September or October 1762 Census of Détroit – Part 3habitantheritage.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/1762_Census_and... · 12 April 2014 FCHSM Meeting – 1762 Census and Land

12 April 2014 FCHSM Meeting – 1762 Census and Land Records Handout

©Diane Wolford Sheppard, FCHSM Member

Land Concessions in Early Detroit, Presentation by Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, and

Diane Wolford Sheppard for FCHSM 12 April 2014

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Census and Land Records

September or October 1762 Census of Détroit

Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, April 2013, pp. 75-87, July 2013, pp. 165-176, October 2013, pp. 216-227

Diane Wolford Sheppard and Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, FCHSM Members.1 These articles were chosen as the Best

Articles of the Year and now appear on our website at http://www.habitantheritage.org/french-

canadian_resources/land_and_census_information

o First census of Detroit under the British Regime. Enumerated by Robert Navarre, presumably under the orders

of Major Henry Gladwin, who arrived in Detroit during the summer of 1762. With the exception of one British

trader, only the French or French Canadians were enumerated in the census. Women, with the exception of a

few widows were not enumerated.

o The first page of the census is reproduced below:

The first page enumerates the List of habitants of Detroit North of the [Detroit] River from the Fort to the

Pottawatomi Village [West and downriver from the Fort]

Translation of the columns: name, age, where the person was born, arpents (.85 of an acre) or the size of their lot in

feet for those living in the fort, the number of boys, girls, slaves, and hired men in each household, and the

household’s financial status

o The annotations contain genealogical information for the individual and his/her spouse (including numerous

corrections to other sources such as Denissen, PRDH, and a few for Jetté), the names of their surviving

unmarried children, the names of their slaves if known, descriptive information from the parish records

1 Thanks to FCHSM members Sharon Kelley and Suzanne Boivin Sommerville for their input while the articles

were being written.

http://www.habitantheritage.org/french-canadian_resources/land_and_census_information

http://www.habitantheritage.org/french-canadian_resources/land_and_census_information





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regarding the individual and his or her spouse such as occupations, military offices, and references to prior

articles appearing in MHH. For individuals who lived in the fort, we have included information regarding a

land sale if it occurred within a few years of the census. For those who lived in Fauberg Ste. Rosalie, we have

included its proper location, southwest of the fort, and not on the south shore or Sandwich, as stated in

Denissen.

The first two entries and annotations from the census: St Martin2, age 26, born in Canada, 2 arpents, 0 boys, 1 girl, 1 slave, 2 hired men, comfortable. Annotations:

Jacques Beaudry dit Desbuttes dit Saint Martin was born 23 August 1733 in Québec. He married Marie

Anne Navarre 28 October 1760 in Ste Anne du Détroit. She was born 14 October 1737 in Détroit. The couple

only had one child at the time of the census: Marie Louise. Jacques Beaudry was interprete pour le Roy de

langue huronne [interpreter for the King of the Huron language]. The name and age of his slave at the time of

the census is unknown [Ste Anne Register, image 152 – the image is very faint; Ste Anne Register Part 2, image

108 – Louise’s baptism; PRDH, #13799 – Jacques Beaudry’s birth from his parents’ (Jean Baptiste Beaudry and

Marie Louise Doyon) family view; Kelley, ed., 14; Trudel, 267 – misidentifies Jacques Beaudry as Toussaint

Adhémar dit St. Martin who was not married at the time of the census; Denissen, II, 1121-1122].

Baroie,3 age 72, born in England, 3 arpents, 1 boy, 1 girl, 0 slaves, 0 hired men, poor. François Lotman dit

Barrois was born circa 1696 in New York. He was baptized 26 July 1699 in Laprairie. He married Marie

Anne Sauvage 31 May 1717 in Montréal. She was baptized 17 June 1697 in Champlain. Their only surviving-

unmarried child was Agathe [Jetté, 744, 1036; Denissen, I, 46 – gives her baptismal date as her birth date].

