Charles Rochon (1673–1733) was a French

colonist A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

and was one of the four founders of modern-day

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

Life and career

Rochon was born in 1673 in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. He became a fur trapper and was associated with

Henri de Tonti Henri de Tonti (''né'' Enrico Tonti; – September 1704), also spelled Henri de Tonty, was an Italian-born French military officer, explorer, and ''voyageur'' who assisted René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, with North American explora ...

, accompanying him on many of his expeditions. In 1701 he came to colonial

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and he was a colonist at the settlement of Fort Louis De Mobile located at modern-day

Axis, Alabama Axis is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 561, down from 757 at the 2010 census. It has a post office with the 36505 ZIP code. Th ...

, an area of habitation that preceded the modern-day city of Mobile. In 1706, along with Pierre LeBouef, Gilbert Dardenne and Claude Parent, Rochon left the settlement at Axis, moving down to a site at the mouth of the

Mobile River The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. Formed out of the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, the approximately river drains an area of of Alabama, with a watershed extending into Mississippi, Georg ...

, site of present-day Mobile. The success that the four had at this site was a contributing factor of the relocation of Mobile from the site at Axis to its present site in 1711. After the city was moved to the Mobile River site, Charles Rochon again moved, this time to a site at the mouth of the

Dog River Dog River may refer to: Canada *Dog River (Ontario), a river in Thunder Bay District, Ontario *Dog River (Manitoba), a river in Northern Region, Manitoba *Dog River, Saskatchewan, a fictional setting for the television series ''Corner Gas'' Unite ...

, where he established a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

that remained in the hands of his descendants until 1848. The plantation encompassed the majority of what is today known as Hollinger's Island. Rochon remained at this plantation until his death in 1733

Family

Charles Rochon was married to Henriette Colon, the half-Indian (

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were one of the indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in t ...

) daughter of Old Mobile settler Jean Baptiste (dit "LaViolette") Colon, as well as being the goddaughter of

. They had several children, but only two survived past 1733. Their son, Louis Augustin, established a plantation on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay that became modern-day Spanish Fort. Rochon has had a number of notable descendants in the Gulf Coast region including, but not limited to: *

Hale Boggs Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. (February 15, 1914 – disappeared October 16, 1972; declared dead December 29, 1972) was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the House ma ...

, U.S. Congressman from Louisiana, House Majority Leader, 5th great-grandson *

Cokie Roberts Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne "Cokie" Roberts (née Boggs; December 27, 1943 – September 17, 2019) was an American journalist and author. Her career included decades as a political reporter and analyst for National Public Radio, PBS, ...

, Television journalist, 6th great-granddaughter *

Barbara Boggs Sigmund Barbara Boggs Sigmund (May 27, 1939 – October 10, 1990) was an American writer, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician, and civic leader. She served as a Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County Freeholder and mayor of the Boro ...

, 1980's mayor of

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, 6th great-granddaughter * Judge Roy Hofheinz, 1965 builder of the Astrodome, Owner of Houston Astros, Mayor of Houston, 5th Great-Grandson *

Connie Bea Hope ''Woman's World'' was a lifestyle program that ran for more than two decades on WKRG-TV channel 5 in Mobile, Alabama. It was hosted by Connie Bea Hope and Estella Payton. It aired at noontime and lasted for 30 minutes. The show included guest ...

, Mobile, Alabama cook, television host and socialite, 5th great-granddaughter * Rosette Rochon, Noted placée, businesswoman, and free person of color in antebellum New Orleans, granddaughter *

Valerie Jarrett Valerie June Jarrett ( Bowman; born November 14, 1956) is an American businesswoman and former government official. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Obama Foundation. She previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Pre ...

, a Senior Adviser on Public Information and Intergovernmental Affairs to U.S. President Barack Obama, is a great-granddaughter of Victor Rochon *

John Hainkel John Joseph Hainkel Jr. (March 24, 1938 – April 15, 2005), was a legislator from New Orleans, Louisiana, who died in office after thirty-seven years of service. He was the first person in his state and the second in United States history t ...

, former Speaker of Louisiana House of Representatives and president of the Louisiana Senate *

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, American television news journalist, 7th great-granddaughter {{DEFAULTSORT:Rochon, Charles 1673 births 1733 deaths Pre-statehood history of Alabama History of Mobile, Alabama People of New France 18th-century American people