Philippe-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire (), also known as Nitachinon by the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

, was a French army officer and interpreter in

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

who established

Fort Machault Fort Machault (, ) was a fort built by the French in 1754 near the confluence of French Creek with the Allegheny River, in northwest Pennsylvania. (Present-day Franklin developed here later.) The fort helped the French control these waterway ...

in the 18th century. During his career, he largely served as a diplomat with the indigenous nations rather than as a soldier.

Early life

Philippe-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire was the eldest son of

Louis-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire Louis-Thomas Chabert de Joncaire (1670June 29, 1739), also known as Sononchiez by the Iroquois, was a French army officer and interpreter for New France who worked with the Iroquois tribes during the French and Indian Wars in the early 18th centu ...

(1670–1739) and Marie-Madeleine Le Gay. He was baptized in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

on January 9, 1707. He was the older brother of Daniel-Marie Chabert de Joncaire de Clausonne. Joncaire was given by his father to the

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

at the age of 10 and was raised by the Iroquois.

Career

Early career

Joncaire joined the colonial French army in 1726 and attained the rank of second ensign in 1727. On July 23, 1731, he married Madeleine Renaud Dubuisson. In 1735, Joncaire succeeded his father as the principal interpreter and political agent from New France to the Iroquois. His responsibilities included easing tensions between the indigenous peoples and the French when either side acted aggressively. He also negotiated a deal for the

Senecas The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west ...

to supply

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

with fresh meat. By 1744, his successes resulted in the offering of a dead-or-alive reward by the British.

Céloron expedition

Carte d un voyage fait dans la Belle Riviere en la Nouvelle France M

Joncaire resigned his post on the frontier in 1748 with a claim of ill health, two years after the death of his wife. The following year, he was recalled to be the interpreter for Pierre-Joseph Céloron de Blainville's expedition along the Ohio River. He was captured in Sonioto by

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

s while establishing first contact and was nearly killed before the intervention of an Iroquois chief.

Chiningué

In early July 1750, Joncaire was sent with 12 soldiers to Chiningué to establish a permanent French base. He found that the native population preferred the traders from Pennsylvania and Virginia over the French. By 1751, Joncaire held the rank of captain in the French colonial army. When larger French forces arrived with

Paul Marin de la Malgue Paul Marin de la Malgue ( bap. 19 March 1692 – 29 October 1753) was the eldest son of Charles-Paul Marin de la Malgue and Catherine Niquet. He was born in Montreal and, as many of the prominent historical figures of his time, had a military ca ...

in 1753, he found support among the local

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

and Shawnee who wanted to challenge the Iroquois.

Fort Machault

In 1753, Governor

Jean de Lauson Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson (; 2 January 1586 – 16 February 1666) was the governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the new colony. He also was born into being the lord of Lirec. As a prominent lawyer in ...

sought to build a fortified trading post at the confluence of the Allegheny River and French Creek at Venango. That year, the English traders were expelled from Venango and Joncaire established Fort d'Anjou with a permanent garrison at the location. In December 1753, Major

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

arrived at Fort d'Anjou on an expedition to deliver British demands and assess the French military situation. Joncaire directed Washington to his superior officer at

Fort LeBoeuf Fort Le Bœuf (often referred to as Fort de la Rivière au Bœuf) was a fort established by the French during 1753 on a fork of French Creek (in the drainage area of the River Ohio), in present-day Waterford, in northwest Pennsylvania. The fort ...

but informed Washington during a dinner about French intentions to "take possession of the Ohio". In 1754, Philippe-Thomas was replaced by Michel Maray de La Chauvignerie as the officer in charge of constructing the fort, which was eventually renamed Fort Machault.

Later life

After the fall of Montreal to the British in 1760, Joncaire went to France and was knighted in the Order of Saint Louis. Joncaire had died by 9 November 1766, soon after the end of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joncaire, Philippe-Thomas, Chabert de French Army officers Order of Saint Louis recipients French Canadian people of the French and Indian War Interpreters French diplomats