People of Detroit

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Baby

Settler who at first agreed to use his own resources to help Sabrevois repair Fort Ponchartrain. Others talked him and two others out of this. May be Jacques Duperon Baby (alive during Pontiac's time - mid 1700's) or his son, Francis.

Duperon Baby

Owned a lot neighboring that of John Steadman in the citadel.

Absalom Backus, Jr.

Born: 09-07-1824

Son of Absalom and Mary (Hildreth) Backus. Formed Backus and Brother in Detroit in 1867.

Electus Backus

Colonel

Husband of Sarah Brady.

John Judson Bagley

Governor

Thomas Barber

Voted in Detroit's first election in 1768.

Kirkland Barker

Mayor

33rd Mayor of the City of Detroit (1864-1865)

Catherine Barrois

Mother of Theotiste St. Cosme.

A. Barthe

Active French citizen in British Detroit in the late 1760's. Signed a petition supporting the election of Philip Dejean as judge and justice of Detroit. . Served at times as an arbitrator.

Henry Bassett

Major

Ninth official commandant of British Fort Detroit (1772-1774).

Pierre Bassinet

Held lot #56 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Asher B. Bates

Born: 05-02-1810
Died: 06-01-1873

15th (non-elect) Mayor of the City of Detroit (1838); finished Porter's term

George Battzes

One of thirty leading Detroit citizens deported by General Proctor for criticizing the General's actions during the War of 1812.

Robert Bayard

Major

Succeeded Bradstreet as unofficial commadant of Fort Detroit in 1765. Served as Campbell's assistant from 1765-66.

Carleton Abbey Beardsley

Born: 10-04-1852

Son of Lockwood H. and Catherine (Myer) Beardsley. Moved to Detroit in 1880. There he practiced law, bought and sold real estate, and manufactured furniture.

Antoine Beaubien

French settler who lived at present day Jefferson and Beaubien. During Pontiac's war in 1763, Pontiac set up his headquarters at Beaubien's house.

Marguerite Beaubien

Detroit citizen who was responsible for the Madame Cadillac tablet in 1903.

Antoine Beauregard

Held lot #58 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Thomas Bennett

Thirteenth official commandant of British Fort Detroit (1786).

Guillaume Beranger, Sieur de Rougemont

Father of Jean Baptiste Henry Beranger

Jean Baptiste Henry Beranger

Acting commandant of Fort Ponchartrain in 1758

Frances Beridge

Born: 1743
Died: 10-16-1817

Wife of Major Henry Gladwin

Thomas Berry

Born: 02-07-1829

Son of John and Catharina Berry. Co-founder of Berry Brothers varnish manufacturer in Detroit.

John Biddle

Born: 1792
Died: 08-25-1859

4th Mayor of the City of Detroit (1827-1828)

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Francois Bienvenu dit de L'Isle

Held lot #22 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Angelique Bienvenue

Mother of Catherine L'Esprit. Wife of Claude L'Esprit dit Champagne.

Andre Bombardie

Held lot #49 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Lewis Bond

One of thirty leading Detroit citizens deported by General Proctor for criticizing the General's actions during the War of 1812.

Francois Bonne

Held lot #54 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Etienne Bontran

Held lot #12 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Henry Boquet

Colonel

Commandant of Fort Pitt in 1760. Was part of the group, led by Major Rogers, that tookover Detroit from the French.

Francois Bouat

Loaned de Tonty money to pay Fort Ponchartrain expenses.

Louis Bourbon, XIV

King of France

Born: 1638
Died: 1715

French King in the late 1600's and early 1700's. AKA The Sun King and Louis the Great.

Guillaume Bovet dit Deliard

Held lot #16 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Charles Bowles

Mayor

57th Mayor of the City of Detroit (1930).

Hugh Boyle

Voted in Detroit's first election in 1768.

John Bradstreet

Colonel

4th commandant of Fort Detroit (1764)

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Cassandra Brady

Daughter of Hugh Brady and Sarah Wallis.

Electus Brady

Colonel

Husband of Mary Laithy Brady.

Elizabeth Hall Brady

Daughter of Hugh Brady and Sarah Wallis.

Hugh Brady

Major-General

Born: 1768
Died: 1851

Served in the War of 1812. Commanded the Detroit garrison from 1837-1844.

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Jane Brady

Daughter of Hugh Brady and Sarah Wallis.

John Brady

Father of Hugh Brady. John was killed by Native Americans (during the Revolutionary War?).

Mary Brady

Mother of Hugh Brady. Wife of John Brady.

Mary Laithy Brady

Daughter of Hugh Brady and Sarah Wallis.

Samuel Preston Brady

Son of Hugh Brady and Sarah Wallis.

Sarah Brady

Daughter of Hugh Brady and Sarah Wallis.

Calvin Knox Brandon

Born: 09-06-1841

Son of George S. and Nancy (Craighead) Brandon.

Joseph Brant

English name of a Mohawk man. Brother of Molly Brant. Joseph is often considered the first Native American to have been educated at a white school and college.

Molly Brant

English name of Mohawk woman who married William Johnson.

H.J.B. Breevort

One of thirty leading Detroit citizens deported by General Proctor for criticizing the General's actions during the War of 1812.

