Zachariah (Zacharie) Cicott (Cicotte, or Sicotte as it is usually written today) (1781-1850) was a French-Canadian trader and is believed to have been the first white settler to live permanently in what became

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He was the great-great grandson of Jean Baptiste I Chiquot (or Cicot, Sicotte/Cicotte), who was born in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and immigrated to

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 Spai ...

in 1662. He was the third child of twelve born to Jean Baptiste Cicotte and Angelica Poupard. His birthdate is disputed, ranging from 1775 to 1781. Brothers and sisters include older sisters Angelique and Agathe and younger siblings Joseph, Theresa, John Baptiste, James, Francis Assisi, Francois Xavier, Louis, Marianna and George. His grandfather, Zacharie, was an only child. His great grandfather was Jean Baptiste II Sicotte, the only son of the original Sicotte/Cicotte to come to North America. Around 1802, Cicott arrived in the area to trade with the local Indians up and down the

Wabash River The Wabash River ( French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows fro ...

. He was successful and became wealthy. He married a Potawotomie woman and they had two children, John Battiece and Sophia. Shortly before the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...

directed Cicott to join him there to act as an army scout since he was very familiar with the area. He left Warren County immediately and went down the river, returning later with the army and passing back through Warren County to reach

Tippecanoe County Tippecanoe may refer to several places or things in the United States: * The 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana * A nickname for William Henry Harrison (U.S. President March 1841–April 1841) from his role in the battle ** Tippecanoe and Tyler t ...

where the

Battle of Tippecanoe The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecums ...

took place on November 7, 1811. Around 1816, after the war was over, Cicott resumed his trading on the Wabash. In 1817 he built a log house which became a rendezvous for travelers and settlers, and in 1832 he platted the town of

Independence, Indiana Independence is a small unincorporated community in Warren Township, Warren County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History A trading post existed at this location as early as 1811. The village was laid out on October 5, 1832 by Zachariah Cicot ...

and lived there until his death in 1850; he was buried in the town cemetery. For some years before his death he was partially paralyzed, probably from a stroke, and had difficulty speaking. As of 1883 the log house still stood, though it was badly deteriorated. Cicott Park, located at Independence, was established in 1993 and contains the site of his home and trading post. Image:Zachariah Cicott marker.jpg, The marker for Cicott's grave Image:Zachariah Cicott marker close-up.jpg, A close-up view of the marker Image:Cicott Park entrance sign.jpg, Entrance sign at Cicott Park

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cicott, Zachariah People from Warren County, Indiana 1781 births 1850 deaths