Tesson Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: A1610

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains papers of the related families of Michel Desravines Tesson and Thomas Forsyth. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, accounts, receipts, and bills relating to Thomas Forsyth's work as an Indian agent in Illinois in the early nineteenth century. The collection also contains papers relating to the genealogy of the Tesson, Forsyth, and related families; correspondence (mostly in French) of the Michel Desravines Tesson family and attorneys in France relating to the revolution in Santo Domingo and to family properties confiscated by the Haitian government after the revolution; and three daybooks of Thomas Forsyth with the Peorias, 1806-1816. This finding aid was compiled by keying in the document descriptions on the folder covers that were originally created by a Missouri Historical Society archivist in the mid twentieth century. In some cases these document descriptions contain direct quotes taken from the document; in other cases the descriptions comprise summaries or abstracts of the content of the document.

Dates

1797-1958, no date
Majority of material found within 1797-1866

Creator

Forsyth, Thomas, 1771-1833 (Author, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher is responsible for conforming to the laws of copyright.

Biographical Sketch

Michel Desravines Tesson (1759-1845) was born on the island of Santo Domingo in 1759. He came to the United States in 1793, settling in Philadelphia. In 1810 he moved to St. Louis, where he engaged in business. On February 14, 1811, he married Miss Adelaide Baroussel, who was also from Santo Domingo. The couple had two children who lived to adulthood: Edward P. Tesson (1812-1883) and Coralie Tesson, who married Edward Polkowski. Michel Desravines Tesson died in New Orleans in 1845. In 1862, Edward P. Tesson's son Edward M. Tesson (1840-1901) married Laura A. Forsyth, who was the granddaughter of Thomas Forsyth (1771-1833). Thomas Forsyth served as an Indian agent at Peoria and Rock Island, Illinois, and died in St. Louis in 1833.

Extent

1.28 Cubic Feet ( (3 boxes; 1 oversize folder))

Language of Materials

English

French

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series: Reference Series, Genealogy Series, and Documents Series.

Physical and Technical Requirements

There are no physical or technical restrictions.

Donor Information

The collection includes acquisitions from Louis Tesson Hall and Edward P. Hall in January 1950; Ernest E. East in July 1951; Mrs. Edward P. Hall in June 1959 (accession number: 59-0057); and the Edward P. Tesson estate (courtesy of Mrs. Samuel W. Forder) in July 1960 (accession number: 60-0083). In cases in which acquisition information is available for individual documents in the collection, the accession number or donor's name appears in parentheses following the document description.