Hi All, Had a trip that was both great and miserable today. Great because I got to see places I'd been reading about for so long. Miserable because it alternated between pouring and heavy rain the entire driving trip. Also, all places except the Courthouse turned out to be closed [Closed Monday and Tuesday[, so I did not get to go through the Pierre Menard home... or the artifact museums.... Made $26 worth of copies at the courthouse!!!! I was very disappointed because the Clerk of Courts people led me to believe I'd find BMD records there and I didn't. Our people lived in Illinois earlier than anything they had, including successions and land grants. The earliest land records were from 1795, or so. What I did do was copy tons of material from the Kaskaskia Manuscripts [English translation] Most interesting items I'll list below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 59:3:8-2 {take this to be March 8, 1759} "Sale at public auction of an old house and lot at Kaskaskia, belonging to the late De Gruy Verloin and his wife Marie Therese Aufrere. Bids also taken on April 1 and April 8, 1759, when property is sold to Joseph Chauvin Charleville for 2910 livres. Followed by receipt for payment in full on Jan. 15, 1760, at which time the widow is married to Dussiau. Executed at Kaskaskia. Hubardeau; Lavigne; Mme. La Fatigue; Charleville; Fagot; Pierre Baron; Francois Flogny; Labuxiere; Buchet; Geraudau; Lartefaille; La Giroflee; Casepin; Lemerance; Lagrange; Ridday. 4pp. Pub. III, 29/H326 [Don't know what those last citations refer to as there is no explanatory material on the microfilm] Comments: This indicates that Antoine has died by March 1759. This is much earlier than the July-Sept 1759 found in other records. He does appear in some records from 1758.... However 1758 is not nearly as "active" as previous years. David Perrin thinks he was killed in the French/Indian war.... so maybe he was on assignment out of town during that "inactive" period. The last "living" entry is from January 12, 1758. So from January 12, 1758 till he has become the "late Degruy" a year and a couple of months are silent so far as entries in the records. There are at least 68 references citing Valentine and a couple for Marie Therese. Also mentioned is Marie Maturine Guillemot dit La Lande [Marie Therese Aufrere's mother], Antoine Aufrere, Jacques La Lande [Marie Therese's grandfather]. There is a reference to a De La Houssaye [Housset] (this pertinent to you, Jerry?), a Joseph De Guire, a Marie Rose Deguire, and a Pauline Deguire La Rose.... Not sure about whether those last 3 or 4 are pertinent to our family. There are a ton of references to a Jean Baptiste Deguire... not sure about him either. Just got a phone call from David and he has a documentation for another record saying Antoine died between July and September 1759.... So... I don't know how to reconcile these two differnet and yet documented dates... but, there they are.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now here's another interesting one because it mentions the minors of widow Marie Therese Aufrere DeGruy.... but doesn't list them.... 62:6:17:1 [so June 17, 1762] "Sale of a stone house, outbuildings and lot at Kaskaskia and also a house, shed and equipment for working salt at La Saline, by Joseph Du Sceau and his wife Marie Therese Aufrere, acting for themselves and as guardians of the minor children of Marie Aufrere and her first husband, the late De Gruys Verloins, to Cadet Daniel Fagot La Garceniere, of Kaskaskia, for 38,500 livres. Executed in the Illinois. Followed by receipt for payment in full on Jan. 9. Based on Henry's 1856 translation; original not found. Richard [minors]; Chenie [minors]; Widow Chesnier; Girardeau; La Chance; Danneville; Jean Lagrange; Lagbuxiere. 3 PP See: 63:12:12:1 H449 Comments: I don't recognize those minors... Where are Marie Therese and Antoine's children??????? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note that in all the records pertaining to Antoine, he is Never named Jean Baptiste Antoine....Here is how he is named [each taken from a separate record]: Degruyverloins Degruise [De Gruy], ensign in the garrison of Fort de Chartres De Gruy Antoine Valentin Degruy Dumenil Fouchard De la Folie, of Fort de Chartres Degruy Verloins De Gruy Verloins [this page has an interesting reference to a Pierre Louviere Damour Dechofour, of Kasaskia....(wondered if that was a spelling of Dufouchar)] Degruy Verloins, Degruy Verloin, Antoine Valentin De Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard De La Folie De Gruy Antoine Valentin de Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard De La Folie, of Fort Chartres Antoine Valentin de Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard De la Folie Antoine Valentin De Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard De La Folie, of Fort Chartres De Gruy, De Gruy, Degruy Verloins, [Here's one with Jean Baptiste Deguire in the same record as Degruy Verloins] Antoine Valentin De Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard De La Folie at Kaskaskia.... and then another sentence saying "Verloins will supply all the materials....." De Gruy Verloins, De Gruy Verloins, De Gruy Verloins, De Gruy Verloins Antoine Valentin Degruy Verloin Dumenil Fouchard de la Folie, of Kaskaskia Antoine Valentin Degruy Verloin Dumenil Fouchard de la Folie De Gruy, Degruy [a reference to a Jean Baptiste Deguire, master tailor of Kaskaskia -- not sure if he is pertinent to us or not] Antoine Valentin De Gruyverloins Dumenil Fouchard De La Folie, of Kaskaskia [this entry has both Antoine and Maturine Guilmot, wife of Aufrere, merchant of New Orleans... in it] De Gruy Verloins Antoine Valentin De Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard de la Folie De Gruy Verloins [Here's one with Jean Baptiste Deguire, master tailor with one of the witnesses being Degrui] another with Jean Baptiste Degruire, master tailor.... one of witnesses: Degruis Antoine Valentin Degruis Verloin De Gruy Verloins Degruis Degruys Antoine Valentin De Gruy Verloins Dumenil Fouchard de la Folie