Clues to
the Past - Marie Rouensa's Estate InventoryThe year 1725, the sixteen day of August, we, Andre Perillau, notary in the Illinois, we have gone to the house of Sieur Michel Philippe, habitant in Kaskaskia and lieutenant in the militia, in order to make an inventory of the possessions of the succession of the late Marie Rouensa his spouse, and at the same time to divide the possessions between Sieur Michel Philippe and Pierre and Michel Ako, children of the first marriage of Marie Rouensa, and Jacque Philippe, Agneisse Philippe, Elisabeth Philippe, Marie Josephe Philippe, Joseph Philippe, and Ignasse Philippe children of the said Michel Philippe and Marie Rouensa. The said Michel Philippe has taken an oath between the hands of the reverend father Boullanger, missionary of the company of Jesus, curate in Kaskaskia, that he has removed nothing of the said succession.
The said inventory and division has been made in the presence of the witnesses named below. To wit, on behalf of the: said Michel Philippe, Sieur Jaques Lalande and Antoine Carrier, and on behalf of the heirs of the said Marie Rouensa, Antoine Boisseau and Leonard Billeron dit La Fatigue, and as the fifth witness, Jean-Baptiste Pottier, who will also serve as appraisers and have taken an oath in accordance with the Coutume. To proceed therefore, we have taken the inventory that is as follows--
| Agricultural land of 5 facing arpents located in the prairie of Monsieur de Melique, bordering on one side the land of the late Charles Dany and on the other side to Jaques Philippe | Estimated at 2000 livres |
| More land of 4 facing arpents bordering on one side Guillaume Pottier and on the other side Cadron, which has been cleared to be sown with 30 minots of wheat | Estimated at 3000 livres |
| More land located in the North Point of the village of Kaskaskia, bordering on the one side Sieur Lalande and several other habitants, which has not yet been . . . . . | Estimated at 2000 livres |
| Another piece of land located in the village of Kaskaskia close to the petite riviere in the common....... | Estimated at 300 livres |
| A lot of 3 arpents located in the village of Kaskaskia bordered on the one side by the lot of the late Sieur Bourdon and on the other by Guillaume Pottier . . . . | Estimated at 550 livres |
| A barn located on a lot... | Estimated at 500 livres |
| A barn located on a lot... | Estimated at 1100 livres |
| Another lot located in the village of Kaskaskia containing one arpent of land... facing the church. On this lot there is a house of poteaux-en-terre 36 by 20 feet in which there is a stone fireplace, with neither floor nor interior walls. And another house de charpente 40 by 22 feet... a small cabin... stable of poteaux-en-terre. The said lot is half- enclosed with pickets of mulberry. | Estimated at 5500 livres |
| Two cauldrons of red copper, one of 14 to 15 pots and the other of 10 to 12 pots, together | 300 livres |
| Three pair of ? and one cramalliere | 75 livres |
| one bed of straw and rope | 20 livres |
| Six minots of shallots @ 15 livres/minot | 90 livres |
| Two kegs of oil containing 50 pots @ 3 livres/pot | 150 livres |
| Six minots of small wheat @ 12 livres/minot | 72 livres |
| one old cotton sheet | 20 livres |
| Seventeen sickles, some good, some bad | 68 livres |
| Three....... | 30 livres |
| Five iron axes @ 25 livres each | 125 livres |
| one pound of salt | 60 livres |
| Twenty pounds of pepper ? @ 4 livres/pound | 80 livres |
| Three old . . . . out of service | 30 livres |
| one iron salt spoon | 20 livres |
| One pirogue of cottonwood, about 40? feet long | 40 livres |
| Twelve pigs @ 80 francs each | 960 frances |
| Two medium size pigs @ 25 francs | 50 francs |
| Seventeen little ones 25 francs ea. | 425 francs |
| Eight picks totaling | 80 francs |
