A Brief Synopsis of the Early Duclos Family in the Americas

Gabriel de Celle Duclos was a native of Noria, France; the son of Jean-de Celle Duclos and Collet Lagnot. Gabriel evidently migrated to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He married Barbe Poisson in Montreal Nov 19, 1652. Barbe was a native of Perche, France. They had at least one son named Gabriel Lambert de Celle Duclos.

Gabriel Lambert married Anne Messier de St. Michel on Aug 26, 1687. Anne Messier was the daughter of Michael Messier and Anne Lamoyne. The marriage was at Boucherville, Quebec, Canada. While living at St. Nicolas, Canada they had a son, Alexandre de Celle Duclos.

Alexandre de Celle Duclos married Elizabeth Michelle Phillippe on Nov 21, 1735 at Fort Kaskaskia, Randolph County, Illinois. This county also contains Prairie, du Rocher and Fort Anne de Chartres. Fort Kaskaskia was located along the Mississippi River and is in the area of Prairie, du Rocher, Illinois, and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. It is not presently known if Alexandre moved there with his parents, migrated there by himself or was sent there by the military. Elizabeth Michelle Phillippe was the daughter of Michael Phillippe and Marie Rouensa.

Marie Rouensa was an Indian Princess. All generations descendant of Alexandre and Elizabeth would be descendants of the American Indian Marie Rouensa. Alexandre and Elizabeth had five children: Joseph, Elizabeth, Antoine, Pierre and Marie Joseph. Marie Joseph (Dec. 7. 1744 died at the age of 39 days) and Pierre (Aug. 9, 1746) were born at Fort Anne de Chartres, Illinois another fort along the Mississippi River in Randolph County. Their other three children were probably born at Fort Kaskaskia, Illinois.

Joseph de Celle Duclos was probably the oldest and the first Duclos born in what is now United States territory. He first married Marie Jeanne Fontaille in July, 1761. They had one known child. She was Marie Magdeleine who married Francois Simmoneau at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on July 2, 1782. Francois Simmoneau was a native of the parish, of St. Ignace, diocese of Quebec, Canada. Joseph's first wife, Marie Jeanne Pontaille, had previously been married to Francois Saucier, an engineer and lieutenant of the troops of Fort de Chartres. Jeanne and Francois had a daughter, Marie Jeanne Saucier, who married Joseph's brother, Antoine (date unknown, probably in the early 1770's since their first child was born at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on April 4 1775).

Alexandre and Elizabeth had one other child Elizabeth who married Pierre Fredrick Darinsbourg an officer of the Marine detachment garrisoned at Fort de Chartres. Pierre's father, Fredrick Darinsbourg, was a Swedish gentleman commanding for the King a "Poste Allemans" (German Post.) These events slightly preceded and probably extended into the Revolutionary War. "On 3 May 1762 Joseph de Celle., (shortly, after his marriage to Marie Fontaille) cadet a L'Equillett in the troops from the Marine garrison in Illinois, petitioned for a grant of land, one and one-half arpents square on the abandoned glacis of Old Fort Chartres, in order to build a house, barn and other facilities necessary to carry on his business. The site of his present home was crumbling into the Mississippi River due to soil erosion."

Antoine de Celle Duclos' date of birth and marriage to Marie Jeanne Saucier is not presently known. His brother, Pierre,was born April 9, 1746, his sister, Marie Joseph, was born December 7, 1744 and his mother died January 2, 1747. This means Antoine was probably born prior to January 1, 1744 as the middle child in the family. Antoine married Jeanne Saucier, the stepdaughter of his brother, Joseph.

Antoine and Marie had six children. They were: Marie (April 1775), Alexandre (May 24, 1779), Michael (November 4, 1782), Felicite (February 14, 1784), Antoine (birthdate not known) and Marguerite (birthdate unknown). The oldest child, Marie, was born in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. No record of marriage is available for Marie And Michael. The other four were married at Ste. Geneviev. Folicite and Marguerite were married in a double wedding December 30, 1801 to Charles Robert (Politte) and Jean Baptiste Levri respectively. At the time of Marguerite's wedding in 1801 and Antoine's marriage to Cecile Aubuchon in 1798 their residence was listed as Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. Prairie du Rocher is the birth place of most of the children of Frank Duclos and Sophia LaRose a century later.

The first marriage of a Duclos at Old Mines, Missouri was that of Antoine Duclos (son of Antoine de Celle Duclos and Cecile Aubuchon) to Odilia Coleman March 7, 1825. It is not certain at this point, but probably the children of Alexandre Duclos (brother of Antoine) and Julie Boyer were the first Duclos born at Old Mines, Missouri. Alexandre and Julie were married at Ste. Genevieve September 10, 1803. It is known, however, at the time of the Louisiana purchase in 1803 there was a Duclos family living at "Old Mines". Whether this was Antoine Duclos and his wife Marie Jeanne Saucier, or one of their married children (either Antoine or Alexandre) is not presently known.

Antoine and his brother, Alexandre were prolific and began to enlarge the Duclos population in the area. In 1763, areas on the east side of the Mississippi River including Illinois were claimed by the English. Spain had also obtained Louisiana on the west bank and this included Missouri. The French were strongly Catholic and in order to avoid problems with the Protestant English, they moved en mass to the west side of the river. By 1766, almost all the residents of Fort Kaskaskia and Fort de Chartres had moved across the river. Since Marguerite and Antoine had a residence in Prairie du Rocher in 1798 and 1801, this family either did not move across the river or if they did, they returned to the Illinois side. In 1803 Spain sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. This included what we now know as Missouri.

The 1803 census, taken on the occasion of the Louisiana Purchase, listed one Duclos family as living at Old Mines, Missouri. It is not certain to me who this was. The first known Duclos child to be born at Old Mines was Basile on January? 1820. Basile was the son of Alexandre and Julie Boyer (Married Sept? 1803 at Ste. Genevieve who had at least ten children. It is possible that one of the older children may have been born at Old Mines. The migration to Old Mines was probably due to the area's lead mines.

The Duclos family evidently flourished in the Old Mines area, Ste. Genevieve and Prairie du Rocher for many generations. Sometime between the 1880 census and the St. Joachim's Catholic Church census of 1899 the Duclos' in the Old Mines area changed their names to DeClue. Families living there in 1880 listed their name as Duclos; the same families had their names listed in the parish census of 1899 as Declue. The reason for this change will be determined later.

As provided by Clarence G. Johnston