Jacques Vieau Explained

Jacques Vieau (or Vieaux), born Jacques Le Vieux (Montreal QC, May 5, 1757  - July 1, 1852, Howard, Wisconsin) was a French-Canadian fur trader and the first permanent white settler in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was born Jacques Jean Le Vieux^[1] in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he was also known as 'Jeambeau", Jacques Vieux was a descendent of a colonial French family originally settled in Quebec City related to Nicolas Le Vieux de Hauteville,^[2] lieutenant-general for civil and criminal affairs in the seneschal’s court at Quebec, Jacques Vieux was employed by the North West Company developing trade roads from Quebec City to the Algonquines and Petawatomi Nations to the South today Kansas, he died in Howard, Wisconsin.^[3]

Biography

In, Vieau came to Green Bay,^[4] where he married Angelique Roy that same year. She was the granddaughter of Potawatomi Indian chief Anaugesa. They had at least twelve children together.

In 1795, Vieau settled at Jambo Creek in Manitowoc County.^[5] While employed by the North West Company, Vieau established a fur trading post in the area that would become employed by the North West Company in 1795, along with outposts at Kewaunee, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan. His Milwaukee cabin was built on top of a bluff overlooking the Menomonee Valley and became his winter residence away from Green Bay. A historical monument marks this location in Mitchell Park as the first house in Milwaukee.

In 1818, Vieau hired another French-Canadian named Solomon Juneau, who later married his daughter Josette and went on to found what was to become the City of Milwaukee.

In 2016, a tombstone for his grave was placed.^[6]

Family

Jacques Vieux, also known as "Jeambeau", married Anqelique Roy, a lady from the Potawatomie Nation, they settled in Menomonee Valley area, they have several kids, the elders were:

• Louis Vieux,^[7] prominent headman and appointed member of the first Potawatomi business committee to represent the Mission Band in Kansas. He was the founder of the Vieux Crossing to the Oregon Trail Road, near Louisville in Kansas.^[8] Louis Vieux was born November 30, 1809, in Planes of Le Vieux, conflicting records of the time show the land in today’s Milwaukee or possibly nearer Chicago. He was the son of Jacques Le Vieux, a Montreal-born son of a French explorer, and his mother was Angelique Roy, daughter of Joseph Roy and granddaughter of Menominee chief Ahkenepoweh. Community engagement, Louis Vieux worked with his father Jacques and brother Jacques Vieux Jr. in the fur trade. In addition, he provided transportation across the river, Louis also sold grain and fresh horses and bought belongings that the pioneers decided not to carry with them further along the trails going West.^[9] In 1832, Louis Vieux married Sha Note, in the plains known as Charlotte. Sha Note was the daughter of Chesaugan, a headman of the St. Joseph Band whose signature can be found on as many as 5 Potawatomi treaties, including the 1795 Treaty of Greenville.^[10]

• Josette Vieux, wife of Solomon Juneau, settled in the City of Milwaukee.^[11]

Legacy

The town of Louisville, Kansas is named after Vieau's son, Louis Amable Vieau, Sr.

Vieau is the eponym of Vieau Elementary School and also a street found in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The living descendants of Vieau are centered on Green Bay.

External links

• Narrative of Andrew Vieau, Sr.
• The Menomonee Valley: History
• Highlights of History in Wisconsin

Notes and References

1. Le Vieux family records, Quebec Genealogy Archives, Généalogie Jacques Le Vieux et Angelique Roy, Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française, 2000 QC Canada
2. Le Vieux, Vol. 1 (1000-1700), Dictionary of Canadian Biography, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/le_vieux_de_hauteville_nicolas_1E.html
3. Web site: Brown . Jennifer S.H. . North West Company . The Canadian Encyclopedia . 29 January 2020 . 2007.
4. News: Death of a Pioneer of Wisconsin . Watertown Chronicle. July 28, 1852. 2. Newspapers.com. May 1, 2015 .
5. News: Descendants of Vieau to Unveil Marker . Manitowoc Herald-Times. June 9, 1922. 4. Newspapers.com. May 1, 2015 .
6. News: Early settler finally gets his due . Green Bay Press Gazette . Srubas . Paul . September 17, 2016 .
7. Louis Vieux, POTAWATOMI LEADER’S ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND THE OREGON TRAIL, Potawatomi Nation Archives, 2020 USA https://www.potawatomi.org/blog/2020/03/27/potawatomi-leaders-entrepreneurial-spirit-and-the-oregon-trail/
8. Vieux Crossing, Kansas - http://www.kansastravel.org/vieuxcrossing.htm
9. CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER COMPLETES EXHIBIT AT ROSSVILLE, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Kansas 2013 USA https://www.potawatomi.org/blog/2013/03/07/cultural-heritage-center-completes-exhibit-at-rossville/
10. Potawatomi Genealogy, by Susan Campbell, Kansas Heritage, 1998 USA https://kansasheritage.org/PBP/legacy/vieux.html
11. Jeneua, Historical Records of the Founders of Milwaukee, City of Milwakee Archives, 1830, Wisconsin Historical Archives