Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
Aloha Folks, I found this posted today on the Lesperance Surname Message Board of FamilyHistory.com. Best Jerry Lesperance
Posted by: MARK A. L'ESPERANCE
Message: HELLO ALL, I'VE BEEN READING THRU THE INFO YOU ALL HAVE POSTED AND IT IS VERY INFORMATIVE. I ALSO HAVE SOME INFO ON MY GREAT,GREAT GRANDFATHER. HIS NAME WAS PIERRE L'ESPERANCE, HE WAS BORN ON OCT. 10TH 1791 IN SOREL, A VILLAGE ON THE BANKS OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER IN QUEBEC, CANADA. IN 1814 , PIERRE L'ESPERANCE JOINED A PARTY OF FRENCH TRAPPERS UNDER THE COMMAND OF JOSEPH PHILBERT. THE PARTY REACHED THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER IN WHAT IS NOW COLORADO.ALL OF THESE AREAS WERE UNDER SPANISH RULE AND THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES ,APARENTLY FEARFUL OF ANY FOREIGN INTRUSION INTO THE AREA , IMPRISONED THE TRAPPERS. THE TRAPPERS WERE TAKEN TO SANTA FE AND SOON RELEASED BY HIGHER AUTHORITIES IN DURANGO.PIERRE L'ESPERANCE THEN JOINED A 24 MAN FUR TRAPPING PARTY CALLED THE CHOTEAU - DeMUN PARTY.PIERRE L'ESPERANCE BECAME GREAT FREINDS WITH ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE PARTY BY THE NAME OF "JAQUES LaRAMEE" WHOS NAME BECAME FAMOUS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY AND WHO'S NAME IS PERPETUATED IN TWO WYOMING TOWNS- LARAMIE ,WYOMING AND FORT LARAMIE. PIERRE L'ESPERANCE AND JAQUES LaRAMEE ,THEN TRAPPERS WITH A MISSOURI FUR CO. WAS CAMPED WITH TWO OTHER TRAPPERS ON THE RIVER THAT WOULD LATER BEAR LaRAMEE'S NAME. ONE NIGHT THE CAMP WAS ATTACKED BY ARAPAHO INDIANS AND JAQUES LaRAMEE WAS KILLED.THE YEAR FOLLOWING LaRAMEE'S DEATH , PIERRE L'ESPERANCE RETURNED TO NEW MEXICO WHERE HE TRAPPED IN THE ORTIZ MOUNTAINS NEAR SANTA FE ,THIS WAS IN 1828.IN 1830 PIERRE L'ESPERANCE - LIKE OTHER CAZADORES - BECAME A MEXICAN CITIZEN. NINE YEARS LATER HE RECEIVED A GRANT OF LAND ALONG THE TECOLOTE RIVER 16 MILES WEST OF LAS VEGAS NM. ON THIS LAND PIERRE L'ESPERANCE BUILT A HOME AND STARTED A RANCH THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN OF SAN GERONIMO, NM. DURING HIS YEARS ON THE TECOLOTE RIVER PIERRE WAS MARRIED TWICE BUT HAD NO CHILDREN. THE FIRST MARRIAGE TO ANICETA GALLEGOS ENDED IN SEPARATION. HIS SECOND WIFE,DELORES GARCIA, DIED . IN 1857 PIERRE L'ESPERANCE INVITED HIS 18 YEAR OLD NEPHEW, ALSO NAMED PIERRE, TO COME TO NEW MEXICO. THE UNCLE AND NEPHEW BUILT A SAW MILL WITH A VERTICLE SAW OPERATED BY THE TECOLOTE RIVER CURRENT AND PRODUCED LUMBER FOR MANY HOUSES BUILT IN SAN GERONIMO AND NEAR BY LAS VEGAS, NM. BY THE TIME HE DIED IN 1879 AT THE AGE OF 88, PIERRE L'ESPERANCE HAD FOUND FINANCIAL SECURITY AND A PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY HE FOUNDED.THER IS MORE INFO AVAILIABLE AS THERE ARE STILL TO THIS DAY MANY MORE L'ESPERANCES IN NEW MEXICO,INCLUDING A BEAUTIFUL TOWN NAMED TEJIQUE WHERE 95% OF THE POPULATION ARE L'ESPERANCES,AND THEY ARE ALL WOOD CUTTERS AND BUILDERS. SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG BUT I THOUGHT YOU AS LESPERANCE FAMILY MAY BE INTERESTED.
More Replies:
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
JoAnn Baca 12/08/04
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
Nancy Anderson 9/08/06
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
Gerald Lesperance 12/08/04
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
john burns 12/04/04
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879
Gerald Lesperance 12/04/04
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Re: Pierre Lesperance in NM, 1790's-1879