The Cadottes: A Métis Fur Trade
Family of Lake Superior

For many decades, off and on, I have researched the Cadottes who lived around Lake Superior. Most of them are the descendants of Jean Baptiste Cadotte, père, the son of Jean-François Cadot and Marie-Josephte Proteau, through one of his two Ojibwa wives, Athanasie and Catherine. However, his nephew, Michel Cadotte le petit and several other relatives have also settled in the Lake Superior area and the Red River of Manitoba. Sorting all of these Cadottes out has become something of a hobby for me and many other Métis genealogists.

In my research I have had the good fortune of meeting and exchanging information with Therese M. Schenck, the leading expert on the Cadottes and a scholar of Ojibwa history. I have also benefited from exchanging data with Heather Armstrong, Betty Ann Jack, James P. Lalone, Mary Ann Saint Antoine, Christine Carlson, and David F. Baker. All of them experts on particular parts of the Cadotte story. Without the kind assistance of these fine researchers I would never had made any progress on untangling the Lake Superior Cadottes.

My research results have been published in Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, the journal of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan (FCHSM). You will find links to some of my articles here thanks to the FCHSM which has decided to make them accessible online soon after publication. You can download the Adobe Acrobat versions of these articles by clicking following links.

Specail Announcement:

I would like to recommend the following recently published book regarding the Cadotte family. Silbernagel does a wonderful job of bringing the Cadottes to life and putting them in historical context.

The Cadottes Book Cover

Published Articles:

DuLong, John P. "Some Births and Deaths Recorded in a Fur Trader's Account Book." Michigan's Habitant Heritage 5, no. 2 (April 1984):45-46.

DuLong, John P. "Charlotte Cadotte: The Vivacious Wife of the Fur Trader Séraphin Lacombe." Michigan's Habitant Heritage 36, no. 3 (July 2015): 101-115.

DuLong, John P. "Jean Baptiste Cadotte's Second Family: Genealogical Summary." Michigan's Habitant Heritage, 4 part series:

Part I: 36, no. 4 (October 2015): 188-198;
Part II: 37, no. 1 (January 2016): 43-56;
Part IIIa: 37, no. 2 (April 2016): 85-97;
Part IIIb: 37, no. 3 (July 2016): 156-166.

DuLong, John P. "The Cadottes, the Indian Department, and the War of 1812." Submitted to Michigan's Habitant Heritage, 2 part series:

Part I: 37, no. 4 (October 2016): 181-187;
Part II: 38, no. 1 (January 2017): 31-37.

DuLong, John P., and Heather Armstrong, "Prize Lists for the 1812 Capture of Fort Mackinac," Michigan's Habitant Heritage 41:4 (October 2020): 157-165. (Several Cadottes are mentioned as being involved in the capture of Fort Mackinac.)

DuLong, John P. "Jean Baptiste Cadotte's First Family: Genealogical Summary." Michigan's Habitant Heritage, 3 part series:

Part I: 41, no. 4 (October 2020): 199-204;
Part II: 42, no. 1 (January 2021): 38-49;
Part III: 42, no. 2 (April 2021): 92-105.

DuLong, John P. "Book Review: Silbernagel's The Cadottes," Michigan's Habitant Heritage, 43: 3 (July 2022): 141.

Forthcoming Articles:

Nothing in the queue as of November 2023.

Presentations:

DuLong, John P., "Jean-Baptiste Cadotte's Neglected Second Family," Center for French Colonial Studies, Annual Conference 4-6 Ocotber 2019, Mackinaw City, Michigan.

Additional Information:

Here are some additional bits of information including some of the genealogical tables that appear in my articles.

	A List of the Principal Chiefs Related to Michel Cadotte, le grand, and his Wife Madeline. This is a transcription I made of a document found in the Lyon Papers at the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
	Pauwayteeg Public Land Claims, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Territory, 1823. This is just a diagram of the lots and not really a map. I use it to help me understand who was living where in Sault Ste. Marie. And the official map of Pauwayteeg my diagram is based on.
	Charlotte Cadotte Genealogical Table showing her family of origin and procreation.
	Cadottes in the War of 1812.
	Jean-Baptiste Cadotte's Family Tree.
	Some Cadottes Active in the Fur Trade and the War of 1812. Revised Apr. 2021.

Additions and Corrections:

Please contact me should you have any additions or corrections. My time is limited, but I will try to answer questions regarding the Cadottes. Keep in mind that my knowledge of the family is pretty much limited to the three generations starting with Jean Baptiste Cadotte, père.

Any changes to my Cadotte articles will be found in Cadotte Family: Additions and Corrections which I will update as necessary.

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The Cadottes: A Métis Fur Trade Family of Lake Superior