Jeanette Forchet

Quick Facts

Significance:

Born enslaved and died with an estate

Place of Birth:

Possibly in Illinois country

Date of Birth:

Around 1736

Place of Death:

St. Louis

Date of Death:

1803

Place of Burial:

The "parish cemetery", whic his possibly the Basilica of St. Louis Cemetery, which was moved to Calvary Cemetery when the Basilica Cemetery closed.

Jeanette Forchet (or possibly Fourchet) was an unusual woman for her time. She was born enslaved, became free, thrived in a frontier town (St. Louis), and lost two husabands and two children before their time. She persevered and was able to earn a living doing hard physical work. She was able to own the land (in town and in the common fields) that she'd been granted by Pierre Laclede, one of the founders of St. Louis. She avoided being put back into slavery, survived, prospered, and even left property to her daughter. She lived a life in a society that was not set up for her to succeed, and yet, she did.

As a young woman, Forchet was enslaved by a priest, but he freed her and his other enslaved property when he thought Protestants might take over the area. Many of the newly freed people wound up in St. Louis. Pierre Laclede was just setting up the fur trading settlement there. Forchet was given a lot along what was later called Second Streed, on land now occupied by Gateway Arch National Park. It was located near the spot where the Old Cathedral is located. Forchet married Gregory, a free blacksmith. They had four children and raised them in a house that was typical for the time: 20 feet by 20 feet. Gregory died in 1770.

In 1773, Forchet married a second time to a gunsmith and trapper named Valentin. They both signed a prenuptual agreement where they listed all their assets. Both signed with an X, which was not unusual. Many people in St. Louis at the time did not know how to read or write. Forchet's assets were valued at 1349 livres (about $236 today) and Valentin's were worth 1220 livres ($228 today). Jeanette, her children, and her new husband raised livestock and grew corn and wheat on her common ground land back from the settlement. There were two free Black laborers who lived with them, and Forchet took in laundry to supplement her income. She also invested in furniture and land. When she died in 1803, two of her children had already passed and one lived in New Orleans. Her daughter Suzanna inherited her house.

Forchet had to live within the limits of society and the law. She needed permission to leave town, and she could have been re-enslaved for breaking the law, even for minor infractions. Still, Forchet kept her personal freedom and rights that the enslaved did not have. She'd been able to sign contracts and earn money, and she was able to retain her independence. She paid off a debt by mortgaging her house, land, and personal effects. Years later, her granddaughter married Antoine Labbadie, one of the wealthiest Black men in St. Louis.