In celebration of the 250th Anniversary of our country, local members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will highlight the patriots buried in Southeast Missouri.
Joseph Vital St. Gemme dit Beauvais was born about 1738 in Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory, and is more commonly referred to as Vital. His parents were Jean Baptiste Beauvais and Marie Louis LaCroix both of whom were born in Montreal, New France. He is the brother of Jean Baptiste St. Gemme Beauvais (Soldier #25), and like his brother, he followed their father’s example of being in trade.
Vital married Mone Felecite Janis (daughter of Nicholas Janis) on January 31, 1775, in Kaskaskia.
After the capture of Kaskaskia by George Rogers Clark on July 4, 1778, Vital Beauvais furnished 5,000 pounds of flour to the troops. This is listed as approximately 10% of all the flour furnished. Vital served as a magistrate, judge and syndic of the fence (an official in municipal government most likely to take charge of the fence around the village common) at Kaskaskia.
Sometime after 1786, Vital and Marie moved their family across the Mississippi River to Ste. Genevieve. He is believed to have built the first grist mill west of the Mississippi River. They had a son, Joseph Vital (married Cecile Aubuchon) and the following daughters that survived into adulthood: Julia Beauvais (married Nicholas Vital Jarrott); Catherine Vital Beauvais (married Francois Baptiste Valle); Marie Francoise Beauvais (married Joseph Bogy); Marie Louise Beauvais (married Francoise Duquette); and Felicite Ste. Gemme Beauvais (married Francois LeClere), Jean Baptiste, Louis and six other children died in infancy or early childhood.
Vital died on November 9, 1816, and is buried in a family plot at Memorial Cemetery in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. His wife Felicite lived on, dying on March 8, 1839, and is also buried at Memorial Cemetery in Ste Genevieve, Missouri.
Compiled by Vera McCullough, Louisiana Purchase Chapter NSDAR, and Pamela Johnson, John Guild Chapter NSDAR.
Sources:
History of Southeast Missouri Volume 1 pp 52-53 by Robert Sidney Douglas; The Lewis Publishing Company Chicago and New York 1912
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:History_of_Southeast_Missouri_1912_Volume_1.djvu/112
Revolutionary War Soldiers and Patriots Buried in Missouri
https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/460893
Vital Beauvais Memorial
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19067036/vital-beauvais
Wikitree Vital Beauvais
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Beauvais-123
WI HIST SOC, DRAPER MSS, GEORGE ROGERS CLARK PAPERS, SER J, VOL 46, P 17
Proof of provision of aid.
https://mossar.org/french-militia-patriots-sainte-genevieve-missouri/
