Abbe Francois Picquet, whom Governor Duquesne declared was “worth more than ten regiments”, arrived at Van Rensselaer Point in 1749 to provide a suitable place for a Native American village for Christian converts and to build a fort to spy on the English at Fort Oswego. Picquet was born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France in 1708 and was ordained a priest in 1734. He arrived in Montreal that same year, serving as a parish priest until 1739. While there, Abbe Picquet mastered the Algonquin, Sioux, and Huron languages and learned native customs. For the next ten years he lived at Lake of the Two Mountains Mission (present day Oka, Quebec). Abbe Picquet’s main mission was to convince Native Americans living south of the Great Lakes to ally themselves with the French. He founded a French mission at present day Ogdensburg called La Presentation on June 1, 1749. Picquet worked diligently to ensure that the fort had enough funds and was successful in keeping the loyalty of his Christian converts. By 1755 Picquet had earned a number of military honors for his role as a chaplain and advisor. He led Native American attacks at Fort Duquesne, Lake George, Fort Bull and Oswego. Picquet is credited with brokering an alliance with the Oneidas. In 1758 he led native forces against the British at Carillon (Ticonderoga). Unfortunately, the French were losing the war. In 1760 Picquet moved to Ile Picquet, then Montreal. He fled Montreal, then went to New Orleans where he remained until 1763. Picquet eventually returned to Bresse in 1772, dying in Verjon in 1781.
Sources: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/picquet_francois_4E.html Ford’s Dam: St. Lawrence County Historical Association Quarterly, David E. Martin La Presentation Historical Site by Persis Boyesen Colonial Wars of North America 1512-1763: An Encyclopedia by Allan Gallay https://books.google.com/books?id=22rbCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT549&lpg=PT549&dq=abbe+francois+picquet&source=bl&ots=OoHkzXuNdk&sig=-YawhjxZawZDk3Y7mh5t6C2pI3s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZnLHSw8nYAhVFtFMKHaBqACE4ChDoAQgqMAE#v=onepage&q=abbe%20francois%20picquet&f=false
Comments
Post a Comment