Indices and Transcriptions of Wayne County Land and other Records

(Contains Records South of the Detroit River through 1796,

as well as records from as far removed from Detroit as Michilimackinac, Illinois, and Fort Vincennes)

Digest/Index: A digest and index to the records are contained in Michigan Works Progress Administration: Vital

Records Project, Michigan State Library, and Daughters of the American Revolution Louisa St. Clair Chapter, Early

Land Transfers Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, 1703-1796, Volumes A, B, and C (Detroit (?): 1936). The

Burton Collection at the Detroit Public Library contains 52 volumes of digests/indices for Wayne County. Each

book is arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the purchaser or person granted land; the digest is an English

summary of the records listed in the Drouin Collection and the Microfilms held at the Burton Collection of the

Detroit Public Library. Two indices at the end of each volume contain the names of the other parties in a land

contract and a separate index for the other types of contracts contained in the volume.

Typed and handwritten transcriptions of Wayne County Records: Microfilms are available at the Burton

Collection of the Detroit Public Library containing transcriptions of these records.

Transcriptions of Wayne County Records in Book Form: The Burton Collection of the Detroit Public Library

also contains four volumes of the Wayne County records in book form.

The Drouin Collection: www.Ancestry.com provides access to the Wayne County records through 1796. The

collection contains an index that covers the six individual volumes of transcriptions. Some of the volumes are in

French; others are in English, depending on whether the notary was French or English. These volumes can be

accessed at www.Ancestry.com, Miscellaneous French Records, R, Registre des Notaires de Detroit. Once you have

accessed the Registre, you are asked to select a date range. For the Indices, select: 1737-1796. The direct link for

the index is: http://interactive.ancestry.com/1092/d13p_33161084?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return#?imageId=d13p_33161084

2 Russell, 20 – stated that this was a reference to Toussaint Antoine Adhémar–St-Martin. 3 Russell, 20 – stated that this was a reference to Jean Baptiste Lotman dit Barrois; however, Jean Baptiste was

buried 11 January 1740 in Cahokia. See Faribault-Beauregard, I, 240.

http://www.ancestry.com/

http://www.ancestry.com/

http://interactive.ancestry.com/1092/d13p_33161084?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return#?imageId=d13p_33161084





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Example of Indices that are part of the Drouin Collection

Example from the Index/Digest and part of the corresponding transcription from Early Land Transfers Detroit

and Wayne County, Michigan, 1703-1796, Volumes A, B, and C (Detroit (?): 1936):

Index/Digest:

Farrell, Jean, pur. from Pierre Labutte, Jr. of Detroit, June 29, 1765, house and lot bounded by St. Ann Street, in

front, on one side by St. James Street and on the N.E. by land of J. Sterling. Witnesses: James Sterling and Thomas

Finchley. Rec. ____?____ (Tr. fr. French) [the digest on p. 88 indicates in error the street is St. James, not St. Joseph

– see the image below

Vol. A, p. 84

Transcription: Example of the 1st page of the transcription of this record in the Drouin Collection: Ancestry.com,

Drouin Collection, Miscellaneous French Records, R, Registre des Notaires de Detroit, 1737-1780, image 69





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Types of records found in the index/digest, microfilms, transcription books or the Drouin Collection: the

contracts generally fall into one of the categories listed below. Each category is followed by a list of a few of the

types of contracts found in the records.

o Land – concessions, gifts, grants, sales

o Family or personal – bonds, distribution of estate, inventories, marriage contracts, relinquishment of rights,

wills

o Debts – mortgages, notes, receipts, releases, advice or orders to pay debts

o Business – partnerships, dissolution of businesses or partnerships





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Most Common French-Canadian Surnames found in the Digest/Index to Volume I of

Wayne County Land Records’ Book (Standardized per Jetté)

