Fenwick Settlement is an

abandoned village An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages have been deserted for a variety of causes. Abandonment of villages is often related to epidemic, ...

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio * Perry Cou ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, United States. The community was named after the Fenwick family, who were early settlers on the left bank of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in the Spanish

Illinois Country The Illinois Country ( ; ; ), also referred to as Upper Louisiana ( ; ), was a vast region of New France claimed in the 1600s that later fell under Spanish and British control before becoming what is now part of the Midwestern United States. Whi ...

History

The colonial history of eastern

begins in the late 1700s with the migration of American Catholics into the Spanish territory of

Upper Louisiana The Illinois Country ( ; ; ), also referred to as Upper Louisiana ( ; ), was a vast region of New France claimed in the 1600s that later fell under Spanish and British control before becoming what is now part of the Midwestern United States. Whi ...

. In 1797, the Spanish district commandant at New Bourbon had noticed a group of Catholics living in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. The Spanish colony saw these Americans as prospective immigrants. The head of one of the families, Joseph Fenwick, received an invitation in 1797 from district commandant Luzières to bring himself and his son, a doctor, as well as other American Catholics to settle Spanish territory. On April 18, 1797, Joseph Fenwick arrived with 25 or more Catholic families from the White Sulphur area of Kentucky, along with seventy slaves. These American Catholics from Kentucky - descended from Irish Roman Catholic families who settled in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

- were referred to as “Maryland Catholics” or “English Catholics” to distinguish them from the resident French-speaking Catholics. The reference to Maryland was due to their having left Maryland in 1785 following the American Revolution, and seeking land elsewhere for a better life. After 1803, Joseph Fenwick left New Bourbon village, possibly over issues of land-ownership or to relocate himself beyond easy reach of the colonial officials. He initially planned to settle on Apple Creek at the mouth of Indian Creek, in proximity to the villages that the Shawnee were erecting at that time. The presence of so many Indians probably caused Fenwick to give up his plans and instead establish a settlement at the mouth of

Brazeau Creek Brazeau Creek is a stream flowing through Perry County, Missouri and emptying into the Mississippi River. Name Brazeau Creek was named for Joseph (Jean) Brazeau (also spelled Obrazo) a merchant from St. Louis, Missouri in the years 1791–17 ...

in the Brazeau Bottoms on the

. This small settlement was named Fenwick Settlement, after its founder. The settlement grew to about 20 families with the arrival of more Catholic families from Kentucky. However, the location of the settlement was not particularly amenable to farming and the settlement did not prosper. By 1807-1808, the Fenwick group began to drift away.

GNIS reference

The

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

has an entry for the Fenwick Settlement with a location of ''unknown''.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Perry County, Missouri Abandoned villages in Perry County, Missouri Missouri populated places on the Mississippi River Unincorporated communities in Missouri