Michel and Jacques Campeau – Two Founders of Detroit

Michel and Jacques Campau played a significant role in Detroit’s history. Arriving in the early 1700s, they were instrumental in establishing Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit as a French settlement. As a descendant of both brothers, I find their stories fascinating. Join me as I explore the lives of Michel and Jacques Campeau, their roles in founding Detroit and their lasting impact.

Michel and Jacques Campeau’s Life in Montreal

Michel and Jacques Campeau were the children of Étienne Campeau, a French immigrant from Brive-la-Gaillarde, Limousin, France, and Catherine Paulo, one of the Filles du Roi. They were married in 1663 in Montreal, Quebec and had 15 children, including Michel and Jacques. The other children were Etienne Campeau, Marie Campeau, Jean Campeau, Catherine Campeau, François Campeau, Marie Catherine Campeau, Marie Louise Campeau, Jeanne Campeau, Jean Baptiste Campeau, Marie Elisabeth Campeau, Agathe Barbe Campeau, François Campeau and Charles Campeau.

Michel Campeau was born on June 14, 1667, while Jaques Campeau was born on May 31, 1677. Both were born in Montreal, New France.

In 1696, Michel married Jeanne Massé in Montreal and had six children. Marie Anne Jeanne Campeau, Antoine Michel Campeau, Michel Campeau, Paul Alexandre Campeau, Marie Anne Campeau and Charles Campeau.

Jacques married Jeanne Cécile Catin in 1669 in Montreal. They had seven children: Jean-Louis Campeau, Henri Campeau, Marie Cécile Campeau, Nicolas Campeau, Jean Baptiste Campeau, Therese-Cecile Campeau and Claude Campeau.

The Founding of Detroit 

Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit on July 24, 1701, and commanded it until 1710. Detroit was the first permanent colony in the Pays-d’en-Haut. Between 1707 and 1710, Cadillac sold 68 land grants, two of which were sold to Michel and Jacques Campeau.

Jacques was reportedly one of the first French Canadians to visit Detroit. He went there on behalf of the Compagnie de la Colonie in 1703 and 1704 and later settled in the colony with his family on September 3, 1708. His brother Michel Campeau was the first of the two to settle in Detroit. He moved there on August 3, 1707.

Life in Detroit 

Jacques Campau engaged in trade and worked as a blacksmith in Detroit, crafting metal objects like hinges and gun parts, which he supplied to the Detroit fort and its residents. Michel worked as a farmer and an immigrant recruiter for New France between August 29, 1718, and August 14, 1730. 

The colony struggled for decades after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac departed from Detroit. Alphonse Tonty, the commandant from 1717 to 1727, imposed excessive rents and taxes on the residents. In 1721, Jacques Campeau, along with other residents, signed a petition protesting these burdensome levies.

In 1734, Jacques was granted a lot of four by 40 arpents east of Fort Detroit. By the 1740s, alongside his blacksmithing trade, he had established an all-purpose merchant house, selling wheat, corn, bread and furs.

While Jacques Campeau spent the rest of his life living in Detroit, Michel moved back to Montreal at some point. 

Controversy Involving Jacques Campeau

Jacques Campeau was embroiled in a controversy during the early days of the Detroit colony. He wrongly accused Pierre Rocquant dit La Ville, a soldier from the garrison, of starting the 1703 fire that destroyed the granary and nearly all the fort’s buildings. Someone from the Lenape Nation had actually started the fire.

The Conseil Supérieur ordered Jacques Campot to compensate Rocquant and pay a fine. The court sentenced him to appear at the Quebec cathedral, dressed only in a tunic, where he had to kneel, publicly confess his actions and beg for forgiveness.

Michel and Jacques’ Impact

The Campeau family holds historical significance for their early settlement in the Detroit area. Their many descendants played pivotal roles in Detroit’s commerce throughout the following century. Jacques Campeau is recognized as one of the Barons of Detroit and so are two of his great-grandsons, Joseph Campau and Barnabas Campau.

Joseph, Louis Sr., Louis Jr. and Barnabas Campeau were prominent fur traders, initially selling furs in Canada and New York. Joseph was a merchant in Detroit and operated several trading posts, while the others managed trading posts in “Indian country.” They also played a role in negotiating treaties between Native Americans and the federal government.

Joseph Campeau later made millions in real estate and served as a civil servant in Detroit. Other family members set up trading posts in locations that became Manlius, Eaton Rapids, Muskegon, Manistee, Lowell, Hastings and Maple Rapids, with Louis Campau Jr. founding posts in Saginaw and Grand Rapids.

