Pierre Louis Lorimier

Background

Pierre Louis Lorimier was born in 1748 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and is said to have been of noble blood.

Career

Lorimier accompanied his father in 1769 to the Miami River, and was established at a place called Pickawillany. Here he had a post known as "Loramie's" in what is now Shelby County, Ohio. He traded with various tribes of Indians and exercised great influence over them. He was an agent and interpreter for the British and his post became a rendezvous for them during the Revolutionary War. In 1778 during one of his raids he captured Daniel Boone. Raids by the Shawnee and Delaware Indians under Lorimier caused George Rogers Clark to attempt their extermination, and in 1782 he destroyed the post. Lorimier lost his stores, barely saving his life, and fled to Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio.

In 1787 he was driven by his creditors to Spanish territory, where he settled near the present town of St. Mary's, Missouri, and traded with the Indians in partnership with the commandant of Ste. Genevieve. Many Indians from the vicinity of his old post, who had been cowed by the Americans, were coaxed by Lorimier to his new home. They were welcomed by the Spaniards, who relied upon them for protection from the Osages and conferred upon them large tracts of land. Lorimier was appointed agent of Indian affairs and established their village at Apple Creek. He chose for himself the present site of Cape Girardeau, and in 1808 laid out this town from his own land grants. He was appointed captain of the militia and Spanish commandant of that district.

After the Louisiana Purchase he was appointed by the United States government to be one of the judges of the court of common pleas. His Spanish land titles were rejected by the first board of land commissioners and were not confirmed until long after his death. Cape Girardeau did not emerge until 1840 from the cloud thus cast upon these grants. Lorimier was called upon by the lieutenant-governors of Upper Louisiana to serve as interpreter to the chiefs of the several Indian nations and as conciliator. On many critical occasions he made perilous voyages, and through persuasion and gifts, kept peace and tranquillity in the country.

He was given many concessions of land by the Spanish, and license to trade on the St. François, White, and Arkansas rivers. His first grant was for six thousand arpens, and his petition in 1799 for thirty thousand arpens was granted before the American occupation. In 1796 the first Americans came to his district and stimulated by his favor and encouragement others followed. His district became inhabited by the most intelligent farmers.

Achievements

• Louis Lorimier was well known as the founder and first European settler of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was also influential in the founding of two more Missouri counties: Cape Girardeau County and Bollinger County.

Personality

Lorimier was a well-formed, handsome man, fond of dress and display. His profusion of hair was arranged in a long plait, fastened with ribbons, which he used as a whip for his horse while riding. He himself could neither read nor write but was undoubtedly a man of great natural ability. He spoke French, English, and several Indian languages with fluency. He had a beautiful signature and appended it to documents only after they had been read to him many times. He was a firm, brave, and successful commander, feared and respected by the Indians. His reputation for justice, both as an official and as a man, became firmly established. All his personal debts, even those made in gambling, were fully paid.

Connections

Lorimier was twice married. His first wife was a half-breed of Shawnee and French blood named Charlotte Pemanpieh Bougainville. They had several children of whom one son was graduated from West Point. His second wife was Marie Berthiaume, also a half-breed Shawnee.

Spouse:

Marie Berthiaume

Spouse:

Charlotte Pemanpieh Bougainville

References

• The Spanish Régime in Missouri, Vol. 2 of 2: A Collection of Papers and Documents Relating to Upper Louisiana Principally Within the Present Limits of ... the Indies at Seville, Etc;, Translated Fro
• Rozier's History of the Early Settlement of the Mississippi Valley (Classic Reprint)
• Memorial Sketches of Pioneers and Early Residents of Southeast Missouri (Classic Reprint)
• A History of Missouri, Vol. 2: From the Earliest Explorations and Settlements Until the Admission of the State Into the Union (Classic Reprint)