Cross In the Road by Kevin Lajiness

SansCrainte Timeline

1723 Jean Baptiste Romain Dit Sanscrainte b: May 16, in Montreal, Canada

1754 Married: 25 FEB in Montréal, QC Suzanne-Amable DENIAU

1754 Jean Baptiste Romain dit Sanscrainte b. probably Laprairie

1760,January 7, JEAN ROMAIN DIT SANSCRAINTE witnesses the mutual consent ofthe nuptial benediction to michel Boier and to josette marguerite de lignon at michilimakinak

1760 October 9 Jacque(one source says female) Sans Crainte born to Jean Baptiste Sans Crainte and Indian slave michilimakinak

1761 jean romain dit Sanscrainte witnesses, the mutual consent of pierre duprés and of marie joseph carignan at michilimakinak July 18,

1765 Jean Baptiste Sanscrainte (John Soncrant) came from Quebec ( this would have been the father the son would have only been 11 years old and the date may be right for when he set up the post but he was in Michilimackinac as early as 1760 and up to 1795 as noted by Greenville treaty notes –Kevin Lajiness) and settled on the north bank of the Huron river(Detroit Area) at present day West Jefferson. He sold this property to Gabriel Godfroy in 1796- Rockwood, The Huron River, Patricia Quick, Rockwood Area Historical Society

1778 Margaret Solo m.Jean Baptiste7 Romain dit Sanscrainte, bap 24 Dec 1754 Montréal PQ; ma 13 Oct Detroit MI

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[1785 (should be 1778) John B. Sancraint (SansCrainte). Marriage To Margaret Soleau (Solo) Died 1838

The Corect date for the marriage is 1778 as listed above and with Tanquay

• Quebec, Genealogical Dictionary of Canadian Families (Tanguay Collection), 1608-1890 (in French)]

  

"From The History of Monroe County, Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its ..., Volume 1

 By John McClelland "

"He was an interpreter as was his father as far as assisting in the removal it was probably in that capacity he was certainly on the side of the Indians his wife was raised by "Marie Mannon" suppose daughter of Pontiac's he also faught with Pontiacs son and was captured at "the fall of Sackville, any way there is much more conflicting with this history that i cant find elswhere -KL"   

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1779 Serjeant Sanscrainte, whose father (who had come with Clarke from the Ilinois) at that instant stepping up raised the muzzle and obtained his son's life by applying to Colol. Clarke

1779 Jean Baptiste Romain dit Sanscrainte was deeded land on Rivire-au-Loutre (Otter Creek) in by the Potawatomies

1786,15, May Deed from Potawatomie for land on the River Raisin; signed by 5 Indians with totems; witnessed by J. B. Sanscrainte and Francois Navarre. From Labadie Family Papers. (This is attributed to both Jean Baptiste Sanscrainte 1749-1822(I question these dates) and Jean Baptiste Romain dit Sanscrainte b.1754)

1790 Explorer Hugh Heward’s journal describes a

trading post, operated by Jean Baptiste Sanscriante, in near the Potawatomi settlement

Moravian indians

1795 (Nov 9 1810 –fifteen years ago) the late surveyor, McNiff came up the Huron with Sanscrainte the interpreter to survey land by order of John Askins

1795-No prisoners remain in our hands in the neighborhood of Michilimackinac. Those two Frenchmen present (Messieurs Sans Crainte and Pepin,) can witness to the truth of this assertion " (Indian to general Wayne)

In 2020 Ypsilanti

VISION FOR 2020
In 2020 Ypsilanti enjoys its rich cultural and architectural heritage, the end-result of centuries of historic migrations to this ancient river
crossing. Native American, European American and African American groups settled here, each with a distinct and venerable history.
Paleo-Indian ancestors of Native American tribes lived in Michigan as early as 1200 B.C.1, 2 In 1772, an English officer’s report
describes a small Native American Bodewadimi (“Potawatomi”) settlement on the banks of the Huron River, situated near the
intersection of the Potawatomi and Sauk Indian trails, location of present-day Ypsilanti.3 Explorer Hugh Heward’s journal describes a
trading post, operated by Jean Baptiste Sanscriante, in 1790 near the Potawatomi settlement (today the Riverside Arts Center Annex).3
View Larger Map
Gabriel Godfroy subsequently acquired the trading post from Sanscriante, and submitted a French Claim in 1808 to protect his rights to
the trading post and property.3 European Americans established a settlement here in 1823 and Ypsilanti’s first African American
settlers joined the community in 1837 and 1838.

RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Lyons: "# ID: I0313

ID: I0311 Name: Claude SOLO 1 Sex: M Birth: 21 SEP 1732 in Montreal, Quebec Death: ABT. 29 JAN 1799 in St. Antoine, River Raisin, Michigan Event: Burial Date 29 JAN 1799 St. Antoine, River Raisin Religion: Catholic Note: Claude Solo became involved or married a Sauteuse Indian woman after the death of Margaret Descomps dit Labadie. The Sauteuse Indian woman gave birth in 1770 to Claude's third son, John Baptiste as a result of their relationship. Father: Peter Henry SOLO Mother: Ann Teresa GAMELIN b: 2 FEB 1707 in St. Francis du Lac Marriage 1 Sauteuse INDIAN Children John Baptist SOLO b: 1770 Marriage 2 Margaret Descomps "dit" LABADIE b: 22 AUG 1734 in Montreal, Quebec Married: 22 JAN 1759 in Detroit, Michigan Children Peter SOLO b: 15 NOV 1759 in Detroit, Michigan Margaret SOLO b: 3 MAY 1761 Alexis SOLO b: 6 FEB 1763 Margaret SOLO b: 22 JUL 1764 Sources: Title: Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region 1701 - 1936 Author: Rev. Fr. Christian Denissen Publication: Published by Detroit Society for Genealogical Research Note: Detroit Public Library is locates on Woodward Ave. in Detroit, Michigan 48202 Note: Very Good Repository: Note: Library of Congress & Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library Media: Book Page: Page 1145

# Name: Margaret SOLO 1
# Sex: F
# Birth: 3 MAY 1761
# Religion: Catholic
# Note: Margaret was born May 3, 1761 at the Coast of the Potowatomies South West Coast of Detroit
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Margaret Solo m.Jean Baptiste7 Romain dit Sanscrainte, bap 24 Dec 1754 Montréal PQ; ma 13 Oct 1778 Detroit MI,

Father: Claude SOLO b: 21 SEP 1732 in Montreal, Quebec
Mother: Margaret Descomps 'dit' LABADIE b: 22 AUG 1734 in Montreal, Quebec


Sources:


1. Title: Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region 1701 - 1936
Author: Rev. Fr. Christian Denissen
Publication: Published by Detroit Society for Genealogical Research
Note: Detroit Public Library is locates on Woodward Ave. in Detroit, Michigan 48202
Note: Very Good
Repository:
Note: Library of Congress & Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library
Media: Book
Page: Page 1145"


(Margaret's Mother Died When she was 4 years old, she would of been Razed by the second wife
a Sauteuse Indian. Maybe this would be a partial explanation to her husband John Bapte. SansCrainte and son of the same name intimate ties with the Indians besides being born
at the Coast of the Potowatomies and having a brother that was half blood-(Kevin Lajiness)
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BURTON HISTORICAL RECORDS

SECTION VI
HUGH HEWARD'S JOURNAL FROM DETROIT
TO THE ILLINOIS: 1790

Thursday Ap1 1st 1790. Early in the Morning came to red
Cedar under the high Banks & continued with a Strong
Current the Water by the Banks to nearly Mid Day when
we met with several Small pine Trees the Banks still high
& barren abounding with diminutive Red Oak Trees & the
Soil with Fern, about 4 oClock passed an Indian Cabbin
& Cornfield & arrd at Sans Craints5 before Sun Set. Distance
& Course nearly as yesterday. Encamped.
Friday April 2d 1790. Could not get an Indian to pass
the Portage but engaged one to meet us at the Fork of the
River to conduct us this Post seems to furnish good small
peltrie Sanscrannt seems to have about 12 packs. Set off
about 10 oClock our Course up the River nearly West

Notes:
5 On the Sanscrainte line see ante, 324. Apparently the individual here noted
was Jean Baptiste Romain dit Sanscrainte who was born in 1754 and married at
Detroit, Oct. 13, 1778, Margaret Solo. She was buried here on March 19, 1793.
They had several children born at Detroit, most of whom subsequently became
residents of River Raisin settlement. Sanscrainte was bitterly accused by the
British authorities of pro-American activities prior and subsequent to Wayne's
campaign of 1794. See Denissen, op. cit., and Mich. Pio. Colls., XII, 162 ff.
341

CADILLAC'S VILLAGE OR "DETROIT UNDER CADILLAC." WITH LIST OF PROPERTY OWNERS AND A HISTORY OF THE SETTLEMENT 1701 TO 1710. COMPILED BY C. M. BURTON DETROIT, 1896.



