Navarre Family

The roots of the Navarre family reach back to the 1834 wedding of Kechoueckquay [Kisnawkwe] and Pierre Navarre in the Indiana village of Potawatomi leader, Pokagon. Kechoueckquay was the daughter of Potawatomi leader Wabaunsee, later taking the Christian name of Angelique upon her baptism. Born at Detroit and raised in Monroe, Michigan, Pierre is recognized as the first non-Native settler of Michigan’s St. Joseph River Valley. He was considered well-educated and a top agent for the American Fur Company. He would later leave the American Fur Company to establish his own trading post along the St. Joseph River. His experience in trapping and trading with local tribes helped his business prosper. From his trading post, Navarre would trade in furs, maple sugar, baskets and other items acquired from tribes. It was here that Pierre became connected with Potawatomi communities and met Angelique.

Wabaunsee was as a powerful and influential leader among the Bodéwadmi, Odawa and Ojibwe villages of Illinois and Indiana. He was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a respected spiritual leader in the ancient Mdéwen Medicine Society. Joseph Napoleon Bourassa wrote of Wabaunsee, “…[his] qualities made him a first-rate diplomatist in treaty making. There never were sufficient barriers in his way to thwart him from executing any projects he might have in view.”

From their union, Angelique and Pierre had several children: Peter, Marianne, Judith, twins Anthony and Joseph, Monica, John, Catherine, Isador, Theresa and Frances.

After the 1830 Indian Removal Act, Potawatomi communities were forced to sell their lands and relocate west of the Mississippi River. In the 1840s, Angelique, Pierre and several Potawatomi villages were removed to Kansas. A decade later and upon Angelique’s death, Pierre returned to Indiana. The younger Navarre children were sent to live with relatives in Michigan, while older sons, Anthony and Peter, were enrolled in the Choctaw Academy at Blue Springs, Kentucky, with other Potawatomi youth.

Frances married John DeGraff and lived in Monroe, Michigan. The couple had Mary Frances, John, Ellen, Joseph, William, Edward, Isidore and George. Pierre Navarre walked on in 1864 while staying with Frances. Two years later, Frances and her family moved to Kansas.

Anthony first married Sownawequa and later married Annie May. His children were Joseph, Catherine, Isidore, John M. and Theresa. Anthony was a schoolteacher at South Bend, Indiana, and later became an advocate for Tribal interests in Washington, D.C. He lobbied for an amendatory treaty in 1866, which granted Citizen Potawatomi women the status of head-of-household. This was a significant step forward for women, who now had the same property ownership rights as men. Rossville, Kansas, would later be built on land that had belonged to Anthony Navarre.

Theresa married Claude Milot. The Milot children were Alexander, Emily (Holloway), Mary Ann (Vieux), Joseph, William and Louise (Weddel). Judith married Clement Bourdon. Their children were Mary, Adelaide, Catherine, Peter, Anthony, Alexandrine and Margarita. Peter married Ellen Page. The couple had Peter, Jerome, Frank, Louis, Gregory, Francis and Julia. Marianne married Edward Maines [Maynes]. The other Navarre siblings either never married or information on their marriages did not appear in available records.

During the 1860s, the Potawatomi were faced with a significant decision. Under pressure from settlers and railroad companies, the U.S. government offered citizenship and individual allotments to the Potawatomi in Kansas in order to obtain the land.

Gregory Navarre and his wife, Mary, were the parents of Henry, Jerome, Mary, Emily, William, Robert Jr., Peter Jr., Edith, Maggie, Alice and Joseph. Sadly, only Jerome, Peter Jr., Edith, Maggie, Alice and Joseph lived to adulthood. Gregory was postmaster at Rossville, Kansas from 1867 to 1871. Gregory’s son, Pete Navarre, was the first graduate of the printing shop in 1901 from Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, Kansas. Pete owned and published the Rossville Reporter for 40 years. A building built in 1972 at Haskell was named Navarre Hall in honor of Pete.

Louis and his wife, Julia, had Mamie, Fay, Viola, Lena, Mary, Robert and Edward (Edwin).

Harrah, Oklahoma, was established thanks to Louis Navarre. The land for the original site of Harrah was donated by Louis Navarre, who was first to arrive at his allotment in the 1870s. While a plaque outside the city’s history museum mentions Navarre’s contributions, the town was later named in 1898 for Frank Harrah. However, Navarre Street is prominently located near the center of town.

Edward (Edwin) had two children named Emery and Jessie. Jessie would later become the mother of future CPN Vice-Chairman Linda Capps. Capps has been a CPN elected official since 1987. In June of 1990, she was elected Vice-Chairman of the Nation, a position she still holds today. A career educator, she has always emphasized the importance of education. Drawing inspiration from her ancestors, Capps works for the betterment of her community, volunteering her time on numerous local boards and leadership organizations.

Citations

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Public Information Department