Thursday, April 25, 2013

Jacques Grolet, aka Santiago Gurulé, French Explorer



                                        La Salle claims Louisiana for France


Jacques Grolet, aka Santiago Gurulé

Jacques Grolet is Stan Chavira's 7th great grandfather

Born c. 1663 at La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime (formerly Aunis), France.
Died 1711 (age 62) Bernalillo, Reyno de Nuevo Mexico.

French explorer, participant in the re-conquest of New Mexico and one of the first French nationals to settle in New Mexico.

  Frenchman René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle is famous for his series of expeditions to the New World in the 1600s. He explored the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River and on August 1, 1684, La Salle set off on his final expedition, returning to search for the mouth of the Mississippi, with four ships and almost 300 people including soldiers, settlers and servants. Among the group are Jacques Grolet (age 20, sailor), Jean L’Archiveque (age 13, cabin boy) and Pierre Meusnier (age 14, cabin boy). This expedition landed, probably accidentally, at Matagorda Bay, Texas on the Gulf of Mexico, there La Salle planned to establish a colony. But conditions were difficult and their efforts failed. The expedition was plagued by pirates, hostile Indians, and poor navigation. Landing on Matagorda Island, a temporary fort was built. By March of 1685, the Colony had been disseminated by Smallpox, infighting, murder and fierce attacks by the Indians.

  In 1686, Jacques Grolet deserted the failing colony with another deserter named Ruter and began a new life living with the Hasinai Indians. In January 1687, La Salle divided the colony, and sent 16 men to Canada for help, leaving the remaining men behind. Infighting accelerated and three of the party were murdered. At this time, concerned by the delay in the return of his men, La Salle himself went to investigate. Soon after, he was murdered after being lured into an ambush by Jean L’Archiveque. The remaining group further divided, seven ventured on toward Illinois and six remained with the Hasinai Indians, including Jean L’Archiveque and Pierre Meusnier. Grolet returned to the Colony after La Salle’s murder but decided to remain living with the Hasinai Indians with L’Archiveque and Meusnier. Grolet's re-appearance at the Colony is described by Henri Joutel, La Salle's most trusted lieutenant: 
"This Care which kept me from Sleeping sound, was the Occasion, that one Night I heard some Body moving near my Bed, and opening my Eyes, by the Light of the Fire, which never goes out in those Cottages, perceiv’d a Man stark naked, with a Bow and two Arrows in his Hand, who came and sat down by me, without saying any thing I view’d him for some Time, I spoke to him, he made me no answer, and not knowing what to think of it, I laid hold of my two Pistols and my Firelock, which the man perceiving he went and sat by the Fire. I follow’d, and looked steadfastly on him, he knew and spoke to me, throwing his Arms about and embracing me, and then made himself known to me to be one of the French Men I had sent for.
We fell into Discourse, I ask’d him for his Comrade, he told me he durst not come, for Fear of Monsieur de La Salle. They were both sailors, this Man who was of Brittany, was call’d Ruter; the other of Rochelle, Grollet. They had, in the short Space of Time, so perfectly enujr’d themselves to the Customs of the Natives, that they were become meer savages. They were naked, their Faces and Bodies with Figures wrought on them, like the rest. They had taken several Wives, been at the Wars and kill’d their Enemies with their Firelocks, which had gain’d them Reputation; but having no more Powder nor Ballo, their arms were grown useless, and they had been forced to learn to shoot with Bows and Arrows. As for Religion, they were not troubled with much of it, and that Libertine Life they led, was pleasing to them."
  Grolet stayed with the Indians, and was unheard of for two years. In the interim, their lives with the natives were not pleasant, but as they knew of the murders of their fellow colonists, and feared for their own lives, they remained among the Indians. 

