Many current
and former residents of Fremont County may
have never heard of the term 'French
Village' as it relates to
Fremont County. I am included
in that group of people until I came
across the historical work done by the
former Fremont
County resident and historian Walter
Farwell. His work and this
information was very enlightening and
explains in great
detail how Fremont County was
established and settled.
Prior to the 1830's the
inhabitants of what is now Fremont
County Iowa were native american peoples. When the Platte
Purchase was completed in 1837
this area of Iowa and northwest Missouri
was opened up to settlers. (The
dispute over the
location of border between
Iowa and Missouri was not finalized
until 1849 and is the subject for
another topic) In
these
early years the first non-native
peoples to arrive in the Fremont County
area were traders, trappers and
farmers/settlers.
Many were of French or
French/Canadian descent.
There was no
specific townsite but rather the 'French
Village' was the geographic area
around the Nishnabotna River from
Riverton all the way south into
what is now Missouri and Atchison
county. These first settlers
established farm sites, built
some of the first bridges in the
county, built some of the first river
ferry's, established trailways and
conducted trade with
other settlers and also the native
americans in the area. Some of
these settlers also intermarried with
the native americans in
the area.
These people established a
presence and opened the area to the
other early farmers and settlers that
were soon to follow.
Below is a list of people that
lived in and around the French Village
area and who were some of the first
non-native people to
arrive and settle in what would
become Fremont County and Atchison
County Missouri.
| William |
Alley |
|
Elizabeth
(Eberman) |
Hiatt |
| Moses |
Beal |
|
Rufus |
Hitchcock |
| Benjamin
Francis |
Benoist |
|
John R. |
Jackson |
| F. |
Benoist |
|
David |
Jones |
| Matilda
(Amen) |
Benoist |
|
Joseph |
Kallandres |
| Rosella
(Brenard) |
Benoist |
|
Exstacia
A. |
Kenecleur |
| Touissant
S. |
Benoist |
|
William |
Kenecleur |
| A. |
Bonois |
|
Louis |
LaCroix |
| James |
Bordeaux |
|
Clement |
Lamoureaux |
| Louis |
Bordeaux |
|
Noah |
Leabo |
| Susan |
Bordeaux |
|
Robert |
McClellan |
| Joseph |
Brenard |
|
Cornelius |
McKissack |
| Miampema |
Brenard |
|
Jacob |
Mckissack |
| Nancy
(Rice) |
Burrows |
|
Joseph |
Merriville |
| Ramsay |
Crooks |
|
Antionio X |
Recontre |
| James |
Cummings |
|
.Ica
Fostger |
Rice |
| Father D.
J. |
DeSmet |
|
James
Ellis |
Rice |
| John |
Eberman |
|
Moses |
Rice |
| Thomas |
Farmer |
|
Stephen M. |
Rice |
| Simon |
Flurees
(or Fleury) |
|
William
Street |
Rice |
| Capt. John |
Gantt |
|
Geneviève |
Rivard |
| Andrew |
Gemeckers |
|
John C. |
Scott |
| Adeline |
Giguère |
|
Eli |
Snider |
| Claude |
Giguère |
|
Francis |
Tazon |
| Caleb |
Greenwood |
|
Louis |
Trudeau |
| Frances
(Eberman) |
Greenwood |
|
A. Pike |
Vasquez |
| John |
Greenwood |
|
August |
Vassow |
| Theadore |
Grondie |
|
Lorette
Glaud (LeFrombois) |
Vassow |
| James |
Handley |
|
Louis |
Wilmet or
Quilmette |
| avid |
Hansaker |
|
Mitchell |
Wilmet |
| David |
Hiatt |
|
|
|
Click here to read the complete document
written by Walter Farwell (Fremont
county Historian)
describing the French Village.
Below is a map of the French
Village area drawn by Walter
Farwell 1975
|