| Four scythes, two good, two out of service | 60 francs |
| Six minots of wheat in flour | 72 francs |
| Two "terriers" and one . . . | 30 francs |
| One cross-cut and one rip saw | 80 francs |
| Twelve thousand bardeaux made . . . for the caban of 40 feet that is next to the church of Kaskaskia | 180 francs |
| Six beefs 3600 livres | |
| Four cows 2400 livres | |
| Two heifers @ 500 livre ea. | 1000 livres |
| Two male horses @ 500 livres ea. | 1000 livres |
| One mare | 600 livres |
| One old negro named Pierrot and one | |
| negresse named Brinbelle, married | 2400 livres |
| Two more negros, one named Carod and one | |
| named Gollon, married | 3500 livres |
| One Indian boy slave named Chinchchinan | 600 livres |
| Two charettes, one for oxen, one for a horse | 300 livres |
| Two plows, equipped and ready to plow | 500 livres |
| Eighteen pewter spoons | 36 livres |
| Three and three-quarters ells of green serge @ 10 livres/ell | 37 livres |
| Two ells of red fabric for leggings @ 15 livres/ell | 30 livres |
| Fourteen and a half ells of trisses? @ 8 livres/ell | 116 livres |
| Four trade guns @ 40 livres ea. | 160 livres |
| Two copper candelabra with their mouchette and its holder | 25 livres |
| Eight small pewter plates @ 6 livres ea. | 48 livres |
| Four plates and a small platter of pewter | 36 livres |
| One pewter basin | 36 livres |
| A salting tub containing about 300 pounds of bacon | 300 livres |
| Two large brass cauldrons | 100 livres |
| One brass milk bucket and two... a boire | 50 livres |
| Three copper cauldrons without lids | 250 livres |
| Two iron kettles with lids | 150 livres |
| Two frying pans | 50 livres |
| One copper coffee pot, one copper kettle with with legs and handle [poelon] and one large stirring spoon of iron | 30 livres |
| One grill in poor condition | 15 livres |
| One pair of...And one cow... | 220 livres |
| About one minot of salt | 75 livres |
| Eight trade picks | 80 livres |
| One clipper [buchet] for working vines | 10 livres |
| One walnut table with two drawers | 100 livres |
| Five chairs and 2 arm chairs of walnut | 120 livres |
| Forty minots of peas @ 15 livres/minot | 600 livres |
| Fifty pounds of bulk lead | 50 livres |
| One hundred livres of..... | 100 livres |
| Sixty pots of oil estimated at 3 livres/pot | 180 livres |
| Eight plat... @ 10 livres ea. | 80 livres |
| Seven minots of flour | 84 |
| Two boxes of old iron and nails | 150 |
| Ten pots of...estimated @ 3 livres/pot | 30 |
| One....... | 30 |
| One hayfork | 10 |
| Fifty minots of maize estimated @ 5 livres/minot | 250 |
| Twelve hundred laths @ 15 livres/1000 | 19 |
| Eight minots of oats @ 5 livres/minot | 40 |
| Nine tons of wood, of which seven tons are debarked and 2 tons are cut | 100 livres |
| A small horse-drawn cart | 25 |
| The makings for two wheels | 30 |
| Eighty gross poultry | 192 |
| The harvest of French wheat, which is sheaved and in the barn, estimated at | 3300 livres |
Approximately 19 to 20 arpents of land sown in maize that has not been harvested. When the harvest is done Sieur Michel Philippe will be obliged to make an inventory of the maize in order to hold it in account for the heirs of the late Marie Rouensa, his wife; they will pay Sieur Michel Philippe their share of the costs of the harvest
| Six charettes of hay estimated @ 30 livres per charette | 180 livres |
| Six livres of scrap iron | 3 |
| A lockplate for a gun | 10 |
| A cassette with lock and key | 10 |
The inventory was closed between 10 and 11 a.m. in the presence of the same witnesses and appraisers who signed. it amounts to to the sum of 45,214 livres 2 sous, not including the maize on the stalk, which although included in the inventory has not been appraised. Done in Kaskaskia, 17 August 1725.
© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96
Return to Clues to the
Past