  Three years later, in 1689, a Spanish Captain, Alonso de Leon, with 30 soldiers, commanded a search for Grolet and L'Archiveque, after hearing rumors of French activities in an area considered to be Spanish territory. In April of 1689 Grolet came upon Captain de Leon's search party and he and L’Archiveque wrote a letter to the Spaniards:
"Sir
I do not know what sort of people you are
We are French we are a-
Mong the savages we would like much to be
Among the Christians such as we are
We know well that you are Spaniards
We do not know whether you will attack us
…we are sorely grieved to be a-
mong the beasts like these who believe neither in God
nor in anything gentlemen if you are willing to take us away
you have
only to send a message as we have but
little or nothing to do as soon as we see
the note we will deliver ourselves up to you
Sir
I am
Your very humble
And very obedient
Servant
Jean L’Archeveque
Of Bayonne"
  The letter was on a piece of parchment which had a drawing depicting a ship, possibly one of La Salle’s. The drawing is presumed to have been the work of L’Archiveque, and he signed his name to the message in poetic form. Grolet had also written on the same parchment, but it is barely legible, with only a few words remaining. Grolet and L’Archiveque stated that the duo would come out to their rescuers in two days, as they were tired of being among the barbarians. 

  May 1, 1689, the first contact was made, Captain Leon described his first impressions of Grolet and L‘Archiveque: 
"Sunday, May 1st, about evening prayer, the governor arrived with his companions, bringing two Frenchmen, streaked with paint after the Indian fashion. He had found them twenty-five leagues and more from where we had set out with the main body. One of them, the one who had written the letter, was named Juan (L’Archiveque); the other, a native of Rochelle, was named Jacome (Grolet). They gave an account of the death of their people, the first saying that an epidemic of smallpox had killed more than a hundred persons; that the rest had been on friendly terms with the Indians of all that region, and had no suspicion of them; that a little more than a month before five Indians had come to their settlement under pretext of telling them something and had stopped at the most remote house in the settlement; that the Frenchmen, having no suspicions, all went to the house unarmed to see them; that after they were inside other Indians kept coming and embracing them; that another party of the Indians came in from the creek at the same time, and killed them all, including two religious and a priest, with daggers and sticks, and sacked all the houses; that they were not there at the time, having gone to the Texas, but that when they heard the news of this occurrence, [the] four of them came, and finding their companions dead, they buried the fourteen they found; that they exploded nearly a hundred barrels of powder, so that the Indians could not carry it off; and that the settlement had been well provided with all sorts of firearms, swords, broadswords, three chalices, and a large collection of books, with vary rare bindings. The two Frenchmen were streaked with paint after the fashion of the Indians, and covered with antelope and buffalo hides. We found them in a Rancheria of the Chief of the Texas, who were giving them sustenance and keeping them with great care . . .The governor made a separate report of all that was expedient or important in the declarations of the two Frenchmen, to send to His Excellency."
  Because Spanish authorities considered the La Salle expedition to be an illegal trespass onto Spanish territory, Grolet and L’Archiveque were sent to Coahuila, and then on to Mexico City for interrogation. At this time, Grolet claimed he was 29 and L’Archiveque stated he was 28. During the interrogation, Grolet admitted to having taken an Indian wife, as had his friend and fellow Frenchman, Ruter.  Eventually Grolet and de L’Archiveque were sent to prison in Cadiz, Spain. There they remain imprisoned for two and a half years, until May of 1692 when Grolet and L’Archiveque petitioned King Carlos II, of Spain for their freedom or to be returned to the Indies, indicating to the King that they had committed no crime.

   In July of 1692, Grolet and L’Archiveque were given their freedom and permitted to join the Flota with Captain Andres Pez y Malzarraga.  As a condition of his release from prison, Grolet became a Spanish citizen and became known as “Santiago Gurulé.”  In May 1690, Grolet, L’Archiveque and Pierre Meusnier, who had since been rescued from the Indians , joined colonists recruited from Mexico City as part of a recolonization effort of New Mexico. They are listed as convicts on the muster roll dated 16 November 1693. 

   He made his way to Albuquerque, New Mexico and on 10 December 1699, at the age of about 36, he married Elena Gallegos, age 19. They had a son, Antonio Gurulé, in 1703. Eight years later, in 1711, Santiago Gurulé died.

   Santiago Gurulé became the paternal head of a large New Mexico family. He and his countrymen were the first-known French nationals to settle in New Mexico.
 Links


Relationships

Stan Chavira  →  his mother, Maria del Pilar Zamora→  her father, Julian Zamora → his mother, Maria Quirina Moya → her mother, Maria de la Trinidad Gurule →  her father, Juan Miguel Gurule →  his father, Juan Andres Gurule →  his father, Serafin Gurulé → his father, Antonio Gurulé →  his father, Jacques "Santiago Gurulé" Grolet

Gurulé Family Shield

Image by: Evelyn Garcia, Albuquerque, New Mexico

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