40 Days | Day 2 | St. Louis, Missouri

skinker 1Overwhelmed, that’s the word. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying this negatively. Bien au contraire! I guess this is St. Louis’ way to make me feel as welcome as I always dreamed I would be.

I flew in last night and as soon as today at noon, as promised, I already climbed the steps leading to the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center, located in front of Forest Park. The museum is housed in a beautiful building which used to be a synagogue. I will be spending two more days there.

So, are you curious? What did I find?

I first perused the Archives Card Catalog wherein I discovered two things that really got me excited:

First, the marriage contract of Pierre Rousselle and Françoise Gagné. Pierre is the father of Émilie who married Charles Tourville. Remember that couple who had to do penitence in 1822 because they married but not in church? I will come back to Pierre Rousselle in a future post.

And then, an engagement contract for Pierre Tourville in 1829 for Pierre Chouteau Jr. I learned that he was a boatman for the American Fur Trade. American Fur Trade? Well, well…

At the end of the afternoon, I found a printed index to the microfilm edition of the American Fur Trade Ledgers. Take a look at this:

  • Étienne Tourville — 9 entries
  • Louis Tourville — 3 entries
  • Paschal Tourville — 2 entries
  • Pierre Tourville — 17 entries
  • Toussaint Tourville — 56 entries (!)

The period we are dealing with is 1829 to 1848—I’m talking about great timelines here.

A ledger might not contain a lot but I mean, if there are a date and a place, I will be happy!

So, what do you think I will be doing tomorrow?


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