Jacques Vieau (or Vieaux), born Jacques Le Vieux ( Montreal QC, May 5, 1757 – July 1, 1852,

Howard, Wisconsin Howard is a village in Brown and Outagamie counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 19,950 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The village is mostly within Brown County; a small portion extend ...

) was a

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

fur trader and the first permanent

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

settler in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

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 ...

. Also known as 'Jeambeau", Jacques Vieux was a descendent of a colonial French family that originally settled in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. He was related to Nicolas Le Vieux de Hauteville, lieutenant-general for civil and criminal affairs in the seneschal’s court at Quebec. Vieux was employed by the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

, developing trade roads from Quebec City to the Algonquines and Petawatomi Nations to what is today

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. He died in

Biography

In , Vieau came to Green Bay, where he married Angelique Roy that same year. She was the granddaughter of

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

Indian chief Anaugesa. They had at least twelve children together. In 1795, Vieau settled at Jambo Creek in Manitowoc County. While employed by the

, Vieau established a fur trading post in the area that would become employed by the North West Company in 1795, along with outposts at Kewaunee, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan. His Milwaukee cabin was built on top of a bluff overlooking the Menomonee Valley and became his winter residence away from Green Bay. A historical monument marks this location in Mitchell Park as the first house in Milwaukee. In 1818, Vieau hired another French-Canadian named

Solomon Juneau Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Milwaukee) Solomon Laurent Juneau, or Laurent-Salomon Juneau (August 9, 1793 – November 14, 1856) was a French Canadian fur trader, land speculator, and politician who helped found the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ...

, who later married his daughter Josette and went on to found what was to become the City of Milwaukee. In 2016, a tombstone for his grave was placed.

Family

Jacques Vieux, also known as "Jeambeau", married Anqelique Roy, a lady from the Potawatomie Nation, they settled in Menomonee Valley area, they had several children, the elders were: *

Louis Vieux Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

, prominent headman and appointed member of the first

business committee to represent the Mission Band in Kansas. He was the founder of the Vieux Crossing to the Oregon Trail Road, near

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. * Josette Vieux, wife of

, settled in the City of Milwaukee.Jeneua, Historical Records of the Founders of Milwaukee, City of Milwakee Archives, 1830, Wisconsin Historical Archives

Legacy

Vieau is the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

of Vieau Elementary School and also a street found in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The living descendants of Vieau are centered on Green Bay.

Notes

External links

Narrative of Andrew Vieau, Sr.

The Menomonee Valley: History

Highlights of History in Wisconsin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vieau, Jacques 1757 births 1852 deaths American people of French-Canadian descent Canadian fur traders American fur traders American people of Canadian descent People from Milwaukee People from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from Michigan Territory