Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Louis Honore Tesson (dit Honore) | WikiTree Tesson-31 |
| Born | 23 Apr 1733, Longueuil, Canada, Nouvelle-France | Parish register (christened same day) |
| Died | 26 Apr 1807, Carondelet, St. Louis County, Missouri (age 74) | WikiTree |
| Father | Honore Louis Tesson (1685-1754) | WikiTree Tesson-61 |
| Mother | Marie Euphrosine Debluche (1713-1754) | WikiTree Tesson-61 |
| Spouse | Magdeleine Pitre (~1739-1812), m. ~1759, St. Louis | WikiTree; FamilyCentral |
| Children | Louis Jr. (b. ~1755), François Honore (b. 1765), Jean Baptiste Honore (b. 1770), Marie Euphrosine (b. 1772), Michel Honore (b. 1774), Elizabeth (b. 1777), Victoire (b. 1780), Noel (b. 1781), Susannah (b. 1783) | WikiTree Tesson-31 |
| Occupation | Tailor | WikiTree |
| Military | Spanish Militia, Battle of St. Louis (1780). DAR Patriot A113777. | WikiTree; DAR |
Their Story
From Quebec to the Mississippi
Louis Honore Tesson was born 23 April 1733 in Longueuil, near Montreal, and christened the same day at St-Antoine de Longueuil. His father Honore Louis Tesson had emigrated from Beaulieu-sous-la-Roche in the Vendée region of France in 1720; his mother Marie Euphrosine Debluche was a native of Montreal. Both parents died in 1754 when Louis was twenty-one.
By the late 1750s, Louis had made his way to the Mississippi Valley. He married Magdeleine Pitre around 1759 in St. Louis, which was then a French settlement under Spanish colonial administration. Magdeleine, also known by the anglicized "Magdalena Peterson," was born in St. Louis around 1739, the daughter of Joseph Pitre.
The Battle of St. Louis
On 26 May 1780, during the American Revolution, a combined British and Native American force attacked St. Louis. Although the town was under Spanish authority, its French inhabitants formed the militia defense. Louis Honore Tesson served in the St. Louis Militia under Spanish command. The attack was repelled, and Louis's service qualified him as a DAR Patriot Ancestor (A113777).
Family and Later Years
Louis and Magdeleine had nine children between roughly 1755 and 1783, all born in or near St. Louis. Their son Michel Honore Tesson (b. 1774) married Genevieve Menard and continued the family in Missouri. The Tesson dit Honore name persisted through several generations in the St. Louis and Carondelet area.
In 1799, Louis bought a farm in what is now Lee County, Iowa, making him one of the earliest European landowners in that territory.
Louis died 26 April 1807 in Carondelet (now part of St. Louis) at age 74. Magdeleine survived until 7 April 1812.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Vault Note |
|---|---|---|
| WikiTree profile Tesson-31 | Compiled profile | wikitree.com/wiki/Tesson-31 |
| DAR Patriot record A113777 | National society | dar.org |
| FamilyCentral profile | Compiled genealogy | familycentral.net |
| St-Antoine de Longueuil parish register | Vital record (primary) | Via Drouin Collection |