9, 1755 at Quebec City and
died Feb. 25, 1825 following a stroke, in Montreal. Dom was a silversmith,
fur trader, businessman, agricultural producer, potash manufacturer,
landowner of large holdings, and ultimately a major in the militia. He was
known all the way from Michilimackinac south to St. Louis, Missouri. He was
very wealthy!
Dom's siblings were:
Marie Francoise Rousseau-Beausoleil (b. Sept. 8, 1751),
Marie Josephe (b. Oct. 6, 1752),
Pierre (b. Dec. 15, 1753),
Joseph (b. Jan. 12, 1759),
Joseph Alexandre (b. Apr. 17, 1763), and
Marie-Therese (b. Oct. 24, 1764).
Dom married Charlotte Foureur (aka Fourreur) dit Champagne at Notre Dame in
Montreal on Jan. 30, 1776. They had 6 children, and all except one boy,
named Theodore, only lived a brief time. I do not know if Theodore died
young or not. I have not heard anything further about him. I tend to think
that he, too, died at a young age. Dom and Char's last child was born in
1788. It is not clear when Dom and Char stopped living together.
Charlotte adopted two girls and raised them. Much of the above birth, death
and marriage details may be found at
www.genealogie.umontreal.ca. There is a
charge for it, but it is minimal.
And now for the scandalous part. I will quote from the above-noted
dictionary: "A biographical account of Rousseau would be incomplete without
mention of his unusual marital situation. His relations with Charlotte
Foureur remain unclear. He did not live with her over a long period because
he had a regular female companion, Jean Cook, with whom in the years 1796 -
1811 he had five children, all unacknowledged publicly for a while. From
1803 Rousseau recognized them, gave them his name, and made them his heirs
and their mother his usufructuary. Thereafter they lived in the faubourg
Sainte-Marie, near Rousseau's other properties."....."Rousseau's desire
to
bequeath his property to his illegitimate children became a veritable
obsession." ..... "Rousseau and his wife conjointly gave two properties to
the five children, and to their mother as usufructuary. Nevertheless, after
her husband's death Charlotte Foureur frustrated his wishes in part, by
exercising the rights and covenants consented to in her marriage contract."
His five children with Jean/JaneCook (not stated in the dictionary as Jane,
but as Jean) were:
Dominique Rousseau (no more Beausoleil), who settled, was a pioneer, and
large landowner in Kosciusko County, IN.
Augustin, who settled at Green Bay, Wisconsin;
Charles, of St. Joseph Island, Penetanguishene, and Montreal;
Jean-Baptiste of St. Joseph Island, Ontario; and
William, who apparently returned from St. Joe to Montreal,and it is believed
died in a ship wreck on the way to
France. I doubt that we will ever be able to get actual birth dates for the
five boys due to their illegitimate
status. I am not sure in what order they were born. I know that J-B stated
his age in a Census that caused me to assume
his birth was in 1795, but perhaps it was 1796.
Hope this is helpful. Regards, Sandra Boyd [mailto:boydwilliam@qwest.net]