First Bible in Minnesota

An article appeared in a Winona MN newspaper during the Minnesota Centennial crediting Joseph Renville, my 3d great grandfather, with introducing the first Bible into Minnesota in the early 1820s.  It is said he imported the book from France.  While he could not read the book, he spoke fluent French as well as his native Dakotah language (language of the Sioux).  At the mission he established at Lac Qui Parle, the missionaries would read the book to him in French and he would repeat their words in the Dakotah language.  It was in this way that the Bible was first translated into the language of the Sioux.  The story goes that it took several years to complete the translation of all the books of the Bible.  Additionally, Joseph Renville translated several hymns popular at that time into the language of the Sioux and is credited with writing several hymns himself.  It is unfortunate that an accident at the mission caused a fire which destroyed that first Minnesota Bible.

The mission established by Joseph Renville at his fur trading post can be visited in Lac Qui Parle State Park near Montevideo, Minnesota.  Although the stockade and buildings of the fur trading post are no longer there, an historic marker marks the spot where it was placed next to the lake.

Joe Rolette

Most everyone who has read about Minnesota history has seen a story about how Joe Rolette was responsible for the state capital remaining in St. Paul when Minnesota became a state. Usually, the story tells about this jolly half-breed from Pembina who stole the bill when the territorial legislature passed it and held it hostage until it could no longer be signed to make it law. This simple telling of the story is misleading about the actual facts of that incident in our history, largely because of differing political reasons for telling it in that way.

Lost in the short explanations is the description of the racial demographics of that time and place. Pembina County, represented by Joe Rolette, had a population majority which was made up of people involved in the fur trade. These were mostly Indian or mixed blood French-Indian people, often called Metis. The same was true of much of the Northern part of the territory. A major discussion among politicians of the day involved around questions about who should be allowed to vote, with European settlers doubting that those non-whites were civilized enough to be allowed to participate in elections.

Joe Rolette was a well educated, wealthy, young man who came from Wisconsin to Pembina to open a fur trading post. He was a generous and well-liked person in that community. Although not a Metis himself, his ties to that group were largely derived from his marriage to Angelique Jerome, sister of Andre Jerome, who was of mixed Cree Indian and French ancestry. He championed the cause of these people and represented them well in the territorial legislature. Together they raised eleven children.

A number of legislators preferred the future state of Minnesota should have its northern border much further South than where it ended up and to have its capital near the center of that area in St. Peter. They arranged speculative land purchases there in order to obtain some benefits from the relocation of the state capital. The governor, who wanted to sign the bill, was among those speculators who would benefit. However, the state borders ended up quite differently, but the bill to move the capital was passed. In his role as the legislative committee chairman who was charged with the responsibility to certify the validity of the bill which had to be signed, Joe Rolette legally had the bill in his possession. Some historians believe there were technical problems with the writing of the bill. Others claim that Rolette simply did not believe it wise to move the capital from its St. Paul location. Whatever the reason, he withheld the bill from being presented for signature until past the deadline to make it law.

This action by Rolette made him a hero to the people in St. Paul. A prominant artist of the day painted a portait of Rolette in typical Metis dress which was hung in the State Capital for many years. This portrayal provides some emphasis for the well-circulated but misleading story of this famous incident. Historians have written about how this well-educated, wealthy trader would present himself to the St. Paul society in expensive tailored clothing obtained when he was in St. Paul on business. It should be noted that Joe Rolette was involved with Norman Kittson in establishing the train of Red River carts that provided the transportation of the fur trade products from the Red River Valley of the North to the growing business center at St. Paul. That transportation system ended with the building of the Great Northern Railway.

An interesting fact of North Dakota history is that Joe Rolette was the first person to file a homestead in North Dakota for property at Pembina. He made the first transfer of property by deed in North Dakota to James J. Hill, builder of the Great Northern Railway, for the purpose of building warehouses. He also donated the property on which the Assumption Catholic Church was built in Pembina.

