On this page below:
The name of “Joncaire” was quite prominent during the time of the
French presence in the Niagara region. Causing some confusion,
Joncaire actually refers to three individuals; the father and two of
his sons. They were known throughout Canada, New York and the Ohio
Valley dating from the 1690’s to 1759 and the fall of France in North
America.
Father: Thomas Louis de Joncaire (1670 – 1739)
AKA: Sieur de Chabert
AKA: Chabert
AKA: Joncaire-Chabert
Oldest Son: Phillippe Thomas de Joncaire (1707 – c. 1766)
AKA: Sieur de Joncaire et Chabert
AKA: Captain Joncaire
Youngest Son: Daniel de Joncaire (c. 1716 – late 1700’s)
AKA: Sieur de Chabert et de Clausonne
AKA: Chabert
AKA: Joncaire-Chabert
AKA: Clausonne
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Father: Thomas Louis de Joncaire
Born around 1670 in France, Thomas Louis de Joncaire
moved to North America in 1687. He was soon after captured by the
Seneca Indians of the Iroquois nation. Tortured by his captors, he
showed bravery in the face of death. His admiring torturers, respecting
his courage, saved him from death and instead adopted him into the
tribe. For the next several decades, Joncaire served as mediator,
trader, advisor and interpreter for the French and Iroquois nations. He
was instrumental in procuring approval from the Seneca for the building
of a permanent post on the Niagara Frontier, now known as the French Castle
(1726) in Fort Niagara. When he died in 1739, two of his sons
ably replaced him. They served in a similar capacity until the end of
the French and Indian War (1759).
Oldest Son: Phillippe Thomas
Phillippe Thomas,
the eldest son of Joncaire, spent several years of his youth living
among the Seneca Nation and, like his father, was adopted into the
tribe. Upon his father’s death, he ascended to the role that his father
had; that is, of trader, interpreter, advisor and even a military
command when needed. Although his role in WNY history is generally
overlooked, at least in comparison to his younger brother (see below),
Joncaire was well known and highly regarded among his contemporaries,
including the British who at one point placed a bounty on him, dead or
alive.
Late in the year of 1753, Captain Joncaire and his men were building a fort in Venango County, Pennsylvania. A 21 year old Virginian named George Washington arrived from the wilderness to issue a formal complaint of French trespassing on Virginian soil. The Captain politely accepted the presence of the young man and then sent him on to Fort Le Boeuf, a few miles further on, to officially present Virginia’s protest.
In
1759, Joncaire, along with many other French soldiers, surrendered at
the siege of Fort Niagara. He spent his remaining days in France.
Youngest Son: Daniel de Joncaire
Daniel de Joncaire
was at least seven years younger than his older brother. Like his
father and brother before him, he also spent several years of his youth
living among the Senecas. He also was adopted into the tribe. The
ceremony of adoption was a serious one that involved a lifelong
acceptance of one into the new family. The adoption was key for Chabert
to carry on with his duties for the French government - that of
interpreter, trader, keeper of the peace between the Native Americans
and the French and also as an agitator of relations with the British.
Chabert spent his time between the French posts, including Fort Niagara,
and the Seneca villages. He estimated that by 1738, he had made some 40
such journeys into the wilderness living with his adopted brethren for
months at a time.
By
1751, he was the commandant of Little Fort Niagara, located on the
upper river. In 1758, Chabert was ordered to take men and supplies to
the Riviere aux Chevaux (now the Buffalo River) and form a settlement. The
significance of this event on local history is that he was the first
non Native American to attempt a permanent settlement on land that
later became the city of Buffalo. Chabert’s settlement, located where General Mills
is now present on Ganson street, lasted only a year and a half before
it was destroyed due to the British takeover of Fort Niagara.
At
the conclusion of the French and Indian War, the French government
prosecuted many of the North American French who participated in the
war on charges of corruption and abuse of privileges for private gain.
Joncaire-Chabert was arrested and sent to prison in France at the
Bastille where he awaited his trial.
The Memoir
Daniel Joncaire wrote his memoirs while in prison at the Bastille
as a way to defend himself against the charges laid upon him by the
French government. The memoirs can be read with this in mind. However,
they also should be viewed as an extremely valuable source of French
history on the Niagara Frontier during the last three decades of their
presence - the 1730’s, 40’s and 50’s. Along with descriptions of
Chabert’s journeys through the region, specific events are also
described. These include a meeting with a Seneca leader of the seasonal
village of La Petite Rapide, located in present day Buffalo on the
Niagara River. However, it is the description of the 1758 settlement
within the borders of present day Buffalo that is of importance to
local history.
Chabert
was eventually exonerated of the charges against him. His name was
cleared and he was allowed to return to North America. He and his
family settled in the Detroit region where he died many years later.