Philip Breitmeyer

Mayor

48th Mayor of the City of Detroit (1909-1910).

Suzette deBeaubien Brown

Suzette deBeaubien Brown is granddaughter of Warren co-founder, Hugo J. Hesse. Suzette is also the granddaughter of Jay William Henry deBeaubien, a descendent of the Beaubien family for whom Beaubien Street was named. Her father, Philip F. deBeaubien was once the publisher of the Detroit Times.

William Brown

Dr.

One of thirty leading Detroit citizens deported by General Proctor for criticizing the General's actions during the War of 1812.

Elizabeth Browne

Died: 1811

Wife of Robert Rogers. After Rogers died, Browne married John Roche.

Thomas Bruce

Likely replaced Captain Turnbull as commandant of Detroit. If so, he held the post for only a short time (June to September of 1769).

Etienne Brule

Born: 1592
Died: 1632

1st European to visit Michigan with companion, Grenoble, in 1622.

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Francois Brunet

Held lot #57 of the original 68 land grants Cadillac made to private individuals from March 1707 to June 1710.

Adelaide Brush

Wife of Elijah Brush

Alfred Brush

Son of Elijah Brush

Elijah Brush

Died: 1813

2nd Mayor of the Town of Detroit (1806). One of thirty leading Detroit citizens deported by General Proctor for criticizing the General's actions during the War of 1812.

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Christian H. Buhl

Born: 05-09-1812

31st Mayor of the City of Detroit (1860-1861)

Frederick Buhl

Born: 11-27-1806
Died: 1864

22nd Mayor of the City of Detroit (1848); brother of 31st mayor, Christian Buhl

Theodore C. Buhl

Museum Official

Detroit Museum of Art official in 1903

James Burnett

One of thirty leading Detroit citizens deported by General Proctor for criticizing the General's actions during the War of 1812.

William Austin Burt

Born: 06-13-1792

Manufacturer and inventor.

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Glossary:
Algonquin

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes (and others): Delaware, Fox, Huron, Miami, Ojibwa (Chippewa), Ottawa, Potawatomi, Sac, Shawnee and Winnebago.
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Glossary:
arquebus

A 39 pound (approximate) musket that two men would prop on a tri-pod and fire with a small torch. The arquebus was used by Champlain's men against the Iroquois to defend the Hurons. This may be the cause of decades of Iroquois abuse of the Hurons.
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Glossary:
clay and wattle

Building technique used in the construction of chimneys in the early days of Fort Ponchartrain. The technique involved piling sticks and packing them - inside and out - with clay and mud.
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Glossary:
Colbertism

Name for early French mercantilism in America, which Jean-Baptiste Colbert was influential in developing.
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Glossary:
conges

Trade permits issued by the Canadian government/court of France in the late 1600s to early 1700s.
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Glossary:
coureurs de bois

Very early French inhabitants of the current US and Canada who gave up their farmsteads for lives in the fur trade. They often lived with Native Americans.
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Glossary:
District of Hesse

Land district provisioned by the Canadian Council on July 24, 1788. The area was on the east side of the Detroit River.
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Glossary:
Fox

"Properly ""Mesh-kwa-ki-hug"". Native American tribe living in the area between Saginaw Bay and Thunder Bay at the time Detroit was founded. The French called the tribe Renyard. An allied tribe of the Sacs and Mascoutin."
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Glossary:
Huron

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Iroquoian

General term sometimes used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca.
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Glossary:
Iroquois

"A Native American tribe known for antagonizing and brutalizing the Hurons (see also arquebus)"
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Glossary:
Mascouten

Native American tribe living in the Grand Traverse Bay area at the time Detroit was founded. An allied tribe of the Foxes and Sacs. Also spelled Mascoutin.
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Glossary:
Miami

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Muskhogean

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek.
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Glossary:
New York Currency

First standard currency used in Detroit (first used in 1765).
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Glossary:
Ottawa

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Outagamies

Native American tribe living in the Grand Traverse Bay area at the time Detroit was founded. An allied tribe of the Foxes (and Sacs?).
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Glossary:
Plains Indians

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, and Pawnee (Pani).
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Glossary:
Potawatomi

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Quebec Act

Act of June 22, 1774, in which British Parliament decides to exercise English law in criminal cases and old French provincial law in civil cases in western settlements. The idea was to discourage people from settling in the west.
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Glossary:
Renyard

See Fox
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Glossary:
ribbon farms

Original land grants given by Cadillac. The lots were typically around 200 feet wide at the river front, with lengths up to 3 miles.
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Glossary:
Sac

See Sauk
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Glossary:
Sakis

See Sauk
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Glossary:
Sauk

Native American tribe living in the area between Saginaw Bay and Thunder Bay at the time Detroit was founded. The French called the tribe Sakis; English and Americans generally call them Sacs. An allied tribe of the Foxes/Renyards and Mascouten.
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Glossary:
Shoshonean

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Bannock and Shoshone.
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Glossary:
Treaty of Montreal

Treaty ending the war between the Iroquois and France and England. Negotiations began in July of 1698 and the treaty was signed in August of 1701.
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Glossary:
Treaty of Ryswick

September 20, 1697 treaty ending war between France and England.
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Glossary:
voyageurs

Early French explorers who traveled mainly by water.