Some of this background is described in an article published by the Minnesota Historical Society in The Power of Whiteness; Bruce M. White.

Jerome Family Group -- Join Us

A Jerome Family group has been established as a networking tool for descendants of Andre Jerome at the Kittson County Historical Society's site. It is appropriate for it to be located there because of the importance of that family to the history of Kittson County, Minnesota. All Jeromes and their descendants are invited to join and participate in the commentary between 'cousins'. The Jerome Family page can be reached at http://kittsonhistorian.ning.com/group/jeromefamily. There are 14 members who now contribute to the conversations.

William Hemmings Cook, 1766 - 1846

William Hemmings Cook(1) was my gr-gr-gr-grandfather, on the family side we normally think of as the French side. However, he was from England, an officer of the Hudson Bay Company and later one of the patriarchs of the Red River Settlement (the area now Winnipeg). My grandmother, Eliza Renville Jerome was his granddaughter.

When the Hudson Bay Company established their trading posts, they had a rule that their employees should not be married. That was probably to help keep their expenses down. But the officers of the posts disregarded the rule and eventually so did the lower level workers.

One report says: "Prominent HBC officers who practiced polygamy included James Isham, Joseph Isbister, Robert Pilgrim, Moses Norton, Matthew Cocking, and William Hemmings Cook."(2)

He had at least three wives, perhaps four, according to records in the Hudson Bay Archives and other historical documents. It appears that his wives were Cree or Assiniboine Indian women.

The practice of polygamy began to decline as the 1800s neared, and following the merger of the Hudson Bay company and the North West Company marriage contracts became the general rule.

I found it interesting to note that among the family and descendants of William Hemmings Cook are a number of people who were prominent in the work of the Anglican church in Manitoba. His granddaughter, Sarah Sally Cook was the wife of James Settee, the second native ordained as an Anglican priest. She had two brothers in the ministry and another a missionary teacher. This was during a period when there was unusual growth in the acceptance of the faith in that area.

This is just part of his story.

(1) COOK, WILLIAM HEMMINGS, fur trader, settler, and politician


(2)Femmes du Pays: Women of the Fur Trade, 1774-1821, by A. Gottfred

Jean Francois Jerome Beaume Leblanc Latour

(Capitaine de la Compagnie de Sieur Du Francois Verrier)

(Francois Jerome arrived in Quebec from France about 1698. He was the first of our Jerome family ancestors to arrive in North America. This article, received from Sarrah Brown, explains that he was also known as Jean Francois Jerome Beaume Leblanc Latour and is also an ancestor common to families who use the surname Latour.)

Jean Francois Jerome Beaume Leblanc Latour was born about 1675 at St. Pierre, Medreac, St.-Malo, Bretagne (Brittany), France. the son of Jean Jerome Beaume Leblanc (b. 1650) and Jeanne Bougau (b. abt 1655). The parents of Jean Francois were also born at that ancient Brittany village.

The exact date of Jean Francois’ arrival in New France is not known at this time. Unlike our Cote, Lefebvre and Gagnon ancestors however, it is known that he arrived as a soldier in the Le Verrier French Regiment probably about 1695. Jean Francois first appears in Quebec parish church records as a witness at the wedding of fellow soldier, Noel Legault Deslauriers, on November 18, 1698 at Montreal. His occupation on the document is listed as: Soldat de la Compagnie, De m. Le Verrier. On March 14, 1701, Jean Francois is again a witness to the wedding of a fellow soldier, Jacques Theoret Lariviere, at Lachine Quebec. The Governor General of New France also attended and was a witness to this marriage as was the Commanding Officer of Francois’ regiment, Francois Leverrier. Between 1703 and 1705, Jean Francois is godfather and/or witness at three baptisms at Montreal. His Commanding Officer, Francois Leverrier, had been, in France, a Musketeer in service to the King of France prior to his being dispatched to New France as Commander of a Compagnie of Soldiers and still in the service of the King of France.

