Etienne Philippe dit Dulongpré (originally published 2020)

Sometimes you hit the genealogical jackpot!

Etienne Philippe dit Dulongpré was my 7th great grandfather. Years ago, I came across his name in books a few times, but I did not realize he was "mine." And, like most people, I had forgotten about everything I read until recently. That's why it's important to review those old sources every so often.

In Margaret Kimball Brown's book, History as they Lived it: A Social History of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois  (Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 2005), the author mentions Etienne and tells a bit about his life and of his brother, Michel, who was also one of my direct ancestors. She writes that Etienne, in 1717, was captured by unfriendly Indians while traveling at the Wabash River. He escaped and made his way to the Carolinas. The British took him to Santo Domingo and he eventually found passage back to Louisiana.

What a story! I have yet to look for the sources for that adventure, but I was able to locate a journal written by Diron d'Artaguiette, the Inspector-General of Louisiana. The men traveled together, along with several others, from New Orleans to Kaskaskia/Fort de Chartres (I'm not sure where Dulongpré's journey ended). The trip took awhile, over four months during the fall and winter, 1722-1723. I have included the entire journey in this post, which makes it a long read, but how often do you find a four month span of time in an ancestor's life that had been detailed nearly day for day?  Besides, what else are you going to do when you're stuck at home?

This is also a great history lesson about how people traveled during the early 18th century in very wild and remote areas. The rivers were the highways. In this one post, you get a picture not only of how people were living three hundred years ago, but also of some strange Native American customs.

So, here it is! 

By the way, Margaret Kimball Brown's book is available on Amazon and at many libraries if you think you need a look at it.