Abraham PERRY

1779 - 1849  (70 years)

• Name	Abraham PERRY
  Birth	1 Apr 1779	France
  Gender	Male
  Death	May 1849	Minnesota Territory
  Notes	His entry in Pig’s Eye’s Notepad: PERRY, ABRAHAM - A refugee from the Selkirk Colony, he had been born in Switzerland about 1780, and had been a watchmaker. With his wife, three of his children, and a considerable number of his countrymen, he had emigrated to the Red River Colony in 1820. He arrived at Fort Snelling in 1827, settling north of the Fort at Camp Coldwater, opened a farm, and prospered. It was said that Perry owned more cattle than all the rest of the families combined, except for Joseph Renville. The forced move to the Fountain Cave site was a cruel blow to Perry, who was no longer young. And within a few months of having reestablished a farm on his new claim, the survey of the military reservation had been completed, and to the dismay of the Fountain Cave settlers, Major Joseph Plympton had extended the territory of the Fort to a point nearly to the upper levee, what is now Seven Corners in St. Paul, and they were again rousted from their homes. This time, the Perry's moved to the site of Lambert's Landing, where Pierre Parrant, their former neighbor, was already established in business. Almost completely broken by his ill-fortune and the loss of his herds, they moved in with their son-in-law, James Clewett. Soon Perry's health took a turn for the worse, and he died in 1849. His wife, Mary Ann, died in 1859 at the residence of another son-in-law, Charles Bazille. In all, they had seven children: Charles, Sophia, Fanny, Rose Ann, Adele, Josephine (1830 MN), and Annie Jane. Together, they provided over 75 grandchildren. The 1881 Minnesota and Hennepin County history says: Perry is described as a great owner of cattle and was called, in consequence, the “Abraham” of this region. The purpose of government militaru posts seems to have been interpreted in one way by these settlers [from Selkirk] and in quite another by the officers of the government. These settlers accused the officers of the fort if exercising arbitrary and tyrannical power and thus frustrating one purpose of the fort, viz., affording protection and encouragement to settlers. This view was sustained by subsequent settlers who, like these Swiss, wished to settler as squatters on the [Fort Snelling Military] reservation. The officers of the fort, however, had definite orders from the United States Marshal, to remove squatters from the Fort Snelling Reserve. In accordance with this order, instead of fostering this colony, they subjected them to persecution, even proceeding so far as to burn their buildings. At last, in 1836-1837, they were compelled to abandon lands where they had made their homes for about ten years. Mr. Perry moved to the present site of St. Paul, taking his cattle with him, and remained there until his death.
  Person ID	I5646	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	21 Oct 2012

  
  

  Family	Mary Ann BOURQUIN,   b. 1786   d. 29 Nov 1859, St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota (Age 73 years)
  Children	1. Fanny PERRY,   b. 14 Nov 1818, Lausanne, Switzerland d. 10 Apr 1878, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota (Age 59 years)
  Family ID	F4387	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart