Charles Rochon
Encyclopedia
Charles Rochon was a French colonist and was one of the four founders of modern-day Mobile, Alabama
.
. He became a fur trapper and was associated with Henri de Tonti
, accompanying him on many of his expeditions. In 1701 he came to colonial Louisiana
, and he was a colonist at the settlement of Fort Louis De Mobile located at modern-day Axis, Alabama
, an area of habitation that preceded the modern-day city of Mobile.
In 1706, along with Pierre LeBouef, Gilbert Dardenne and Claude Parent, Rochon left the settlement at Axis, moving down to a site at the mouth of the Mobile River
, site of present-day Mobile. The success that the four had at this site was a contributing factor of the relocation of Mobile from the site at Axis to its present site in 1711.
After the city was moved to the Mobile River site, Charles Rochon again moved, this time to a site at the mouth of the Dog River
, where he established a plantation
that remained in the hands of his descendants until 1848. The plantation encompassed the majority of what is today known as Hollinger's Island. Rochon remained at this plantation until his death in 1733
) daughter of Old Mobile settler Jean Baptiste (dit "LaViolette") Colon, as well as being the goddaughter of Henri de Tonti
. They had several children, but only two survived past 1733. Their son, Louis Augustus, established a plantation on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay that became modern-day Spanish Fort.
Rochon has had a number of notable descendants in the Gulf Coast region including, but not limited to:
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
.
Life and career
Rochon was born in 1673 in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He became a fur trapper and was associated with 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...
, accompanying him on many of his expeditions. In 1701 he came to colonial Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and he was a colonist at the settlement of Fort Louis De Mobile located at modern-day Axis, Alabama
Axis, Alabama
Axis is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Mobile County, Alabama. It has a post office with the 36505 ZIP code. The community has one site listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, the Kirk House.-Demographics:...
, an area of habitation that preceded the modern-day city of Mobile.
In 1706, along with Pierre LeBouef, Gilbert Dardenne and Claude Parent, Rochon left the settlement at Axis, moving down to a site at the mouth of the Mobile River
Mobile River
The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. Formed out of the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, the approximately river drains an area of of Alabama, with a watershed extending into Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. Its drainage basin is the...
, site of present-day Mobile. The success that the four had at this site was a contributing factor of the relocation of Mobile from the site at Axis to its present site in 1711.
After the city was moved to the Mobile River site, Charles Rochon again moved, this time to a site at the mouth of the Dog River
Dog River (Alabama)
The Dog River is a river in Mobile County, Alabama. The Dog River watershed drains more than . The river is about long and is influenced by tides. It originates at within the city of Mobile. It discharges into Mobile Bay, a tidal estuary on the northern Gulf of Mexico, at near Hollinger's Island...
, where he established a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
that remained in the hands of his descendants until 1848. The plantation encompassed the majority of what is today known as Hollinger's Island. Rochon remained at this plantation until his death in 1733
Family
Charles Rochon was married to Henriette Colon, the half-Indian (KaskaskiaKaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation or Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region...
) daughter of Old Mobile settler Jean Baptiste (dit "LaViolette") Colon, as well as being the goddaughter of 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...
. They had several children, but only two survived past 1733. Their son, Louis Augustus, established a plantation on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay that became modern-day Spanish Fort.
Rochon has had a number of notable descendants in the Gulf Coast region including, but not limited to:
- Hale BoggsHale BoggsThomas Hale Boggs Sr. , was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana...
, U.S. Congressman from Louisiana, House Majority Leader, 5th great-grandson - Cokie RobertsCokie RobertsMary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Roberts , best known as Cokie Roberts, is an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author. She is a contributing senior news analyst for National Public Radio as well as a regular roundtable analyst for the current This Week with Christiane...
, Television journalist, 6th great-granddaughter - Barbara Boggs SigmundBarbara Boggs SigmundBarbara Boggs Sigmund was a daughter of the powerful Democratic United States Representative Hale Boggs of Louisiana, and Lindy Boggs, who became a Congresswoman from Louisiana after her husband Hale died in an air crash....
, 1980's mayor of Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New JerseyPrinceton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, 6th great-granddaughter - Connie Bea HopeConnie Bea HopeConnie Bea Hope was the stage name for Beatrice Walker Hope , a television personality and chef in Mobile, Alabama, on the local cooking program "Connie's Cupboard", which began in 1955 on WKRG-TV. She also appeared on the station's daily midday program Woman's World...
, Mobile, Alabama cook, television host and socialite, 5th great-granddaughter - Rosette Rochon, Noted placée, businesswoman, and free person of color in antebellum New Orleans, granddaughter