François Vallé (c. 1716 – 1783) son of Charles Vallée and Geneviève Marcou, was a

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

who migrated to

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 ...

From

Beauport, Quebec City Beauport () is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River. Beauport is a northeastern suburb of Quebec City. Manufacturers include paint, construction materials, printers, and hospital supplies. Food transportation is ...

sometime in the early 1740s. Beginning as a laborer of no means, he engaged in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

, and trade with the natives. He was also the largest enslaver in Ste. Genevieve and the Spanish province of Upper Louisiana. Upon his death, he was the wealthiest man in Upper Louisiana. Vallé also aided greatly in the Battle of St. Louis during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

,François Vallé (1716 - 1783)
, on ''shsmo.org'' (The State Historical Society of Missouri) because he gave the defenders of both forts a major tactical advantage by supplying them with genuine lead (instead of pebbles or stones) from his mines for musket balls and cannon balls. He was successively officer of the local French militia then Spanish lieutenant of the militia of

References

1710s births 1783 deaths People from Quebec City People of New France Commandants and Lieutenants of the Illinois Country People from Louisiana (New Spain) {{Quebec-bio-stub