CADILLAC'S HOMESTEAD. Where did Cadillac live? I cannot answer this question satisfactorily now, though I think he lived on the northwest corner of St. Francois and Ste. Anne streets, near the church. If I am right his house was on what is now the north side of Jefferson avenue, half way between Griswold and Shelby streets, about where the old Masonic hall stands. You will observe that the properties bringing the highest prices were those on Ste. Anne street, in the immediate vicinity of this land. This would naturally follow, if the house of the cornmandant was located here, St. Anne Street, at this point, was the Woodward avenue of the little city, and here the aristocracy lived with Cadillac in their midst. What kind of houses did they have? From all I have so far learned, the modern idea of a log house was unknown to them. I think their houses, even those of the better classes, consisted of stakes, driven into the ground as closely together as possible and the interstices filled with mortar or mud. These pickets were cut off, even, at the top, and a pitch-roof of split rails put on. Sawing lumber by hand was too difficult a job to permit much sawed lumber to be used, and what would be thus obtained was for interior work, doors, shutters, etc. It is very probable that no houses had windows, except those of the wealthiest citizens. Glass, for windows, was doubtless very scarce and very expensive. I can find no certain record that there was any glass windows at all, though in the description of the church occurs the statement that it contained a window with shutters and sash frames between, "of 20 squares," each. The squares may refer to the small panes of glass, common even until a few years since, in church windows. A short time after Cadillac left Detroit to become governor of Louisiana, in 1711, he had a complete inventory of his belongings in Detroit, made by Pierre Chesne and Antoine Magnant, and the priest, Father Cherubin Deniaux, and this property was turned over to Pierre Roy for safe keeping. From this list we obtain an idea of the buildings owned by Cadillac, and I append their full description.
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(Pierre Chesne and Pierre Roy were to be inlaws- Kevin Lajiness)
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The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922 By Clarence Monroe Burton, William Stocking, Gordon K. Miller


The History of Detroit and Michigan By Silas Farmer

"From the LANDMARKS OF DETROIT A HISTORY OF THE CITY

 By ROBERT B ROSS AND GEORGE B. CATLIN"

 Ouabankikow Marguerite an Indian of the Miami tribe the wife of Pierre Roy 110
There is no record of her marriage though the priest called her a legal wife She died of
small pox October 31 1732 She had six children baptized in the church at Detroit



Landmarks of Detroit; By Robert Budd Ross, George Byron Catlin, Clarence Monroe Burton

River Raisin Battlefield - Areas of Local Interest

NAVARRE:
Lt. Col. Francois Navarre was born in Detroit about 1763 and came to the River Raisin in the 1780’s, where he received lands from the Potawatomies and Ottawas. Generally considered the founder of the French Town settlement along the River Raisin, Navarre was instrumental in easing the transition from British to American rule in the 1790’s. With the departure of Colonel John Anderson in the summer of 1812, Navarre was left in nominal command of the local militia, who, by the terms of Hull’s capitulation, were disarmed and placed on parole as prisoners of war.

During the brief liberation of French Town in January of 1813, Navarre acted as the liaison between the local population and the American army. General Winchester established his headquarters at Navarre’s house, although it was almost a mile away from his main camp. After the war, Navarre continued to be a prominent civic leader until his death in 1826.

About 30 members of the extended Navarre family served in the War of 1812. Most famous as a scout for the American army was Peter Navarre, who resided along the River Raisin, but moved to the Maumee with his family about 1807.

Peter Navarre helped guide the detachment under Lt. Col. Lewis to French Town on January 18, 1813, and participated in the battle to liberate the town from an occupation force of British militia and Indians. He and his brothers also fought in the Battle of the River Raisin on January 22, escaping through the surrounding Indians just as the Kentuckians were surrendering. He spent the rest of the war as a courier and scout for General Harrison. Considered the founder of Toledo (or at least East Toledo), he died in 1874.

History of Monroe County, Michigan A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People, and Its Principal Interests By John McClelland Buckley

Village of Tippecanoe, Wabash River, 4:00AM, Nov. 7, 1811 Navarre and Sanscrainte Fur traders

FRENCHTOWN DIARIES: WAR OF 1812 IN MICHIGAN

Friends of the River Raisin Battlefield | www.riverraisinbattlefield.org

The Prophet’s Town was a small, but handsome village

of a couple hundred cabannes. It was equipped with a

large, central storehouse containing about 3,000 bushels

of corn and beans. One could have mistaken it for a

comfortable, sleepy haven of peace, were it not for the

furtive activity taking place throughout the night. i

Peter Navarre stirred groggily under his blanket. He

had been awakened by noises coming from outside his

shelter. The noises were made by native warriors pecking

sharp edges onto their gunflints.

