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Nelsonancestors1st settlersBy JIM ROHDE Staff WriterSILVER LAKE - A distant cousin’s obituary led Harold Nelson to a family tree that Unks him with one of the first white settlers in Wisconsin Nelson, 72, who, with his wife, Eveiyn, lives in a modest white frame house at 401 Wisconsin Avenue, made the discovery nearly 10 years ago while reading the death notice of Sidney Bedore, a renowned sculptor who died in Florida.“Bedore's mother and my grandmother were sisters,” Nelson said “When I read that he was a direct descendant of Charles De Langlade, who was considered the father of Wisconsin, my curiosity was aroused Nelson wrote to Antigo, the county seat of Langlade County, and received information which led him to Green Bay and included contacts with several historical societies before tracking a down a family tree which now dates to 1590 And, he said, the search continuesMary Definet, a Green Bay gene alogist who. Nelson found, is a dis tant cousin, sent him ail the information she had available His search revealed that Charles and Charlotte (Bourassa) De Langlade, Brown County. 1764, were his grandparents si* generations backHe discovered that Charles De Langlade's father, Augustin Movet De Moras, was born in Trois Rivers, Canada, in 1707 De Moras' father was Pierre Movet De Moras, born in 1669, and his father. Bertrand De Moete dates back to 1590 I’ve also learned that De Langlade’s ancestry dates back toroyalty with Nicholas Marion, who was the Lord of Fontaine and the Merchant of Quebec At this point. I don't know where it's going to end up,” Nelson saidPaul Trap, historian for the State of Michigan and a writer for the Toronto Press, recently wrote Nelson about De Langlade's marriage contract which he said was published in the collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.According to a brochure on the Charles A Grignon Home in Kaukauna, Charles Michel De Langlade and his father. AugustinMouet De Langlade, left Mackinawin 1745 and arrived in what is now Green Bay They are credited with being the first permanent white settlers in Wisconsin Charles Grignon was Nelson's cousin five generations back The Nelsons, who have been married 38 years, visited Fort Michilimackinac in August for the reenactment of the marriage ofCharles De Langlade and Charlotte BourassaNelson said. After the massacre at the fort, De Langlade and his wifewent by canoe to LeBay (GreenBay) where they cut down trees and built their home ”Nelson has a sabre which has been handed down from generation to generation It was given to his greatgrandfather Louis Fournier, whose wife was Monique Brunette, the daughter of Domitille Grignon He also has a copy of an order by King Louis XV of France when hekenoftha Nfwi photo try Jor V#»r 'AnrttHarold and Evelyn Nelson hold awards certifying his family lineagecommmissioned Charles De Langlade as a lieutenant in 1761 at half pay According to Nelson, Langlade received only half pay because he was considered a half-breed His mother was an Indian princess in the Forche Tribe, a sectiotl of the Ottawa NationI Have learned more about Wisconsin history since we got involved in this family search than I ever learned in slt; nool,” Nelson said Nelson recently received certificates for himself and his family from the Bay Area Geological Society commemorating the 350th Anniversary of the landing of Jean Nicolet on the shores of Green Bay,It confirms Nelson as a descendant of a pioneer settler living in northeastern Wisconsin by 1884Nelson's most recent discovery came from an aunt in Antigo, Jennifer Erickson, whose grandmother, Helen Morgan, claims she has material showing the family relationship to General Ulysses S. Grant andMartha Washington.“I'm waiting to receive written proof before I start resear hing that,” Nelson saidA genealogist in California, who has the entire set of volumes oi Fr Tanguay, recently sent Nelson material on the early history of 50 families in Canada He hasn't be an to sort through it The genealogists we have lt;in-tacted refer to Harold as 'Digger because of all the information he r.ss been able to gather,” Evelyn said Nelson passes on all the informa tion he acquires to the Historical Societies in Wisconsin in reciproca tion for their help.Nelson is a lifetime resident of the state The father of five children, heworked in the repair department at American Motors Corp. before retiring in 1962 for health reasons.How long will Nelson continue his search into his heritage?I can’t quit, he said. It’s to the point now where I'm just trying to catch up on the information I’vea I rood \j rATOluArl
Newspaper Details
Kenosha News Courier
Kenosha, Wisconsin, US
Wed, Nov 23, 1983
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
WI, USA 19 Jul 2022
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