At the age of thirty, Jean Francois himself was married at Notre Dame, Montreal, on the 3rd day of November, 1705. His bride, Marie Angelique Dardenne was born the 19th of May, 1682 at Repentigny, Quebec, the daughter of Rene De’Ardeyne (Abt 1630-1710) and Marie Francoise Barbery (Abt 1650 – 1725). Present at the ceremony were several “Marchand, Bourgeois” (fur traders/merchants) as well as several of Jean Francois’ fellow soldiers of the “Compagnie de Sieur Du Verrier”. The bride’s father, Rene Dardenne and her brother Toussaint were also present.

Marie Angelique’s birthplace of Repentigny, at that time, was a tiny off-island agricultural community north of Montreal. La Rochelle, France, the birthplace of Marie Angelique’s father, was a seaport of Western France, on the Bay of Biscay. Marie’s mother was born at St. Germain, Paris.

By 1704, Jean Francois was Sergent dans les Troupes de la compagnie de Francois LeVerrier. The parents of Francois’ wife, Marie Angelique Dardenne, considering the tiny farming community where their daughter was born, may have arrived in New France as peasants. However, both Jean Francois as well as his wife Angelique were literate as they were “declared being able to sign” on their marriage certificate which casts considerable doubt on Angelique’s parents arriving in New France as peasants.

Following their marriage, Francois and Marie Angelique made their home in Montreal and the first eight of their twelve children were born at that city. Commencing about 1721, the remaining four children were born at St. Laurent. At some point following his marriage, Jean Francois was promoted to Capitaine in his regiment.

Jean Francois died at the age of eighty on April 19, 1744 at St. Laurent. Marie Angelique died on May 19, 1745 also at St. Laurent, just thirteen months following the death of her husband.

Children of Jean Francois Jerome Beaume Leblanc Latour
and Marie Angelique Dardenne

Francois Jerome born August 26, 1706 at Montreal. Francois married Marie Deniau Ditailly, daughter of Denau Ditailly and Marie Jean Adhemar St. Martin on October 12, 1733 at Montreal PQ. They had eight children at least three of whom died in infancy or in early childhood. During the French Regime, Francois was the earliest voyageur and trader from Quebec in the North West. He also traded under the British Regime. I believe it was Francois’ direct descendent Andrei Jerome who was arrested and tried following the infamous Finian Raid at the Hudson Bay Company Post at Red River in 1871 (see “Manitoba Raid” below).

Marie Angelique (twin sister to Charles) was born April 16, 1708 at Montreal; she died May 8, 1708.

Charles (twin brother to Marie Angelique) was born April 16, 1708 at Montreal; he died on June 21, 1709.

Marie Anne Angelique was born November 29, 1710 at Montreal. On November 7, 1729 at St. Laurent, Marie Anne married Paul Rapideau Lamer, the son of Jean Baptiste Rapideau dit Lamer and Francoise Fluery. they had fourteen children many of whom died in infancy or childhood; Marie Anne died December 28, 1786.

Nicolas Charles was born August 30, 1712 at Montreal. On January 11, 1740 at St. Laurent, Nicholas married Marie Jeanne Aubry Tecle Corneille, the daughter of Francois Aubry Tecle Corneille and Marie Jeannie Bouteilier Tetu. There is a record of them having one son, Francois Amable, who survived childhood and married; they also had a daughter, Marie Jeanne Josephe, whose fate is unknown. Nicolas died at forty-three years of age, on April 25, 1755 at St. Laurent.

Marie Susanne was born May 23, 1714 at Montreal. On January 3, 1738 at St. Laurent, Marie married Jean Blenier Jarry. They had ten children, many of whom died in infancy or childhood.

Marie Anne was born April 5, 1716 at Montreal. Marie died on June 9, 1719 at Montreal.

Pierre was born June 26, 1718 at Montreal. The identity of Pierre’s wife is unknown; it is believed he had a son Charles.

Jean Mathias was born February 24, 1721 (twin brother to Jean Marie Baptiste) at Jumeau de Jean Marie, St. Laurent, PQ.; Jean married Marie Louise Leduc on April 18, 1846 at Montreal, PQ. Marie Louise was born in 1724, the daughter of Joseph Leduc and Marie Andree Urtesbise.
Jean Mathias and Marie Louise had ten children, most of whom appear to have survived childhood. Their son Francois born January 20, 1749 having been widowed married for a second time to Marie Louise Caille Jasmin, the granddaughter of Aubin Calliare dit Jasmin who, as did the paternal grandfather of Jean Mathias, Jerome Beaume Leblanc Latour, arrived in New France as a soldier in the service of the King of France.
Marie Louise died on March 12th, 1781, Jean Mathias was re-married on November 11th of 1782 to Marie Louise Perrier but died August 17tt 1783 just nine months following his second marriage, at Ste. Genevieve PQ.

Jean Marie Baptiste was born February 24, 1721 (twin brother to Jean Mathias) at Jumeau de Jean Marie, St. Laurent PQ. On January 29, 1748 at Ste. Genevieve (Pierrefonds) PQ, he married Marie Elizabeth Gauthier dit Saguingorra. Jean and Marie had four daughters, three of whom survived infancy and married. Jean died on October 1, 1759 at the Hopital Generale de Quebec at the age of thirty-eight. Jean’s widow subsequently remarried; she died January 30, 1815 at Ste. Genevieve.

Elizabeth Barbe Marie born June 17, 1723 at St. Laurent. She married Francois Luberneau Meloche on February 11, 1747 at Ste. Genevieve (Pierrefonds) PQ. Elizabeth died January 29, 1748 at Lachine PQ, probably in childbirth.

Jean Baptiste was born April 6, 1725 at St. Laurent. On November 19, 1747 at St. Laurent, he married Marie Marguerite LaRiviere LeTarte, the daughter of Jean Baptiste LaRiviere LeTarte and Frete Lamothe. They had five children, four of whom appear to have surivived childhood. Widowed in 1771 at St. Laurent, Jean Baptiste was re-married in 1773 at Montreal to Marie Elizabeth Robrau Duplessis. Jean Baptiste died September 22, 1806 at Montreal.

The Latour Surname

Spelling Variations – Latour, Delatour and Latours

Dit names: Balard; Beaume; Demassougne; Desery; Dufour;Forget; Huguet; Jerome; Laforge; Leblanc; St-Etienne; Loyer; Massia; Villiot.

Dit names mean “known as” or “called”; dit names were often the “noms de guerre” of a particular military company. However, dit names were also associated with physical characteristics or place of origin. In some cases, it’s the mother’s maiden name combined with the surname of the father. The peasants who relocated to New France were for the most part illiterate. However, even for the educated, spelling was not standardized. Baptismal, burial and marriage records were kept by the parish priest who wrote the names as he heard them.

By the early nineteenth century, the cumbersome surname of Jerome Beaume Leblanc Latour had morphed in various ways to LATOUR.

St. Joan of Arc -- Family Relationship?

It could be that the mother of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) was a distant (24) great grandmother of my mother, Margaret Jane Jerome. That is, if you can believe the relationship calculations of the Ancestry.com website. They collect thousands of genealogical databases from their members and share that data to help members research their family history. I utilize the services of this extremely large collection of data in researching family relationships. The data found there depends upon the accuracy of those members who collect and submit the information to Ancestry.com. Administrators of this website rate their estimates of relationship accuracy with a five star rating. In computing this particular chain of relationships, each link was given a four star rating.

The online Wikipedia encylopedia tells her story:

"Joan of Arc (c. 1412 – 30 May 1431) also known as "the Maid of Orleans," was a 15th century Catholic saint, and national heroine of France. A peasant girl born in Eastern France, Joan led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of King Charles VII. She was captured by the English, tried by an ecclesiastical court and burned at the stake when she was nineteen years old. Twenty-four years later, the Holy See reviewed the decision of the ecclesiastical court, found her innocent, and declared her a martyr. She was beatified in 1909 and later canonized in 1920.

Joan asserted that she had visions from God that told her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent her to the siege at Orléans as part of a relief mission. She gained prominence when she overcame the dismissive attitude of veteran commanders and lifted the siege in only nine days. Several more swift victories led to Charles VII's coronation at Reims and settled the disputed succession to the throne.

Joan of Arc has remained an important figure throughout Western culture. From Napoleon to the present, French politicians of all leanings have invoked her memory. Major writers and composers who have created works about her include Shakespeare, Voltaire, Schiller, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Twain, and Shaw. Depictions of her continue in film, television, video games, song, and dance."
Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Joan of Arc

Andre Jerome - First Settler, Kittson County MN

(The following article was published in the Centennial Edition of the Kittson County Enterprise in Hallock, Minnesota, on 29 June 1983)

Andre Jerome First Settler in the County

Was Picturesque Figure Of Mixed Blood and Hardy Stock; Suffered At Hands Of British For Activity As Aid Of Louis Riel - Rob't Thomson Second To Settle.


The country's history materially enriched by the story of Andre Jerome, it's first settler, mainly because his career contacts different phases of early history. In the first place, Jerome was a French-Cree mixed blood one of the Metis of the border country in the fur-trading period. Since he was the accused of participation in the first Riel rebellion his activities are woven into other chapters of the pioneer record. Andre Jerome, one of seven sturdy brothers of the Red river country, was born near Fort Garry in 1821. He traced his history back to the French Huguenots, his paternal grandfather having migrated from France early in the 19th century. The seven sons were endowed with the intelligence and courage of their French forbears and from their mother's people inherited splendid physiques, and the hardlihood and skill and cunning of the redman. Early they became coureurs de bois and voyageurs, performing the tasks which gave the great forests of the north a glamor that still envelopes it. The lives of these brothers were intigingly typical of the fur-trade era in the Red River valley, their antecedants, their activities and their manner of living were true to type.

Of Andrew Jerome, Mr. J. E. Bouvette wrote in the silver anniversary edition of the Enterprise in 1906 (the noted pioneer was still living then):

From this hardy and nomadic parents our subject inherited the characteristics which made him one of the most noted scoutes and voyageurs of his time. Though well up in years he is a man of able proportions and physique, is straight as the pathways he marked through the wilderness, has keen, expressive blue eyes which commonly hold a kindly sense of humor and good fellowship, but in anger are cold, stern and penetrating. The earlier part of his life he spent amid the influences of the forest and trail, and was for many years interested in scouting, carrying messages and pathfinding for the Hudson Bay company, Captain Hugh S. Donaldson and General H. H. Sibley, when the latter was agent for the American Fur company. When the Indian outbreak occurred in 1862 he proved of great value to the government, aiding in the suppression of the revolt.

Was Riel Aide

"He took an active part against the British government in the Riel rebellion and O'Donahue Fenian raid of 1869-70, and was imprisoned at Stony Mountain penitentiary in Manitoba, and was put through a sweat process by being bridled like a horse and obliged to break stone day and night to cause him to disclose the secret operations of his leaders, but his word was bond never to be broken and he stood his hardships and cruelties until finally liberated.

"He is as familiar with the leading Indian languages of this region as he is with the paths of the forest. The vast Northwest lay like a map before him and he knows every trail. It is doubtful if there is a human being who has passed through as many thrilling scenes and events of pioneer life as did Andre Jerome. He is an interesting conversationalist and can tell of some interesting buffalo hunts in the early days. Mr. Jerome settled on his present homestead (this county) 33 years ago last May. He married early a Miss Margaret Goslin and has a family of nine children, all of whom are living and are prominent farmers in this county."