My father is Etienne Rose...

“My father is Etienne Rose born in Montreal, Canada, in the year 1790, being of French descent and Mary Burt his wife born in the year 1794 in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., being of English descent. Etienne Rose and Mary Burt were married in the city of Montreal, in the year 1816, and had 12 children.”

So starts the story of Etienne and Mary, my fifth great-grandparents. Written by their first-born son Stephen, born Feb. 4, 1817, in 1897, it holds an incredible amount of information on life in the early- and mid-1800s Michigan. It’s been published a number of times and is related online through many family trees.

“Etienne and Mary left Montreal in September 1830 with 7 children. They arrived in Detroit middle October of that year in time to catch white fish all along the river and we lived in Detroit about two months and he, Etienne Rose, looking around for a place to settle, there was much land all around Detroit that could be bought for $1.25 per acre, and plenty of other land that could be bought for $500.00 for 80 acres within four miles of the city, all of Detroit there was not over three hundred houses in the city then and he did not like to live in Detroit, so his brother Peter Rose lived in Swan Creek on the Indian Reserve and he thought he would go and live there too. They lived in the same log house for nearly two years till the summer of 1832 the year of the first cholera.”

It’s a wonderful story about our family, how they survived, who they lived with and what they did, and a genealogical listing of ancestors that any researcher would cherish… births, marriages, maiden names, children, deaths. But there is so much more in the story that triggers questions about Etienne and Mary and what isn’t in the story.

One fact is that Etienne Rose and Mary Burt were among the first landowners in St. Clair County when Michigan became a state. They were in Michigan by 1837. Having not found the land records to 1830, I will trust the story written over 100 years ago by an ancestor who was about 13 at the time of the immigration as my “record” until I find the correct one. I know they were here when Michigan became a state and I know that they purchased land.

“But thank God there was some Missionaries sent all over the world, there were Priests sent to our place every six months to administer the poor people at their own home as early as 1830 till the year 1845 the year we built the same church that now stands at Anchorville… But before now in 1839 my father, my brother Joseph and I owned a piece of land that contained 200 acres between us so in '43 I bought Joseph's share, and in '45 I bought my father's share, in the spring we began to build the same church that now stands there, but we did not finish it until 2 years afterward.

The first Priest that was sent us by Bishop Lefebver as our pastor was Fr. Chambile and he made his home in one of my houses for two years, until we built a good farm house for his residence, shortly he was sent to Detroit, and his place was next occupied by Fr. Buyse, and he held the place about 12 years.

Before I bought my father's land, with our consent he deeded the lot where the church now stands and the lot for cemetery, and it happened the deed was wrong on account of a wrong description given on deed so I secured a new deed and enlarged the lot of the cemetery to one half of an acre of land, that is the reason I own a lot in the cemetery where my wife is buried and myself will be very soon, I am 80 years old.” 

A second piece of land was deeded for another cemetery. The first cemetery was built on the lake side of the church was covered by Lake St. Clair during a period of high water. This second cemetery is located behind the church, out of harm’s and the lake’s way.

Being one of the first in the United States, the church was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on October 15^th, 1853.

The story holds many other facts and stories that make you picture in your mind’s eye life as a settler.

But the interesting thing about this family is the assumption of future generations who thought their grandmother was 100% French. Every name called out to its French roots. Even though Mary’s name is given as Burt, it’s often been written Bourg… a French name. But all things are not as they seem.

Mary Burt “being of English descent” was born in Massachusetts. When England took control of Canada, Mary Burt's father from Massachusetts took a job as a bailiff in Quebec and moved the family there.  Etienne’s family had been in Quebec since about 1661 when my ninth great-grandfather came to North America.

Mary’s family was in Massachusetts forever, it seemed, until another family researcher, my oldest son, asked me why I didn’t tell him about a fact that was very important. Having no clue, I went back in time through Mary, her father, her father’s father, and so on, only to find that way back when the family began in England. Nothing interesting in that.

When asked, my son said, “Not the father.” So off I went again from mother to father to mother to father to mother… and it appears. My 12^th great-grandparents came over on the Mayflower. At first, I thought there was a mistake. But now I see the truth… we are part of the Mayflower families. I can’t say how many of our family knows this little bit of history but they will shortly!

“The number of my children is 13, they are all married and after a very careful and strict search, the number of my own family and of their children and their descendants make a total number 128 living, total number dead 32, and taking the whole of my brothers and my sisters and their children's grand children it makes a total of 584 living; or the total of 806 living and dead since the year 1817 till the year 1897 in February the length of time being 80 years.

I am today 80 years and 2 months and 8 days and in good health. I thank our almighty God for it.

Very Truly Yours,
Stephen Rose.”
By my calculation, the story should be dated April 12, 1897