Elizabeth Thérèse Baird (April 24, 1810 – November 5, 1890) was an early resident of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and one of the first writers to describe pioneer life in the state.

Early life

Baird, born Elizabeth Thérèse Fisher, was born in

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien may refer to: Places *Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second- ...

then in

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...

but moved to

Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

with her mother two years later. Her father, Henry Monroe Fisher, was a fur trader and her mother, Marie Ann Lasaliere, had

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

ancestry. Her mother ran a school for the children of fur traders; Baird met her future husband,

Henry S. Baird Henry Samuel Baird Jr. (May 16, 1800 – April 30, 1875) was an Irish American immigrant, Wisconsin pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the first Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory, appointed by territorial governor Henry Dodge. ...

, while he was teaching at the school.

Career

The couple married while Elizabeth was only 14 years old and moved to Green Bay, then in

shortly thereafter. The Bairds were among the early settlers of the growing settlement of Green Bay, and Henry soon became the territory's first practicing attorney. Elizabeth spoke

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

due to her family's connections to the fur trade, and she learned English shortly after moving to Green Bay. Her language skills allowed her both to translate for her husband's clients and interact in the American, British, French, and Native American communities in Green Bay, making her a prominent socialite in the settlement. The couple moved to a farm in 1832; Elizabeth managed the farm while also raising the couple's four daughters. Later in her life, Baird wrote several accounts of her travels and experiences as an early Wisconsin pioneer. She initially published her works in the ''Green Bay State Gazette''; they were later republished in the ''Wisconsin Historical Collections'' as the ''Reminiscences of Life in Territorial Wisconsin''. Her writings were among the first to describe pioneer life in Wisconsin and became a valuable source of information on the period for later scholars. She lived in Green Bay for the rest of her life, where she died in 1890.

References

External links

Reminiscences of Life in Territorial Wisconsin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Elizabeth 1810 births 1890 deaths People from Michigan Territory People from Wisconsin Territory 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers Writers from Green Bay, Wisconsin American travel writers American women travel writers People from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin