Manuel Robidoux

Manuel (Emmanuel) Robidoux (1620-1667) was born in Paris, France, and was the patriarch of a family that played a major role in settling Canada and America from the 17th to the 19th centuries. His descendants were instrumental in the history of New France in Canada, and the expansion of American territories to such places as St. Joseph, Missouri, and San Bernardino, California. Many of Manuel’s descendants are well known; for example, they are discussed in James Michener’s book “Centennial,” and have been chronicled as traveling with frontiersman Kit Carson. Meriwether Lewis’ final journal entry, however, was disparaging of the Founder, Joseph IV.

Very little is known about Manuel other than the exploits of his family in the settling of North America. We do know that Manuel married Catharine Allue (1618-1667) of St. Marie de Galice, from the Bishopry of Burgos, Spain. Their only known child is:

André came to Canada after Louis XIV, King of France, made Quebec a royal province and began colonizing what was then known as New France. It is believed that André’s wife was one of the filles du roi, the King’s Daughters, sent to Quebec to promote marriage, family formation and the birth of children.

Following André was his son William (Guillaume) (1675-1754), and a series of descendants named Joseph, culminating in six brothers who were key the expansion of the American West. Because of the large number of descendants named Joseph Robidoux, the significant ones are highlighted by Roman numerals, even though they did not use such an indicator during their lives. Starting with William’s son, these were:

Joseph III and his wife Catherine Marie Rollet (1767-1798) had eight children that lived to adulthood:

Today, the Robidoux family is widespread throughout North America, with thousands of descendants active in preserving the legacy of their common ancestor Manuel.

Sources

Lewis, Hugh M., Robidoux Chronicicles, French-Indian Ethnoculture of the Trans-Mississippi West, Trafford, Canada, 2004

Hafen, Leroy R. (ed.). Trappers of the Far West, University of Nebraska Press, 1965

Reyher, Ken, Antoine Robidoux and Fort Uncompahgre, The Story of a Colorado Fur Trader, Western Reflections Publishing Company, 1998

Thwaites, Reuben Gold (ed.), Original Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, 1804-1806, Arno Press, New York, 1969

Michener, James A., Centennial, Random House, New York, 1974, pg. 300

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