Adelaide Adelia (Gagnier) Lemerie (1800 - 1860)

Born 1800 in Prairie du Chien, Crawford, Wisconsin, United States

Ancestors

Daughter of Claude Gagnier and Mary Ann (Labuche) Menard

Wife of Jean Baptiste Lemerie — married about 28 Dec 1818 in Prairie du Chien, Crawford, Wisconsin, United States

Wife of Toussaint Ally — married 1849 in Prairie du Chien, Crawford, Wisconsin, United States

Descendants

Died 13 Jul 1860 at about age 60 in Prairie du Chien, Crawford, Wisconsin, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: CJ Pierson [send private message]

Biography

Adelaide Gagnier was born in 1800 and is the daughter of Claude Gagnier and Marianne Labuche. There has been a discrepancy on various records as to Adelaide’s birth date 1792, 1800, 1802 and two children were listed as hers Mary born 1810 and Clarence 1812 (comments in research section.) Per the May 1817 baptism records and marriage records performed and recorded by Father Joseph Marie Dunand Adelaide and her sister Melanie Gagnier were both 17 years old at the time and were possibly twins. On 28 Dec 1818, Adelaide married Jean Baptiste Lemerie in a Civil Ceremony and on 16 Aug 1827, their marriage was later blessed by the Priest at St Gabriel’s Church in Prairie du Chien. Jean Baptiste Lemerie was born 1768 in Vecheres, Vercheres, Quebec Canada and was 50 years old when he married 18-year-old Adelaide. Together they had 7 children. Claude: Jean Baptist (John Limery); Monica; Esther Lemerie; Adelaide; Clemence; and Moses. All of these children where of mixed race but records indicate they were white until later census reported them as mixed race or Mulatto. They lived along a stream that flowed from a coulee to the Mississippi River. The coulee came to be called Limery Coulee. Today there is a road called Limery that runs along the property where Adelaide and John had lived.

Adelaide learned the healing arts of her mother who was referred to by the local residents as Aunt Mary Ann. It is recorded in town minutes that after John Baptiste died in 1846, Adelaide surgeons at the fort and using her mother’s teachings of the healing arts and yarb drink she would nurse them back to health and Prairie du Chien would pay her for her services. In one particular story one night at the locate bar the loggers came into town for some enjoyment after a hard week of work. A disagreement between two loggers ensued and a fight broke out and one of the loggers was stabbed with a knife in the chest. The doctor at Fort Crawford tried to heal him but he got sicker and sicker until they felt there was nothing more they could do for him. Adelaide felt strongly that she could heal this man and brought him home to care for him. To heal him she used a root called spikenard, scraped off the outer bark and sharpened it in pencil fashion and stuck it into the would as far as possible, turning it every 15 minutes or so. She continued this procedure for several days and the wound started healing from the inside out and kept getting smaller and smaller until she could no longer insert the root into the wound. She then applied a poultice on the outside which healed the wound entirely. The man regained her strength and was able to return to work. In the fall of that year after he had finished his work for the season and saved his money, he gave Adelaide $200 and thanked her for what she had done.

On 9 Dec 1849, Adelaide married Toussant Ally in Prairie du Chien. She died on 13 Jul 1860, and is buried in her hometown at St Gabriels Cemetery in Prairie du Chien, Crawford, Wisconsin.

Research Notes: In "Our Book the Indians" reminiscence of Louise Cherrier (Gagnier) she states Adelaide's children where Mary Ann, Mrs. Henry Stram 1810; Clarence 1812; and Monica 1833. This and a few other records lead people to believe that Adelaide was born in 1792 but that didn't explain the huge age cap between Mary Ann and Clarence to Monica. Many of Marianne's children and grandchildren lived together in one cabin. It became so crowded that when she married Charles Menard, they built a second house to accommodate the large family. Mary Ann was Mary Ann Loyer (Mrs. Henry Stram) and granddaughter to Marianne Labuche. Clarence has not yet been accounted for, but Monica was one of Adelaide's daughters. All other records, Census, Baptism records, Find A Grave indicate she was born in 1800.

Sources

• Family Group Sheet www.mncig.org/tng/familygroup.php?familyID=F70066&tree=cjhsm

• Family Search Vitals Jean Baptiste Melchiade Lemerre https:www.familysearchorgtree/person/merge/verify/G7TS-SJK/KJG6-QVM

• 1840 Census Prairie du Chien For J B Lamerie Male Female 0-5 1 1 5-10 3 10-15 15-20 1 20-30 30-40 1 Under 100 -70 1

• Prairie du Chien 1850 Census

• Prairie du Chien 1860 Census

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177324113/adelaide-ally

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13697960/jean-baptiste-lemerie

• Town minutes 1846 httsp://www.anestry.com/interactive/26989/dvm_LocHist011258-00235-0/235?backurl=ssrc=&backlabel=Return

• Town minutes 1847 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/26989dvm_LocHist011258-00263-0/263?backurl=&ssrc=backlabel=Return

• Frenchtown Chronicles-Adelaide Limery story told by Albert Coryer interview

• Our People the Indians Reminiscense by Marie Louise Cherrier (Gagnier) pg 36

• Crawford CountyRegister of Deeds 225 N. Beaumont Rd. Prairie du Chien,Crawford, WI, Book: Marriages Vol #3 page 76 #225 - Wedding Certificate Charles A Bourke and Esther Lemerie

• MN Genealogical Journal- Baptisms and Marriages May 1817 performed by Father Joseph Marie Dunand, Pg 11 #123, Marriage Certificate for 8 May 1824, #296

• State Historical Society of Wisconsin, research completed by James L Hansen, Reference Librarian 19 Nov 1998

Paternal Relationship is confirmed by Ancestry DNA testings matches of cjpierson67 CJ (Merrifield)Pierson ; Adelaide Gagnier John Baptiste Melchiade Lemerie; Esther Lemerie and Charles A Burke Claude Gagnier ; Marianne Labuche; Gedmatch testing for CJ (Merrifield) Pierson HS5812580; Cassie (Bourke) EhardM248847;