The Campeau’s Dark Secret 

While the Campeau family has made a name for itself, it also has one very dark secret — they were slave owners. There is no explicit evidence that Jacques Campau owned slaves, but it is known that his great-grandson, Joseph Campau, used enslaved labour to work his extensive landholdings. 

My Relation to Michel and Jacques Campeau 

So far, I have found four connections to Michel and Jacques Campot in my family tree — all through my Mother. They were the first branches to leave Quebec and head to Detroit. 

First Lineage

1. Jacques Campeau (1677 – 1751) and Jeanne Cécile Catin 1681 – 1715)
2. Joseph Douaire de Bondy (1700 – 1760) and Marie Cécile Campeau (1707 – 1782)
3. Joseph Douaire de Bondy (1733 – 1802) and Marie Josephe Gamelin (1741 – 1797)
4. Laurent Douaire de Bondy (1771 – 1813) and Marie-Madeleine Pageot (1772 – 1856)
5. Eustache Edouard Bondy (1801 – 1850) and Genevieve Reaume (1804 – 1875) 
6. Eli Bondy (1827 – 1894) and Marguerite Baron (1832 – 1898) 
7. Joseph Edward Eli Bondy (1858 – 1944) and Amelia Isabella Brush (1864 – 1935)
8. Pearl Leafy Bondy (1885 – 1966) and Edward Walter Grondin (1886 – 1973) 
9. Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998) and Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983)
10. Martha Grondin (Born 1950) and Gary Willis (Born 1946) – my parents

Second Lineage

1. Michel Campeau (1667 – 1737) and Jeanne Massé (1677 – 1764)
2. Mary Anne Campeau (1712 – 1796) and Pierre Belleperche (1699 – 1767)
3. Françoise Belleperche (1740 – 1796) and Joseph Gabriel Pouget (1728 – 1801)
4. Susanne Pouget (1776 – 1821) and Pierre Baron (1767 – 1835)
5. Hyacinthe Baron (1806 – abt. 1881) and Josephte Debaucamp Depocas (1812 – 1881)
6. Eli Bondy (1827 – 1894) and Marguerite Baron (1832 – 1898) 
7. Joseph Edward Eli Bondy (1858 – 1944) and Amelia Isabella Brush (1864 – 1935)
8. Pearl Leafy Bondy (1885 – 1966) and Edward Walter Grondin (1886 – 1973) 
9. Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998) and Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983)
10. Martha Grondin (Born 1950) and Gary Willis (Born 1946) – my parents

Third Lineage

1. Jacques Campeau (1677 – 1751) and Jeanne Cécile Catin 1681 – 1715)
2. Marie Cécile Campeau (1707 – 1782) and Joseph Douaire de Bondy (1700 – 1760)
3. Joseph Douaire Bondy (1733 – 1802) and Marie Josephe Gamelin (1741 – 1797)
4. Catherine Bondy (1769 – 1814) and Anthony Alexis Barron (1768 – aft. 1813)
5. Antoine Barron (1790 – aft. 1834) and Archange Langlois (1798 – 1848)
6. Patrice Barron (1822 – 1898) and Olive Meloche (1828 – 1916) 
7. Catherine Barron (1854 – 1939) and Antoine Solomon Renaud (1853 – 1926)
8. Mary Zoé Renaud (1878 – 1935) and Abraham Joseph Higgins (1875 – 1950) 
9. Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983) and Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998)
10. Martha Grondin (Born 1950) and Gary Willis (Born 1946) – my parents

Fourth Lineage

1. Michel Campeau (1667 – 1737) and Jeanne Massé (1677 – 1764)
2. Mary Anne Campeau (1712 – 1796) and Pierre Belleperche (1699 – 1767)
3. Françoise Belleperche (1740 – 1796) and Joseph Gabriel Pouget (1728 – 1801)
4. Charles Pouget (1764 – 1776) and Marie Anne Pageot (1776 – 1864)
5. Florence Pouget (1804 – 1857) and Etienne Meloche (1799 – 1839) 
6. Olive Meloche (1828 – 1916) and Patrice Barron (1822 – 1898)
7. Catherine Barron (1854 – 1939) and Antoine Solomon Renaud (1853 – 1926)
8. Mary Zoé Renaud (1878 – 1935) and Abraham Joseph Higgins (1875 – 1950) 
9. Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983) and Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998)
10. Martha Grondin (born 1950) and Gary Willis (born 1946) – my parents

Are you related to Michel and Jacques Campau or any of their many descendants? Let me know!

Do you want to know more about the earliest settlers in New France? Check out New France’s Founding Families and Their Fascinating Stories.