Historical essay by Ray Breun, March 1983. Genealogy, dates and interpretations are preserved as the author’s period account and require independent verification before factual reuse.
Marie Therese Bourgeois was born 14 January, 1733, two hundred fifty years ago. Born in New Orleans of French parents, she married Rene Auguste Chouteau in 1748, when she was 15 years old. Their first son was Rene; their second was Auguste.
There is some discussion of this because of the confusion of the birth records as compared to the baptismal records, but it is agreed that their son, Auguste, accompanied Pierre de Laclede de Liguest when the latter established a trading post named St. Louis in February, 1764. Rene Chouteau, an innkeeper and baker, was a wife-beater. Sometime in late 1750 or 1751, Madame Chouteau left her husband and with at least Auguste, her younger son, set up her own home.
A few years later she met Pierre Laclede, who came to New Orleans from France in 1755.
As one historian put it, “a mutual attraction ensued.” Madame Chouteau and Pierre Laclede lived together from that time on without the benefit of a formal marriage by the Church.
They had four children, all named Chouteau: Jean Pierre, Pelagie, Marie Louise, and Victoire.
The youngest, Victoire, was born 3 March, 1764, while her father was establishing St. Louis.
In May of that year, Madame Chouteau with her four children left New Orleans never to return.
She reached her paramour’s place in the fall and never left St. Louis again.
The youngest Chouteau — Victoire – is important to residents of the Skinker-DeBaliviere area.
She married Charles Gratiot in 1781.
One of their thirteen children, Julie Gratiot, married Jean Pierre Cabanne in 1799.
In turn, one of their twelve children, Julie Cabanne. married Lt. James W. Kingsbury in 1830.
One of their three children, Louise Adele, married Alfred M. Waterman in 1855. (Both Kingsbury and Waterman were from Connecticut.) Louise Adele fell heir to part of the land of Marie Louise Chouteau Papin, her great-grandmother’s sister.
On that land now run the streets of Kingsbury and Waterman in the neighborhood now called Skinker-DeBaliviere. Residents of this neighborhood may, therefore, feel like celebrating the birthday of Madame Chouteau, the matriarch of the founding family of St. Louis.
Original photograph caption
Madame Chouteau. Original portrait reproduction printed in The Paper, March 1983, page 8. Artist and holding institution not credited in this source.
Originally published in The Paper, March 1983.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: The genealogy, birth-order discussion, dates and land inheritance are the author’s 1983 historical account and require independent verification before factual reuse.
Original source: SD_Times1983_03.pdf, printed page(s) 8; PDF page(s) 8.
