Joseph Robidoux II
Joseph Robidoux II (13 September 1722-28 August 1778), son of Joseph Robidoux I and Marie-Anne Fonteneau. Joseph was part of the second generation of the Robidoux family born in North America, and was grandfather to six of the settlers of the American West. He married Marie Anne Le Blanc (1724-1770), whose great-grandparents emigrated from Normandy, France, in the 17th century.
With the slowing of the fur trade and repeated conflicts with the British, Joseph and his family began to look south for better prospects. War between France and England in the colonies resumed in the War of Jenkins' Ear in 1739, with France in alliance with Spain. The fortress at Louisbourg was constructed to protect to Gulf of St. Lawrence and to allow the French to raid British sites in New England. The Siege of Louisbourg in 1745 resulted in the capture of the fortress. Following this, Joseph and his family traversed the Chicago Portage to relocate to St. Louis. Members of the family also settled in Detroit.
Marie also came from a distinguished family that settled in Quebec in the 18th century. Her great-grandfather was Abraham Martin l’Ecossais (the Scotsman), a royal pilot on the St. Lawrence River. The Plains of Abraham are named for him. This is where a famous battle of the Seven Years’ War (the French and Indian War) between the British and the French was fought in 1759.
Joseph and Marie had three children:
- Joseph III (b. 1750)
- Marie-Marguerite (birthdate unknown)
- Marie-Thérèse (birthdate unknown)
- Marie-Joseph (b. 1763).
Joseph died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1778.
Sources
Lewis, Hugh M., Robidoux Chronicicles, French-Indian Etnoculture of the Trans-Mississippi West, Trafford, Canada, 2004
Genealogical Dictionary of Canadian Families, 1608-1890, Tanguay Collection