Oh What a Story to tell
The marriage took place in Philadelphia, PA. To me this is an extreme length of time for such
a courtship. Although that being said
Catherine was all of 15 years of age and Michael 32 years old. So waiting for Catherine to be a few years
older well may have looked better. There are no known births of children born
to them before 1747.
M ichael received a **French land
grant sometime 1751 in Grosse Pointe. Funny they still ended up in a land
with the name Pointe in it.
Source
In my research on my Detroit French
families I have tried to follow up on what another cousin had discovered. Our Ancestor by the name of Michael Yax has
a story to tell.
With a name of Yax just where does
it come from? Turns out Michael’s family
name should be Jacks. He is from Germany.
How does one mis-interrupter the
name of Jacks and morp it into Yax?
If in my understanding most
likely since Michael was German.
Pronouncing his name with his German accent then falling on non-German
accent language familiarity ears .
Simply produced Yax. Giving us
JACKS into YAX.
In my life time how many people have
mispronounced my family name & married name. Let alone how often they could not spell my
first name. Which is Virginia a name you learn for certain in school since it’s
a state. Plus it’s the place Sir Walter
Raleigh named after Queen Elizabeth.
Now back to Michael Jacks story. Michael Johannes Jacks was born in
Koln,
Germany in July 1709. He met a young woman by the name of Catherine
Herbinne who was 17 years his junior.
Together unmarried they sailed for the New World on a Sea going vessel
named the “Lydia”. Arriving in
Philadelphia, some time between 1740 and September 1741.
After they arrived in the New World
they married sometime prior/about to*April
1745.
Now with Catherine as his wife they
set off on a perilous journey.
They were
off to the Louisiana Mississippi River area to a place known as Pointe
Coupee. They never arrived there. No instead their journey took them to many
places that was not their destination.
It is written that “ Michael Yax attempted to walk from Penn. To the Mississippi at the place called
Pointe Coupee to establish a small colony of Germans.
He lost his way and after many privations and trials he
was captured by the Ottawa’s who stole from him and sold his wife to Mr.
Longueuil the commandant. “
How easily in 1745 or shortly there
after one could lose where to go in the wilderness. For the urbanites to leave and to go into the
wilderness there had to be such a strong drive to push them out there. You had to be a real trail blazer. | Boy did he need one of these compasses |
How is it that the Ottawa's
sold his wife? How did he escape from
his captures? How did he get his wife
back? These details are not known. It would be wonderful to know all of those
details.
So now back from the wondering. To find out now that the Commandant
Longueuil area was Detroit. I have not researched into what a Commandants
job entailed. When I first read this story I was very curious as to who this
man might have been that the Ottawa’s felt ok selling a woman to him. Lots and lots of speculation there.
It is clear to me now Why they were in the Detoit region. Due to being captured by the Ottawa's.
A few many questions still remain
such as how did Michael gets his freedom.
Did he have to buy his wife back from the Commandant??? [Lots of great summizing to be done for fun.]
Now that they have made it to the
Detroit region they settle in and start having children.
First child is Mary Catherine b. Feb
1747, m. John Baptist Rivard.
Second child is
Angelica b. Feb 1749, m. Tranquille Turcot.
Third child is
Louis Michael b. Nov 1751, no marriage known.
Fourth child is
Cecilia b. Sep 1753, m. Louis Michaeil Tremblay.
Fifth child is Mary
Joseph b. Dec 1755 died May 1764.
Sixth child is
Simon b. Nov 1758, m. Isabella Mauger.
Seventh child is
John Baptist William b. Jan 1760, no known marriage.
Eight child is John
Baptist b. Nov 1761, m. 178? Regina Christina Huet dit Champane
Ninth child is
Pierre b. Apr 1763, no known marriage
Tenth child is
Joachim b. Nov 1768 d. May 1769
Eleventh child is
Nicolas b. 1770 d. Nov 1772
It’s interesting that Michael was 61
when their last child was born and Catherine was 44.
If by chance you too are a
descendant of Michael & Catherine Jacks/Yax and you have additional
info. Please contact me so I may update
the info.
· * Note some of the time line for birth and etc… just does not
sit right in my brain. But as always the
dates may be irrelavent to the facts of the story.
**please refer to History of Detroit
for further info.
Genealogy of the French Families of
the Detroit River Region, by Rev Fr Christian Dennisen 1701-1911 Vol I & II,
