JOSEPH FORTIER:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Fortier, Joseph, 1835-1898, creator. | |
| Title: | Account book and other papers. | |
| Dates: | 1865-1897. | |
| Abstract: | A book of miscellaneous accounts (1865-1897) kept by Fortier at his stores in the now nonexistent town of Yellow Medicine and in Granite Falls (Yellow Medicine County, Minn.), giving prices of food and of hides and furs bought and sold; historical notes and other data on the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, including its causes and Gabriel Renville; biographical data; and a few items (1878-1890) related to Fortier's life after the Civil War. | |
| Quantity: | 0.1 cubic feet (2 folders). | |
| Location: | P1575: See Detailed Description for shelf location. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Joseph Fortier was born in Napierville (Quebec), Canada, in 1835. He came to St. Peter, Minnesota in 1854. From 1855 to 1862 he was employed as a clerk at the Upper Sioux Indian Agency on the Yellow Medicine River. During the Dakota War (1862), Fortier joined the Renville Rangers. He took part in the battles of New Ulm, Fort Ridgely, and Wood Lake, and was with the Sibley and Sully expeditions against the Dakota in 1863 and 1864.
After the Civil War he opened a store in Yellow Medicine City, took part in the organization of Yellow Medicine County, and helped "boost" the selection of Yellow Medicine City as the county seat. In 1868 he married Sarah E. Seward.
When the county seat was changed to Granite Falls in 1874, he soon followed and engaged in mercantile trade in that city. He was elected sheriff of Yellow Medicine County in 1877 and held that position until about 1887. He later served for a time as a guard at the state prison at Stillwater. He lived during his last years at Granite Falls, where he died in 1898.
This sketch was taken from the papers, from An Illustrated History of Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota (p. 279-280), and from Minnesota Geographic Names (p. 594).
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Joseph Fortier Account Book and Other Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples
Accession Information:
Accession number: 4755
Processing Information:
Processed by: John M. Wickre, February 1987
Catalog ID number: 990017321170104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Folder | |||||||||||
| P1575 | 1 | Account book, 1865-1897. 1 volume. | |||||||||
| The account book contains a number of scattered accounts in no particular order, including purchases of food, clothing, and supplies (1865-1868, and 1897); hides and furs bought (1878-1882); a time record of "men working in the street" (1881); and records related to persons boarding at an unspecified location (1878-1897), including "hired girls" (1882, 1893-1896) and "school marms" (1893-1897). Some of the 1865 accounts are in French. The accounts from 1865 are headed "Red Stone" and those from 1866-1868 are headed "Yellow Medicine." The location of the other accounts is not given, but presumably entries made in 1874 or later are from Granite Falls. | |||||||||||
| Folder | |||||||||||
| P1575 | 2 | Miscellaneous materials, undated, 1876, 1878-1890, 1892. | |||||||||
| This folder includes three historical notes written by Fortier: on the causes of the U.S.-Dakota war (24 pages), which he ascribes to the withholding of provisions by Major Galbraith, the Indian agent at Yellow Medicine Agency, and to incitement by southern spies; on Little Crow's death (3 pages); and on the character of Gabriel Renville and Joseph R. Brown (14 pages, written at Granite Falls at the time of Renville's death, Dec. 8th, 1892, followed by a one-page introduction that may be from an earlier draft). | |||||||||||
| There is also a one-page list of members of the Renville Rangers (undated) and a death notice (circa Sept. 26, 1876) of Eliza Muller, "wife of Dr. Albert Muller of New Ulm, Minnesota," who nursed the sick and wounded soldiers and refugees during the war. | |||||||||||
| Also includes a printed blank book of promissory notes for loans made by Fortier in Granite Falls, with a few stubs filled in (1878); a letter written by Fortier on the letterhead of "J. Fortier / Sheriff Yellow Medicine County / Granite Falls, Minn." (Oct. 14, 1888) to his wife in Minneapolis, regarding miscellaneous family and Granite Falls matters; a "Note of Life in State Prison at Stillwater" (3 pages, fragment, after July 1890), on the letterhead of "Joseph Fortier, Collection Agency / Granite Falls, Minn." regarding his service as a guard at the prison; and biographical information photocopied from published sources. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865.
- Fur trade -- Prices.
- Prices.
- Persons:
- Little Crow, d. 1863.
- Renville, Gabriel, 1824-1892.
- Organizations:
- Minnesota State Prison (Stillwater, Minn.).
- Renville Rangers.
- Places:
- Granite Falls (Minn.).
- Yellow Medicine County (Minn.).
Collapse
All