Adhémar dit Saint Martin

André

Auger

Baby

Barbeau

Bariteau

Barnard

Baron

Barsalou

Barthe

Baubin

Bazinet

Beaugrand

Beauvais

Bélanger

Belleperche

Beneteau

Benoît dit Livernois

Bergeron

Bernard

Bernier

Berthelot

Berthiaume

Bertrand

Bienvenu

Bigras

Billet

Billoud dit Lespérance

Bineau

Bissonnet

Blanchet

Blondeau

Blouin

Boivin

Bouffard

Bourget dit Provençal

Bouron

Boyer

Brouillet

Cabassier

Cadet

Caillé

Campeau

Cardin

Cardinal

Casavant

Casse dit Saint-Aubin

Catin

Cauchois

Cécire

Celeron de Blainville

Chaboillé

Chapoton

Charleville

Charron

Châtelain

Chauvin

Chesne

Chesne dit Labutte

Chevalier

Clermont [a dit name]

Cloutier

Colet

Comparet

Coursol

Courtois

Cousineau

Couture

Créqui

Creste

Cuillerier dit Beaubien

Dagneau dit Dequindre

Dagneau dit Dequindre dit

Fontenay

Deshêtres

Dejean

Delière

Delisle

Demers [Dumay in Denissen]

Dénoyer

Descompt dit Labadie

Deslauriers

Douaire dit Bondy

Drouet

Drouillard

Duberger dit Sanschagrin

Dubois

Duchesne

Dudevoir

Dufour

Dufresne [a dit name]

Duguay

Duhamel

Dumouchel

Dupuis

Durocher

Dussault

Duval

Estève

Faucher

Favreau

Ferré

Ferton

Fontaine

Fortville

Fouquereau

Gabriel

Gagné

Gamelin

Gauthier

Gendron

Gérard

Gervais

Gibault

Gignac

Gilbert dit Sanspeur

Girardin

Godefroy

Godé dit Marentette [Godet in

Denissen]

Gouin

Goyau

Grenon

Hamelin

Hayot

Hunault

Janis

Jarret dit Verchère

Javillon [Davignon in Denissen]

Joncaire dit Chabert

Jourdain

Labrosse

Lacoste dit Languedoc

Lacelle

Laferté [a dit name]

Lafleur

Lafontaine

Laforest

Lafoy

Lamothe

Lamoureux Landry

Langlois

Lapalme [a dit name]

Laplante [a dit name]

Lapointe [a dit name]

Laroche [a dit name]

Latour

Lauson

Laviolette [a dit name]

Lebeau

Leduc

L’Enfant

Lefebvre

Legrand

Legras

Lemay





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Lhuillier

Lorimier

Lorrain

Lotman dit Barrois

Lussier

Magnan

Mailloux

Maisonville [dit name used by

Rivard family]

Mallet

Marsac dit Lhommetrou and

Desrochers

Marie dit Sainte-Marie

Martin

Meloche

Mesny

Milhomme

Moisan

Monet dit Boismenu

Monforton

Moran

Morand dit Grimard

Moras

Morin

Mouet de Langlade

Nadeau

Nault

Navarre

Ouellet / Ouellette

Parent

Parmier dit Vadeboncoeur

Pelletier [Peltier in Denissen]

Perrault

Petit

Picoté de Belestre

Pilet

Pitre

Plichon

Polard

Porlier dit Bénac

Portugais

Pothier

Pouget

Poupard

Prou

Racicot

Réaume

Revau dit Lajeunesse

Riopel

Rivard

Robert

Rocbert dit LaMorandière

Rochereau

Romain dit Sanscrainte

Rousseau

Roy

Saint-Aubin

Saint-Cosme

Saucier

Saulquin

Sauvage

Sédilot dit Montreuil

Seguin dit Ladéroute

Sicot [Cicotte in Denissen]

Sire dit Saint-Jean

Solo

Suzor

Tamisier

Théodore

Thibault

Toulouse [a dit name]

