Francois Dauphin / Daupin, sieur de LaForest:
(1649 - 1714)
He was the son of Lt.Gabriel Dauphin de La
Forest & Jeanne Noreau de St.Germain, born in Paris. Francois married
Charlotte-Francoise Juchereau de St.Denis (daughter of Nicolas Juchereau
de St.Denys & Marie-Therese Giffard) at Quebec in 1702. Charlotte had
married a Quebec merchant named Francois Viennay-Pachot in 1680 (son Francois-Charles
b.1690) at Beauport, Quebec who died in 1698. She then married Francois
Dauphin de la Forest who was indebted to her former husband. After her
first husband's death Charlotte had advanced her brother Charles
sums of money for his trade expedition to the Mississippi River in 1702.
Laforest was associated in the trade with Charles and they were both accused
of trading illegally on the Mississippi by Boishebert.
Laforest arrived at Fort Frontenac in 1675
and was in New France in June of 1679, when LaSalle made him a grant of
an island. Francois was promoted to Captain in 1684 and was an associate
of LaSalle, commanding at Fort Frontenac for LaSalle until 1685, when he
left the fort to join Tonti in Illinois Country. After the death of LaSalle,
Henri Tonti & Laforest received the concession
at Fort St.Louis from King Louis, monopolizing the trade in Illinois country.
In the summer of 1687 he is with La Durantaye's
western force headed east to assist Denonville in his expedition against
the Iroquois, but by autumn of 1688 he is with Pierre de Liette in a Illinois
village. In 1691 Fort St.Louis was moved by Tonti & LaForest arrived
there in the spring of 1692 with a force of voyageurs & soldiers. In
September of 1693 the partnership of LaForest, Tonti & Accault buys
merchandise from Charles Juchereau. In 1702 the concession at Fort St.Louis
was revoked & Laforest was recalled east to New France, but apparently
continued to trade (illegally?) with LeSueur in the west. Francois replaced
Cadillac as commander of Detroit in 1710 (Charles
Regnault, Sieur Dubuisson assumes temporary command until Laforest's
arrival) and remained there until (he apparently died in Quebec on 17 Sept.1714)
his death in 1714 (when Jacques de Sabrevois assumes command). Vaudreuil
wrote in November of 1711 "...I had, however, given him (Laforest)
permission to go up this autumn in two lighters with twelve men, but on
the news that the enemy (English) had entered the river, M.de Ramezay stopped
him at Montreal because his going would have served many of the savages
as a pretext for disbanding, M.de Ramezay reported it to me on his arrival,
and I approved. Moreover, from my last letters from Detroit, it appears
to me that things are much quieter there than they have been. The Sr.de
la Forest will go there in the early spring and I will grant him any two
officers he may ask me for..."
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