John Kinzie

For other people named John Kinzie, seeJohn Kinzie (disambiguation).

John Kinzie
Born	(1763-12-23)December 23, 1763 Quebec City,Province of Canada
Died	June 6, 1828(1828-06-06)(aged 64) Chicago
Resting place	Graceland Cemetery
Known for	First permanent European settler in Chicago
Spouses	Margaret McKinzie Eleanor Lytle McKillip Kinzie
Children	John H. Kinzie,Ellen Marion Kinzie, Maria Kinzie, Robert Allen Kinzie
Signature

Kinzie Mansion and Fort Dearborn from the west

John Kinzie(December 23, 1763 – June 6, 1828) was afur traderfromQuebecwho first operated inDetroitand what became theNorthwest Territoryof the United States. A partner of William Burnett from Canada, about 1802-1803 Kinzie moved with his wife and child toChicago,where they were among the first permanent white non-indigenous settlers. Kinzie Street (400N) in Chicago is named for him.Their daughter Ellen Marion Kinzie, born in 1805, was not the first child of European descent born in the settlement. That title goes to Eulalia Pelletier, the granddaughter of Chicago's first permanent non-indigenous settler,Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable.[1]

In 1812 Kinzie murderedJean La Lime,who worked as an interpreter atFort Dearbornin Chicago. This was known as "the first murder in Chicago".

During the War of 1812, when living in Detroit, Kinzie was accused of treason by the British and imprisoned on a ship for transport to Great Britain. After escaping, he returned to American territory, settling again in Chicago by 1816. He lived there the rest of his years.

Early life and first family

Kinzie was born inQuebec City,Canada (then in theColonial Province of Quebec) to John and Anne McKenzie,Scots-Irishimmigrants. His father died before Kinzie was a year old, and his mother remarried. In 1773, the boy was apprenticed to George Farnham, a silversmith. Some of the jewelry created by Kinzie has been found in archaeological digs inOhio.

By 1777, Kinzie had become a trader inDetroit,where he worked for William Burnett. As a trader, he became familiar with local Native American peoples and likely learned the dominant language. He developed trading at theKekionga,a center of theMiami people.

In 1785, Kinzie helped rescue two American citizens, sisters, who had been kidnapped in 1775 fromVirginiaby theShawneeand adopted into the tribe. One of the girls, Margaret McKinzie, married him;her sister Elizabeth married his companion Clark. Margaret lived with Kinzie in Detroit and had three children with him. After several years, she left Kinzie and Detroit and returned to Virginia with their children. All three of the Kinzie children eventually moved as adults toChicago.

In 1789, Kinzie lost his business in the Kekionga (modernFort Wayne, Indiana) and had to move further from the western U.S. frontier. The US was excluding Canadians from trade with the Native Americans in their territory. As the United States settlers continued to populate its western territory, Kinzie moved further west.

Marriage and move to Chicago

1857 drawing of John Kinzie house c. 1804, near the mouth of the Chicago River. The house was built byJean Baptiste Point du Sable.

On March 10, 1798, Kinzie married again, toEleanor Lytle McKillip.By the time they moved to Chicago, about 1802–1804, they had a year-old son,John.Eleanor bore him three more children in Chicago: Ellen Marion (born in 1805), Maria Indiana (1807), and Robert Allen (1810).

In 1804 Kinzie purchased the former house and lands ofJean Baptiste Point du Sable,located near the mouth of theChicago River.That same year, GovernorWilliam Henry Harrisonof theIndiana Territoryappointed Kinzie as ajustice of the peace.

War of 1812

After American citizens builtFort Dearborn,Kinzie's influence and reputation rose in the area; he was useful because of his relationship with the Native Americans. The War of 1812 began between Great Britain and the United States, and tensions rose on the northern frontier.

In June 1812, Kinzie killedJean La Lime,who worked as an interpreter at Fort Dearborn. He fled toMilwaukee,then in Indian territory.While in Milwaukee, he met with pro-British Indians who were planning attacks on American settlements, including Chicago. Historians speculate that La Lime may have been informed on corruption related to purchasing supplies within the fort and thus been silenced. The case has been called "Chicago's first murder."It has been also proposed the Kinzie attempted to cover up his family's early real estate transactions, substituting Francis May as the original owner (who died after eating at the son's [James] home).

Although worried that Chicago would be on heightened alert, a force of as many as 500 Indians attacked the small garrison of soldiers, their support, and their families near the current intersection of 18th and Calumet, as they fled south along the lakeshore after evacuated the Fort. The Fort Dearborn attack took place on August 15, 1812, and left 53 dead, including women and children. Kinzie and his family, aided by Potawatomi Indians led by Billy Caldwell, escaped unharmed and returned to Detroit.Identifying as aBritishsubject, Kinzie had a strong anti-American streak.

In 1813, the British arrested Kinzie and Jean Baptiste Chardonnay, also then living in Detroit, charging them with treason. They were accused of having corresponded with the enemy (the American GeneralHarrison's army) while supplying gunpowder to chiefTecumseh's Indian forces, who were fighting alongside the British. Chardonnay escaped, but Kinzie was imprisoned on a ship for transport to England. When the ship was put into port inNova Scotiato weather a storm, Kinzie escaped. He returned to American-held Detroit by 1814.

Although he had previously been a British subject, Kinzie switched to the United States. He returned to Chicago with his family in 1816 and lived there until his death in 1828.

During the 1820s, Kinzie served as ajustice of the peacefor the newly createdPike County,which at the time extended from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan.

Death and legacy

John Kinzie's grave inGraceland Cemetery

Kinzie suffered a stroke on June 6, 1828, and died a few hours later. Originally buried at the Fort Dearborn Cemetery, Kinzie's remains were moved to City Cemetery in 1835. When the cemetery was closed due to concerns it could contaminate the city's water supply, Kinzie's remains were moved toGraceland Cemetery.

• In1837,Kinzie's sonJohn H. Kinzieran for the position of the first mayor of Chicago, losing toWilliam Butler Ogden.He subsequently unsuccessfully ran twice more, in1845and in1847.
• Maria Kinzie, a granddaughter, marriedGeorge H. Steuart,a captain in the US cavalry from Maryland. He later served as a general in theConfederate Army.
• His great-granddaughter,Juliette Gordon Low,was the founder of theGirl Scouts of the USA.

External links

• John Kinzie: Traitor, Spy, Murderer, and Founding Father
• John Kinzie silversmith (born 1759-1761, died 1828): his early career as Shawneeawkee "The Silver Man"