Francois de Clairambault d'Aigremont:
(1659-1728)
He was the son of Claude Clairambault
who relocated from Séboncourt (Aisne) to Nuits-sur-Armançon
(Yvonne) where Francois was baptized. He was to sail for Quebec
in September of 1701 to replace Tantouin de la Touche as
commissioner de la Marine. In 1705, he is recommended by
Pontchartrain [ Phélypeaux] to the intendant Jacques
Raudot and, in 1707
is sent on a mission
to inspect
trade at the forts of the interior. Francois arrives back in
Montreal on June 1708 and makes his report
in November of that year.
November 14, 1708: "...His (Cadillac's) most notable plea was that of bringing together all the tribes around lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior, namely the Outaois, Miamis, Hurons, Sauteurs, Mississaqueto, Amicouets, and others who live by the rivers falling into Lake Superior, and to induce them to form villages in the neighborhood of Detroit. But the troubles which have arisen since the beginning of the establishment show clearly how wrong it was to bring the savages who were allies of this colony, so near to the Iroquois...M. de La Mothe said to them (Outavois), "I am going to Montreal, where I have been sent for; complaints have been made against (page 432) me there, but be not surprised, I shall overthrow those who have tried to ruin me,"looking at M. de Tonty and at the Recollet father Constantin who were present, M. de la Mothe said to them again, "Although I am going away, have no fear so long as my wife remains here; but if you see her go down, then you will have reason to fear." When Madam de La Mothe went down, two months after, they were greatly alarmed, and thought of the attack which their people from Missilimakinac had made on Fort Frontenac, and mistrust then sprang up in their minds inasmuch as M. de Tonty, who had remained at Detroit as commandant, did not give them justice in any way for the insult which the Miamis had put upon them, any more than M. de La Mothe. In 1706 the Sr. Bourgmont was sent by M. de La Mothe to Detroit to relieve M. de Tonty...They continued however to go and see M. de Tonty but did not carry any complaints to him. But M. de Tonty said to them "the world must be turned upside down, they send me a private soldier to command me." These words redoubled their uneasiness, of which the Sr. de Bourgmont was warned by a woman named Le Chenette whom he kept. On this, the said Sr. de Bourgmont called these savages together and said to them, "I have learnt that you asked M. de Tonty to go and make war on the Sioux. I declare to you that I do not prevent you from doing so, and if you wish we will also join with you the Hurons, who left their dead there, the Miamis and the Iroquois, and you shall form but one corps...Quarantesou, according to the Outaois, was a rascal whom the Sr. Bourgmont employed to deceive them; for, instead of telling the Miamis that he gave them this gift to induce them, with his tribe and that of the Outaois, to go and make war on the Sioux, their common enemies, he said to these Miamis and Oniatanous- "I am sent by the tribes of Detroit to tell you to join them, to go all together against the Sioux; but I warn you that it is in order to kill you. I know it from a good source. Bourgmont and La Chenette, have told me so. The Outaois do not suspect us now; let us turn our arms against them," to which the Miamis consented...During this space of time the Outaois had sent some of their men with the Hurons against the Flatheads, and another party in the direction of the Sioux, commanded by Outchipouak, a Sinagan Outaois and a war chief, to get together the savages in the direction of Puants Bay, 80 leagues from Missilimakinac, while waiting for Quarantesou's return to Detroit. This chief was much surprised when he saw the Saquis and the Poutcouatamis coming to him, who said to him, "We give you meat to eat, and it is the meat of the Kikapous."..."What are you saying to me, my brother Saquis and Poutcouatamis?" said this chief, "you give me meat to eat of those from those from whom I was hoping for help." Then the Poutcouatamis and the Saquis replied, "Do you not know the news, and the result of the embassy of Quarantesou? He made presents to the Miamis, the Onyatanous and the Kikapous, to induce them to tomahawk us all, instead of exhorting them to go with us against the Sioux."...All these items of news put together, which were all connected with one another, kept them in great uneasiness, but it was prodigiously increased by what was said by a Sonnontouan woman who arrived at Detroit, whose life the Outaois had saved. This woman said to them- "My fathers, you saved my life, and I have left my country that I, in my turn, might save yours. I did not depart in secret, but neither did I say that I was coming here; they think I am hunting with my family. You must know then, my fathers, that Joncaire arrived this last autumn, and he said that the tribes were being lured on to destroy you all, and that the French were to go to Missilimakinac to kill those who are there; and I am surprised that M. de Tonty did not warn you of it, for he knows it well; as for me I am come to warn you. Be secret, and say nothing of what I am telling you." After this speech the most important men of each of the Outaois tribes held a council and decided to attack the Miamis...saying that the French had concealed everything from them. "Recall everything to your minds," said they; "do you not remember what Joncaire said at Sonnontouan, that the French would never forgive us for the death of the soldier who was killed on Hog Island; that M. de La Mothe told us when he embarked that if we saw his wife leave we should have reason for fear; that Bourgmont, on his arrival, did not speak to us except with a threat; that M. de Tonty secretly told some of our people to withdraw as quickly as possible after he had left; and you see that this Sonnontouan woman confirms all that for us. The Poutcouatamis and Saquis have told Outchipouak that Quarantesou betrayed us, together with Bourgmont and La Chenette." "What do you want to wait for" said Niutcouabamuct, war chief of the Kiscacous, "let us begin before they are any stronger; it will make no difference, for our men who have gone with the Hurons against the Flatheads are dead, it is a snare that they have laid for us." Others said "Let us hide our intention from the young men and let us act as if we wished to go against the Sioux."...This they did; and when they were in the woods they announced their scheme to the young men, which was to return upon their trail with all possible dispatch, and attack the Miamis, but not to touch either the French or the Hurons...the Outaois were attacking them, all the Miamis, who were in their village retired to the French fort where the Outaois pursued them up to the entrance of the fort; and the Sr. Bourgmont who was in command there, then ordered them to fire at the Outaois, two of whom were killed. The missionary, Father Constantin, who was in his garden outside the fort, and knew nothing of what was going on, was seized there and bound by the Outaois and taken into their camp. Jean le Blanc unbound him and said to him- "Go and tell Bourgmont not to let them fire at us, that we have no designs against the French." As the Father was returning, it happened that a young Out- (page 436) aois was shot dead by the Sr. Bourgmont or some other Frenchman, and at that moment another Outaois, a relative of the one who was killed, shot the Father as he was about to enter the fort, from which shot he instantly died. A soldier who was on his way back from the Huron fort, intending to go into the French fort, was also slain by the Outaois. Then the Sr. Bourgmont ordered the gates of the fort to be closed and the men to fire on the Outaois, of whom about thirty were killed by the Miamis and Hurons. This disturbance is not the only one which has occurred at Detroit since it was first established, and one of which I have the honor of informing you, My Lord, will not be the last, if this post is long in existence..."
On the 6th of June in 1727, d'Aigremont is a partner in the formation of the First Sioux Trading Company (with Beauharnois, Longueuil, LaCorne, St.George, Dupre, Youville, Dillay, Marin, Petit, Garreau, Campeau, de May, Richard & Boucher),which sends Rene Boucher de Laperriere (commanding), Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, Lajemeraye, Maurice Menard (interpreter), Rev.Michel Guignas & Rev. Nicolas de Gonner to the Upper Mississippi River. They construct a fort on Lake Pepin, naming it Fort Beauharnois.
Francois died & is buried at the cathedral in Quebec on 4 December 1728.