Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville
Encyclopedia
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
.
Biography
He was born in the village of KekiongaKekionga
Kekionga, also known as Kiskakon or Pacan's Village, was the capital of the Miami tribe at the confluence of the Saint Joseph, Saint Marys and Maumee rivers on the western edge of the Great Black Swamp...
, present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, to a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
merchant named Joseph Drouet de Richerville and Tacumwah
Tacumwah
Tacumwah , alternate spelling "Taucumwah", aka Marie-Louise Pacanne Richerville , was a businesswoman and prominent chieftess of the Miami tribe. She was the sister of Pacanne, a leading Miami chief, and the mother of Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville...
, sister of the Miami chief Pacanne
Pacanne
Pacanne was a leading Miami chief during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Son of The Turtle , he was the brother of Tacumwah, who was the mother of Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville. Their family owned and controlled the Long Portage, an 8 mile strip of land between the Maumee and Wabash...
. He was well educated, and could speak Miami, Iroquois
Iroquoian languages
The Iroquoian languages are a First Nation and Native American language family.-Family division:*Ruttenber, Edward Manning. 1992 [1872]. History of the Indian tribes of Hudson's River. Hope Farm Press....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, although he later refused to speak white languages or wear white clothing.
The main source of income for Richardville's family was the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
and control of a portage connecting the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
to the Little River, known today as the Little Wabash River
Little River (Indiana)
The Little River is a stream in Allen and Huntington counties in northeastern Indiana. A tributary of the Wabash River, it is sometimes called the "Little Wabash", which may cause it to be confused with the Little Wabash River of Illinois....
. The Northwest Ordinance
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States, passed July 13, 1787...
declared that all important portages could be used freely, and the Miami lost control of the portage in the Treaty of Greenville
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
. However, Richardville acquired a trade license in 1815 which gave him a monopoly on carry-over services at the portage, and the family again made profits from the portage.
In 1818, Richardville signed the Treaty of St. Mary's
Treaty of St. Mary's
The Treaty of St. Mary's was signed on October 6, 1818 at Saint Mary's, Ohio between representatives of the United States and the Miami tribe and others living in their territory. The accord contained seven articles. Based on the terms of the accord, the Miami ceded to the United States...
. The treaty punished the Miami for their lack of support during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, and took away most of central Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. However, Richardville negotiated legal land grants to individual Miami families, and often offered his private lands as a refuge for other Miami. This allowed about half of the Miami people to remain in Indiana when the tribe was officially removed in 1846, five years after Richardville’s death.
After signing the Treaty of Mississinwas
Treaty of Mississinwas
The Treaty of Mississiniwas or the Treaty of Mississinewa is an 1826 treaty between the United States and the Miami tribe.-Terms:After negotiations with the Pottawatomie to build the Michigan Road through Indiana by James B...
, Richardville lived in the Richardville House
Richardville House
The Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville House was built near Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1827. Subsidized by the U.S. federal government through the 1826 Treaty of Mississinwas, it is believed to be only one of three treaty houses built east of the Mississippi River.-History:Chief Richardville, the...
, in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The federal government donated $600 to the building, which was a stipulation of the treaty. Richardville used his own funds towards the house, and in 1827 it became the first Greek Revival house in Indiana.
Richardville is considered to have been the richest man in the state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
at the time of his death in 1841. He was succeeded by his eldest daughter's husband, Francis La Fontaine
Francis La Fontaine
Francis La Fontaine, or Topeah, was the last principal chief of the unified Miami tribe, and oversaw the split into the Western and Eastern Miami tribes....
. The Richardville house remained in the family until 1894. The land around it was mined for gravel in the 20th century. In 1991, the house was acquired by the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, which has restored the remaining property.
Named in his honor
- Richardville County, Indiana (Later re-named to Howard CountyHoward County, IndianaHoward County is one of 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Howard and Tipton counties. Originally named Richardville County, it was rechristened in 1844 to commemorate General Tilghman Ashurst Howard. As of...
) - Richardville, Indiana (Mis-spelled as RussiavilleRussiaville, IndianaRussiaville is a town in Liberty Township, Howard County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Etymology:...
to today)