Don Louis Lorimier
Encyclopedia
Louis Lorimier was born in the Etienne parish of Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. He is considered to the founder and first European settler of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
, where he later served as the Spanish Land Commandant. Lorimier is also responsible for the founding of at least two Missouri
counties: Cape Girardeau County
, and Bollinger County
, the next county to the west. Lorimier lived during a tumultuous period for the Cape Girardeau area, one in which its national ownership was transferred in rapid succession from Spain
to France
, and then to United States
via the Louisiana Purchase
of 1803.
Cape Girardeau County
was first settled by mix of French Canadian
and Shawnee
refugees who had fled with Lorimier from Pickawillany
in the Ohio Country
. Lorimier had intimate ties to the French and Shawnee refugees who helped him settle the area. Lorimier's Ohio wife, Charlotte Bougainville, (January 1758 - March 23, 1808) was half French and half Shawnee, and may very well have been the daughter of Louis Antoine de Bougainville
from the time of his North American campaigns in the French and Indian War
. In Pickawillany, Lorimier had supported the British and had led Shawnee and Delaware Indian raids against the growing American presence. Lorimer's raids had led to an attempt by George Rogers Clark
to exterminate the French and Shawnee there. Lorimier escaped with his life, and soon afterwards moved to the Spanish-held lands west of the Mississippi. By that time the earlier indigenous tribes of that area apparently were no longer present, due presumably to their lack of resistance to European diseases such as measles
and smallpox
that had been carried in earlier by European traffic along the Mississippi River
.
The second county in which Lorimier played a pivotal role was Bollinger County, for which he arranged the granting of Spanish land to George Frederick Bollinger
, his family, and twenty other German Reformed families from North Carolina. This was technically an illegal transaction, since Spain
had required that Lorimier allow only Catholic
s to settle in that area. However, Lorimier had been favorably impressed by George Frederick from an earlier visit he had made, and was willing to bend the rules for him and his settlers.
Loramie Creek
in Ohio, where Lorimier had his trading post, is named after him, based on an English spelling of his name. Nearby place names such as Fort Loramie, Ohio
and Lake Loramie State Park
also derive from his name.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is considered to the founder and first European settler of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
, where he later served as the Spanish Land Commandant. Lorimier is also responsible for the founding of at least two Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
counties: Cape Girardeau County
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Cape Girardeau County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 75,764. While the largest city in the county is Cape Girardeau, the county seat is actually Jackson, which was the first city named in honor of President...
, and Bollinger County
Bollinger County, Missouri
Bollinger County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 12,363; despite a 2009 estimate that showed the population to be 11,841. The county seat is Marble Hill, which is the only city in Bollinger County...
, the next county to the west. Lorimier lived during a tumultuous period for the Cape Girardeau area, one in which its national ownership was transferred in rapid succession from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and then to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
via the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
of 1803.
Cape Girardeau County
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Cape Girardeau County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 75,764. While the largest city in the county is Cape Girardeau, the county seat is actually Jackson, which was the first city named in honor of President...
was first settled by mix of French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
and Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
refugees who had fled with Lorimier from Pickawillany
Pickawillany
Pickawillany was a Miami Indian village located on the current site of the city of Piqua, Ohio, in the United States.It was created in 1748 by La Demoiselle, a Miami chief, and was destroyed by the French and their Indian allies under Charles Langlade in June 1752...
in the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
. Lorimier had intimate ties to the French and Shawnee refugees who helped him settle the area. Lorimier's Ohio wife, Charlotte Bougainville, (January 1758 - March 23, 1808) was half French and half Shawnee, and may very well have been the daughter of Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of James Cook, he took part in the French and Indian War and the unsuccessful French attempt to defend Canada from Britain...
from the time of his North American campaigns in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. In Pickawillany, Lorimier had supported the British and had led Shawnee and Delaware Indian raids against the growing American presence. Lorimer's raids had led to an attempt by George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
to exterminate the French and Shawnee there. Lorimier escaped with his life, and soon afterwards moved to the Spanish-held lands west of the Mississippi. By that time the earlier indigenous tribes of that area apparently were no longer present, due presumably to their lack of resistance to European diseases such as measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
and smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
that had been carried in earlier by European traffic along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
The second county in which Lorimier played a pivotal role was Bollinger County, for which he arranged the granting of Spanish land to George Frederick Bollinger
George Frederick Bollinger
George Frederick Bollinger was born in Tryon County, North Carolina. Both Bollinger County, Missouri and Fredericktown, Missouri are named after him.He was the eleventh of the twelve children of Heinrich Bollinger...
, his family, and twenty other German Reformed families from North Carolina. This was technically an illegal transaction, since Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
had required that Lorimier allow only Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s to settle in that area. However, Lorimier had been favorably impressed by George Frederick from an earlier visit he had made, and was willing to bend the rules for him and his settlers.
Loramie Creek
Loramie Creek
Loramie Creek is a tributary of the Great Miami River in western Ohio in the United States. Via the Great Miami and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
in Ohio, where Lorimier had his trading post, is named after him, based on an English spelling of his name. Nearby place names such as Fort Loramie, Ohio
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Fort Loramie is a village in Shelby County, Ohio, United States, along Loramie Creek. The population was 3,045 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1837.-History:...
and Lake Loramie State Park
Lake Loramie State Park
Lake Loramie State Park is a 407-acre Ohio State Park in Minster, Ohio. It is located around 1,655-acre Lake Loramie and is operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.-History:...
also derive from his name.