Est. 1854
Introduction
by Marc H. deClaire
This website was created for many reasons. First, it is important that families know their history. If one generation fails to pass along cherished stories or pictures, they may be lost. Discovering family medical history is something to consider as well. We must share our heritage and pass it on to our children. The deClaire legacy has a robust history and it must be preserved for generations to follow.
To the deClaire member who is reading this: Encourage your family to visit this website. We need you to share your photos and stories with us. Remember, sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory. And your memories can be stored here among us! Visit the contact page for further information.
Last, to my son Zachary Marc deClaire: This is your priceless heirloom. I've dedicated this website to you. I created this site in July of 2014, which was days after Eleanor deClaire passed away. We attended her funeral in Grosse Pointe Michigan and reunited with cousins that I hadn't seen in 35+ years. You were just 5 years old. It was at this time I had an epiphany to build this site for all deClaire's to share. Please explore this website and know the hardships that our ancestors endured. Your 3rd great grandfather, Carolus "Louis" deClaire [AKA DeCleyre]- took a chance to better his family and left from Belgium in 1854 with his wife Victoria and children Hector Augustus (Harry); Alexis; Theodore; Octavi; Henri; Charles Louis; and Emilie. They sailed on the William Jarvis ship from Belgium to New York and then onto Detroit. Travel conditions aboard these immigrant ships were germ-infested and unsanitary. Immigrants lived in tight quarters during their travel to America, and contagious diseases, such as scarlet fever, measles, small pox, diphtheria, typhoid fever and tuberculosis were quickly transmitted from one passenger to another. Children were especially susceptible to the diseases. Insufficient nutrition, spoiled food, a lack of sunlight, poor ventilation and unsanitary waste removal contributed to the poor conditions. As a result, America was inundated with disease-inflicted immigrants.
Once they landed in Detroit, Victoria, Octavi and Emilie died of a cholera epidemic that swept through the city in 1854. Louis and his family came to the United States when it wasn't the land of opportunity. It was survival of the fitest. They were not guaranteed success and there was no such thing as entitlements or hand-outs. Daily life was very hard. Electricity was not widely available until the late 1800's and indoor plumbing was limited. The telephone, television, washer, dryer and refrigerator did not exist. Contracting a disease or a serious virus usually meant death. Today, we take these things for granted with modern medicine and all of the latest technology and creature comforts.
You are the youngest known deClaire. Our name and lineage must be carried into the next generation. I hope you will share this with your children and your children's children. The sacrifices that were made by our ancestors to carve out our history must not be overlooked. Honor them by being a noble deClaire as you were raised to be. -Your loving father-
Our story begins in the year 1701. A French officer by the name of Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac; (Cadillac) along with fifty-one additional French-Canadians, founded a settlement called Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit, naming it after Louis Pontchartrain; (AKA Louis Phélypeaux), Secretary of State for the French Navy, Minister of Marine under Louis XIV. Pontchartrain was also a French politician. France offered free land in an effort to attract families to Detroit.
Detroit is a French settlement and is pronounced in French as "Day Twah." The city's name originates from the Detroit River (French: le détroit du lac Érié, meaning the strait of Lake Erie), linking Lake Huron and Lake Erie; in the historical context, the strait included Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River.
French
Background
Detroit 1889
Detroit 1899
It is important to know that an early Detroiter was Amelia Boule D'Aigle LaRose who was born in Sainte Hyacinthe, Quebec on August 16, 1819. She immigrated to Canada and married Touissant D'Aigle (born March 20, 1809) in Detroit on July 24, 1838. Within a decade, they had several daughters and a son. Toussaint purchased land from the old Dequindre Farm and the family was making progress until Toussaint died on August 22, 1849 from cholera. Cholera plagued Detroit throughout it's early history. By April 1850, Amelia was alone with four daughters. On March 3, 1851 Amelia married Paul LaRose in St. Ann's French Catholic Church in Detroit. They had another daughter, Julia LaRose who was born on February 23, 1853 in Detroit.
Amelia paved the way for hundreds of descendants as her daughters became matriarchs of the McClure, deClaire, Gauthier and Draper families. Her persistence amid poverty, disease, anguish and sacrifice is nothing short of an inspiration.
One of Amelia's daughters, Zolange "Louise" D'Aigle married Henri Louis deClaire who was the son of Louis deClaire.
Henri and Zolange had 10 children. George, Julie, Estelle "Stella", Genevieve, Elizabeth, Mary, William, Thomas and Benjamin. Another Julie died in infancy. All of which were tailors. See additional sub pages for their bios.
