Alphonse de Tonty
Encyclopedia
Pierre Alphonse de Tonty, or Alphonse de Tonty, Baron de Paludy (ca. 1659 – 10 November 1727) was an officer who served under the French
explorer Cadillac and helped establish the first European
settlement at Detroit, Michigan
, Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit on the Detroit River
in 1701. Several months later, both Cadillac and Tonty brought their wives to the fort, making them the first European
women to travel so deep into the new territory.
He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonti
who was a financier and former governor of Gaeta. Lorenzo de Tonti was the inventor of the form of life insurance
known as the tontine
. Henri de Tonti
, involved in LaSalle's exploration of the Mississippi River
and the establishment of the first settlement in Arkansas
, was his older brother.
Tonty was commanding the fort in Detroit by 1717, but by 1727 numerous complaints, including those by the Huron led to his dismissal.
Tonty was involved in numerous scandals and disreputable activities before he was eventually dismissed from his post as commandant of Fort Ponchartrain. He died before he could obtain another appointment or return to France
.
Tonty was married twice. His first marriage in 1689 was to Marie Anne Picoté de Belestre with whom he had 13 children. She was the daughter of Pierre Picoté de Belestrehttp://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=521.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorer Cadillac and helped establish the first European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
settlement at Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit on the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
in 1701. Several months later, both Cadillac and Tonty brought their wives to the fort, making them the first European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
women to travel so deep into the new territory.
He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonti
Lorenzo de Tonti
Lorenzo de Tonti was a governor of Gaeta, Italy and a Neapolitan banker. He invented the tontine, a form of life insurance.Around 1650, he and his wife, Isabelle di Lietto, gave birth to their first son, the future explorer Henri de Tonti...
who was a financier and former governor of Gaeta. Lorenzo de Tonti was the inventor of the form of life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
known as the tontine
Tontine
A tontine is an investment scheme for raising capital, devised in the 17th century and relatively widespread in the 18th and 19th. It combines features of a group annuity and a lottery. Each subscriber pays an agreed sum into the fund, and thereafter receives an annuity. As members die, their...
. Henri de Tonti
Henri de Tonti
Henri de Tonti was an Italian-born soldier, explorer, and fur trader in the service of France.-Early life:Henri de Tonti, a Sicilian, was mostly likely born near Gaeta, Italy in either 1649 or 1650. He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonti, a financier and former governor of Gaeta...
, involved in LaSalle's exploration of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and the establishment of the first settlement in Arkansas
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Arkansas Post National Memorial, located about 8 miles southeast of Gillett, Arkansas, commemorates key events related to European-American history that occurred on site and in the vicinity: the trading post was the first successful French settlement in the Lower Mississippi River Valley ; site...
, was his older brother.
Tonty was commanding the fort in Detroit by 1717, but by 1727 numerous complaints, including those by the Huron led to his dismissal.
Tonty was involved in numerous scandals and disreputable activities before he was eventually dismissed from his post as commandant of Fort Ponchartrain. He died before he could obtain another appointment or return to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Tonty was married twice. His first marriage in 1689 was to Marie Anne Picoté de Belestre with whom he had 13 children. She was the daughter of Pierre Picoté de Belestrehttp://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=521.