Tourangeau

Tournois

Tremblay

Trottier dit DesRuisseaux

Trudel

Turcot

Valade

Vallée

Vernet

Vessière

Viau

Vien

Viller /Villers dit Saint-Louis

Residents of the Détroit River Region Who Were Granted Lands by Native Americans:

(During the time period covered by these grants, the Potawatomi lived southwest of the fort; the Ottawa, Huron and

Chippewa or Ojibwa on the Canadian side. The Ottawa Village was across from the Fort towards Belle Isle; the

Huron near the Ambassador Bridge and the Chippewa/Ojibwa, represented by the Mississauga, on Lake Saint

Clair and the St. Clair River)

Chippewa or Ojibwa (also referred to as Ochippoway, Ocipue)

James Abbott, Jr.

Sarah Ainse [Oneida]

John Askin

John Akin, Jr.

Duperon Baby

David Betton

Isidore Chesne

John Cornwall

Richard Cornwall

George Cotterell

Margaret Cox

Thomas Cox

Jean Marie Cuillerier dit

Beaubien

William Dawson

Alexander Dyce

William Forsyth

Charles Gouin

Alexander Grant

William Groesbeck

Bernadus Hareen

James Hareen

William Hareen

Robert Innis, et. al.

Joseph and Antoine Labadie

David Lyn

George McBeath

William and Alexander Macomb

John McGill

Gregor McGregor

Norman McLeod

John McPherson

Robert McWilliams

George Meldrum

Meldrum and Park

Jean Baptiste Meloche

William Park

Joseph Porlier dit Benac

Garret Teller

James Thompson

Henry Tucker

William Tucker

William Tucker, Sr.

Jacques Unknown

John Visgar

Thomas Williams

Thomas and Isaac Williams





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Huron

Pierre Drouillard

François Xavier Hubert Pierre Potier, S.J. Jean Baptiste Réaume, Jr.

Ottawa

Lt. Edward Abbott – personal

gift from Pontiac

James Abbott

Dr. Christon Anthon – personal

gift from Pontiac

Begauxgois, a female Indian

Alexis Chapoton

Jean Baptiste Chapoton

Léopold Chesne – personal gift

from Pontiac

Pierre Chesne – personal gift

from Pontiac

Fontenoy (Dagneau dit) and

Visgar

Laurent Griffard/Grefart

Robert Innis

Kee Keebeccoquoi [probably

Native American]

Joseph Lusier

George McDougall – personal

gift from Pontiac

Antoine Mesny/Meny

Richard Pattison

Antoine Robert

Lt. Jacob Schieffelin

William Tucker

Jonathan Unknown

Jacobus Visgar

Isaac Williams

Potawatomi

James Abbott

Adhémar dit St. Martin

Duperon Baby

Isidore Bienvenu

Joseph Bordeau

Charles Cabassier, Jr.

Bernard Campeau

Louis Campeau

Antoine Catlin

Chevalier Chabert

Antoine Chesne, Sr.

Charles Chesne, Jr.

Isidore Chesne

Mini Chesne

Pierre Chesne, Jr.

Thomas Cox

Dagneau dit Dequindre and

Fontenoy

Alexis Delisle

Pierre Drouillard

Thomas Fincheley

Jacques Godefroy

Robert Innis et. al.

Pierre Labadie

Hyacinthe Lacelle/Laselle

Nicolas Lacelle/Laselle

William and Alexander Macomb

Arent Schuyler de Peyster

Jacques Porlier

Porlier dit Benac

James Rankin

Jean Baptiste Réaume, Jr.

Baptiste Romain dit Sanscrainte

Jonathan Schieffelin

Claude Solo/Salaut

Henry Tucker

Isaac Williams

Thomas Williams

Selected Maps of the Detroit River Region that you can Access Online, at the Burton Collection in the Detroit

Public Library or Frontier Metropolis

The most comprehensive collection of maps for the Detroit area can be found in Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Frontier

Metropolis Picturing Early Detroit, 1701-1838 (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2001).