As he began to throw off his covering, the low voice of

Jean-Baptiste Sanscrainte came to him out of the

darkness: “Be still,” Baptiste whispered, “if you value

your life.”

Navarre did as he was told, wondering just what was

going on. Hours seemed to pass as he waited and

reflected on the events which had brought them to this

hotbed of Native-American resistance.

It had all started when Sanscrainte invited him to join

his fur trading venture to the Prairie Potawatomies near

Chicago. After visiting several villages, they had acquired

only a small quantity of furs. When he complained about

their lack of success, Sanscrainte had assured him they do

better on their return trip to the Maumee. This is what

had brought them, after more than a month of travel, to

the Prophet’s town. Unfortunately, they arrived just as

General Harrison appeared with an American army.

So instead of trading, the village chiefs had spent most

of the previous day negotiating with General Harrison.

Tecumseh being absent at the time, leadership fell to the

Prophet. The Miami chief White Moon (White

Loon), and the Potawatomi chiefs Stone Eater, and

Winemac were all more in a mood to fight rather than

trade. Navarre and Sanscrainte, discouraged, had

retired early. ii

Village of Tippecanoe, Wabash River, 4:00AM, Nov. 7, 1811:

! It was an hour or more before dawn, when the noise of battle

came in through the stillness of the night. At first, Navarre and

Sanscrainte had strained to hear beneath the patter of a drizzling rain,

but gradually the sound of gunfire rose in volume as the battle peaked

at a point about 3 miles away from them.

! The two traders decided it would be best if the American soldiers

did not find them in the Indian village after the fighting, or they might

mistake them for renegades or British collaborators. So they quietly

packed up their belongings and left for home. iii

! The American army was not caught completely unawares.

General Harrison had ordered his men to sleep on their arms, and had

himself come out of his tent just minutes before the attack began. The

orderly musician was standing by, ready to give three taps of the

drum, the usual signal for the troops to get up and stand by their

arms. Ten minutes more, and the troops would be standing in line of

battle.

! Some of the soldiers were already up and throwing fresh wood on

the morning fires. Silhouetted against the flames, they made easy

targets. Realizing their exposure, the men made frantic efforts to

douse the fires, but to no avail. Those who tried were quickly picked

off by Indian sharpshooters.

" Although inexperienced, the troops responded to their officers’

commands to form and hold their lines, keeping up a heavy fire into the

dark shadows. Their muskets, loaded with buck and ball, were well

designed for this type of indiscriminate firing.iv As daylight broke over

the tree line, Indian pressure slackened. The 4th Regiment and a

detachment of dragoons mounted a charge. Giving 3 cheers, they

drove the Indians off into the adjoining swamps.

" 38 warriors were left dead in the field, and the troops found a few

more bodies when they advanced to search and destroy the Prophet’s

abandoned village. Harrison’s men lost 41 killed and 147 wounded, and

their line had been forced three times, but they had finally won the day

and delivered a heavy blow to the prestige of the Prophet. v

! In their search, the soldiers found a severely wounded Potawatomi

chief. Taken before Governor Harrison, the chief expressed regrets

for the attack and blamed the Prophet for misleading them.

" Harrison had the surgeon dress the Potawatomi’s wounds and left

him on the field of battle. He was given a message to deliver to the rest

of the Indians, urging them to abandon the Prophet and to agree to

the governor’s terms for peace.

http://www.agt.net/public/dgarneau/metis4b.htm

METIS CULTURE 1708-1714

March 14: King Louis XIV signed a decree: His majesty offers clemency to those Coureurs des Bois whose inconsequential put them in this regrettable situation. His majesty has ordered and orders, wants and intends that all the inhabitants of New France, who went wood running and trading with Native Nations without leave nor permission and who will return to their homes in the course of the year 1715, may do so in security and without fear of being prosecuted for reason of their disobedience. They go to Fort Michillimakinac, New France (Michigan) to obtain a certificate of compliance. Those not registering or those found guilty of having aided, abetted or kept correspondence with said Coureurs des Bois, be dealt the full punishment prescribed in the decrees, wherever they may be encountered. It is noteworthy that this decree and others highlight the reason why so little is know of the travels and exploration of America by these Coureurs des Bois and Metis of the First Nations. These excommunicated French, without violence, fanfare or pressure of recognition and immortality, conquered a continent. Conquered in the sense of overcoming the overwhelming obstacles and restrictions that were imposed by a French regime.