Pierre Who? A Dufour family mystery

Most people who try and build their tree out fast find some very strong lines especially those that have been researched thoroughly by others. The Dufour family is a part of my maternal grandfather's history.

The tether point for me is Pierre Dufour de Bonvivant, my 6th Great grandfather. Following the line down, I am by his son Pierre Parffait Dufour (1754-1819) who bore a daughter Catherine Dufour (1805-1912) who married Edward John Jones (1805-1901). Together Catherine had 3 known children, one of them being  Edward John Jones, Jr. (1839-1939) whose son was Henry john Jones (1865-1952) who birthed my Grandfather Harvey Wendell Jones (1926-1989).

The mystery is young Pierre, son of Bonvivant. According to a old Saginaw newspaper his wife was a Native American woman from the Fort Detroit area during the French occupation. After Catherine's birth she left the fort to return to her tribe leaving no paper trail as too her origin. Marrying Natives was not uncommon as another son of Bonvivant, Jean Baptiste married his own daughter Catherine to a Joseph Metis which is reflected in the Metis Journals kept by French soliders to account for marriages and births. The word Metis is french for Mixed, no doubt a commentary on the heritage of the individual. It often took the place of a surname.

His father, Pierre Bonvivant Dufour was the son of Pierre Mathieu Dufour, who was born in St Malo, in 1711. His mother was Anne De La Rue of the same village of St Malo. Pierre and Anne were married in the Church of Notre Dame, St Malo, Bretagne, France, on 26 May 1708.

Pierre Bonvivant of Bretagne, France. was a soldier with the French Army under Commander Berry, Cadillac Company. He traveled with his wife and two sons who were also in the army, to now Detroit, Michigan, where he settled across from Detroit in the now called Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His grave is at the foot of the Ambassador bridge which joins USA & Canada near the Assumption Church which he helped to build.

Prior to settling America Bonvivant was involved in a thievery which made him famous locally as a troublemaker. According to Guy Charpentier, a descendant of Pierre Dufour, by his mother Jacqueline, this soldier would be arrived about 1728: So, "In April 1729, a battery of the company of Blainville, Vidal Delair said Lajeunesse, so known as "The Cat", sells window-panes to Antoine Poudret, baker, then to Mrs. Repentigny. The husband of Mrs Repentigny, Pierre Le Gardeur, thinks that they are stolen window-panes  to the castle of Callière. He goes to the Guard-House, finds the drummer and gave him into custody. Mr Repentigny sends the window-panes to the guard of the stores of the king, Rocbert. This guard requires an investigation of general lieutenant Raimbault, held at once. The window-panes  were well those of the castle of Callière….The following day April 13th   Delair was examinated and the witnesses assigned. Among them, Marie Catherine Cavelier had received in gift four(4) window-panes from “Dufour, a soldier of the Company of Dubuisson”. When she had heard that its was a robbery of panes, she had immediately given them to Rocbert. Questioned about “Dufour of the Company of Dubuisson”, ...

On April 15, Delair is found guilty and condemned. On June 13, the prosecutor concludes that the addition of informations did not give any reason to change the judgement against Delair and the sentence of April 15 is maintained. Saint-Pierre is untraceable and it receives the same sentence as contumace." "Pierre Dufour will be only admonished and reproved" , because he affirmed to have given 4 window-panes to Marie Catherine Cavalier, which confirmed in her testimony.On April 28, Pierre Dufour said Bonvivant, soldier 17 year old of the Company of Dubuisson, appears. Pierre Dufour said Bonvivant acknowledges to have taken 4 window-panes in the castle of Callière, which it gave to Marie Catherine Cavelier, woman of Joseph Roy, a baker's assistant. He does not know Delair said Lajeunesse. Pierre Dufour is sent in prison. General lieutenant Raimbault assigns his accomplices Beausoleil and Saint-Pierre, also soldiers, and other witnesses. ...

After those events, Pierre Dufour said Bonvivant married Charlotte Gloria said Desrochers or Roc at Notre-Dame Montreal in 1737, and he immigrated to Fort Detroit, Michigan. This area was at this time a French possession in North America. His three sons Pierre, Louis and Joachim stayed in Montreal and got married there. Their progeny is still in the Montreal region especially in the Châteauguay region, while their brother, Jean-Baptist-Mathieu, lives in the region of Detroit, USA, Windsor and Amherstburg in Ontario, Canada.

So who is this woman who bore Catherine or is the folk tale false?  It seems that the Saginaw news record was lost in a house fire but if another record could be found perhaps the secret can be closed.