Portion of Guillaume de L’Isle’s 1703 map Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France et des découvertes qui y ont

été faites – Available from BAnQ, http://www.banq.qc.ca/collections/cartes_plans/index.html

The map is the first known map of Nouvelle France that depicts Détroit

Guillaume de L’Isle was a French Cartographer. You can read his biography at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Delisle

http://www.banq.qc.ca/collections/cartes_plans/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Delisle





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Jacques Nicolas Bellin’s Maps of the Détroit area from www.gallica.fr – the larger map was based on

Gaspard Chaussegros de Léry’s original map in 1752; Chaussegros de Léry drew the original inset

map of the fort in 1749. See copies of the original map on the next page.

Jacques Nicolas Bellin was a French Engineer whose cartographers drew maps based on maps originally

drawn by others. You can read about the process at Library and Archives Canada: http://epe.lac-

bac.gc.ca/100/206/301/lac-bac/explorers/www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/explorers/h24-230.3-e.html

You can read Chaussegros de Léry’s biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online:

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/chaussegros_de_lery_gaspard_joseph_1721_97_4E.html and Bellin’s

biography at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Nicolas_Bellin

http://www.gallica.fr/

http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/206/301/lac-bac/explorers/www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/explorers/h24-230.3-e.html

http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/206/301/lac-bac/explorers/www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/explorers/h24-230.3-e.html

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/chaussegros_de_lery_gaspard_joseph_1721_97_4E.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Nicolas_Bellin





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Copies of the original Chaussegros de Léry Maps – Available at the Burton Collection, Detroit Public Library





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Portion of Jacques Nicolas Bellin’s 1755 Map Partie occidentale de la Nouvelle France ou du Canada :

pour servir à l'intelligence des affaires et l'état present en Amerique. Available from

BAnQ, (http://www.banq.qc.ca/collections/cartes_plans/index.html). The complete map in color can

be viewed on our website on the Research Guide’s Page: http://www.habitantheritage.org/french-

canadian_resources/research_guides

The detail from the map for the Détroit area reveals the potential problems that can occur when

cartographers in France wrongly interpreted a map or information sent from New France. In this case,

the Potawatomi and Huron Villages are misplaced. We know from Chaussegros de Léry’s map on the

previous page that the Potawatomi Village was actually located south of the Fort and the Huron

Village was located on the Canadian side of the Détroit River. Bellin’s map on page 8 of this handout

show the Potawatomi and Huron Villages in their correct locations.

http://www.banq.qc.ca/collections/cartes_plans/index.html

http://www.habitantheritage.org/french-canadian_resources/research_guides

http://www.habitantheritage.org/french-canadian_resources/research_guides





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Portion of a map published in the October 2012 issue of Michigan’s Habitant Heritage. The map

accompanied Petite Cote, 1749 to DRIC: The Oldest Continually Inhabited European Settlement in the

Province of Ontario: Part II Appendix C, by Margaret Jacqueline Jeffrey UE, FCHSM member

([email protected]). Permission to reproduce the map was granted by the William L. Clements

Library of the University of Michigan

Circa 1930, the William L. Clements Library wanted to clarify the notations and names of the

Detroit River settlers on a 1749 map drawn by Chaussegros de Léry. Therefore, they

commissioned C.E. Hickman to draw a modern version of the map. The original Chaussegros de

Léry map appears as Figure 3.8 on page 44; the modern version as Figure 3.9 on page 45 of Brian

Leigh Dunnigan, Frontier Metropolis Picturing Early Detroit, 1701-1838 (Detroit: Wayne State

University Press, 2001).

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

September or October 1762 Census of Détroit – Part 3habitantheritage.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/1762_Census_and... · 12 April 2014 FCHSM Meeting – 1762 Census and Land