Jean Baptiste Richardville (abt. 1761 - 1841)

Born about 1761 in Kekionga

Ancestors

Husband of Natoequeah Miami — married about 1800 in Kekionga, Indiana

Descendants

Died 13 Aug 1841 at about age 80 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States of America

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Biography

Pinšiwa Richardville is Notable.

Pinšiwa was Miami.

Richardville was a key leader of the Miami Native Americans and was the nephew of Chief Little Turtle. He was born in the Miami village of Kekionga, now Fort Wayne. He was the son of Tacumwah, sister of the Miami chief Pacanne. His father was a French fur trader from Quebec, Joseph Drouet de Richardville.

He was one of three Indians who signed the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.^[1] As head of the tribe, Richardville was able to negotiate to help the Miami stay in Northeast Indiana longer than many other tribes until 1846.

From Chaput, Family of Drouet de Richerville:

"Sometime around 1800 Jean Richardville married in Fort Wayne a Miami woman named Natoequeah. They had several daughters and at least one son, Joseph. A daughter, Catherine, married Francis Lafontaine, who became chief of the Miamis after Richardville's death. Another daughter, LaBlonde, married James Godfroy, son of Francis Godfroy, last chief of the Miamis."^[2][3]

A Fort Wayne Journal Gazette article dated September 23, 1906 lists his daughters as "LaBlonde, Catherine and Susan - one of which, Catherine^[4], was the wife of Chief Francis LaFountaine."

The Chief Richardville House is an historic landmark and the oldest Native American house in the Midwest, as well as the first Greek Revival home in Northeast Indiana. The home was built in 1827 with contributions from the United States and Chief Richardville himself with a final cost of $2,200 at the time. When Richardville died in 1841, he was the richest man in Indiana.

9 Apr 1841 Will of John B Richardville.^[5][6]

23 May 1846 Will of his daughter, LaBlonde, Maria Louisa Richardville. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Drs. Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin; Emily J. Blasingham and Dorothy R. Libby. An Anthropological Report on the History of the Miamis, Weas, and Eel River Indians, Vol. 1. Chapter 4, pp. 161-170.
2. ↑ Donald Chaput (June 1978). "The Family of Drouet de Richeville: Merchants, Soldiers, and Chiefs of Indiana". Indiana Magazine of History. Bloomington: Indiana University. p114.
3. ↑ John Askin, The John Askin Papers, ed. by Milo Milton Quaife (2 vols., Detroit, 1928), I, 269.
4. ↑ "Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2XR-978 : 6 December 2014), Catherine Richardville in entry for Marie Esther Lafontaine, 25 Sep 1832; Christening, citing Vincennes, Knox, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,433,363.
5. ↑ Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 for John B Richardville, Allen Co, IN, Probate Will Record, Vol 1-2a, 1831-1875. Source Citation: Probate Records, 1825-1921; Author: Indiana. Probate Court (Allen County); Probate Place: Allen, Indiana. Description: Notes: Probate Will Record, Vol 1-2a, 1831-1875. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data:Indiana County, District and Probate Courts. (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9045/images/007662610_00069?pId=604077)
6. ↑ Will of John B. Richardville], Allen County Public Library - Genealogy Center
7. ↑ Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 for La Blonde Richardville, Allen Co, Probate Will Record, Vol 1-2a, 1831-1875. Source Citation: Probate Records, 1825-1921; Author: Indiana. Probate Court (Allen County); Probate Place: Allen, Indiana. Description: Notes: Probate Will Record, Vol 1-2a, 1831-1875. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data:Indiana County, District and Probate Courts. (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9045/images/007662610_00111?pId=604111)

See Also

• FamilySearch: Chief John Baptiste "Pechewa" Richardville (1761 – 13 Aug 1841)
• Wikipedia: Jean Baptiste Richardville
• "The Forks of the Wabash; an Historical Survey": Chapter Five: Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville, Craig Leonard
• The History Center; Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society: A Brief Overview of Chief Richardville
• ARCH: Architecture & Community Heritage - Fort Wayne, Indiana: Chief J.B. Richardville Grave Site
• Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey: Chief Richardville House, U.S. Route 24, Huntington, Indiana - Document | Architectural Drawings Gallery
• Rootsweb, Allen County Indiana Cemetery Project, Cathedral Square Cemetery: Jean Baptiste de Richardville