Marie Julia Cérre Soulard

Marie "Julia" Soulard, née Cérre (1775–1845) was an American landowner. Soulard donated the land that hosts Soulard Farmers Market to the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

Julia Soulard
Born
Marie Julia Cerré

1775
Died1845
OccupationLandowner
SpouseAntoine Soulard

Marie Julia Cérre was likely born at Kaskaskia in the Illinois Country, where her father, Montreal-born Gabriel Cérre, was a successful merchant.[1][2] Her mother was Catherine Cérre, née Giard.[2][3] Julia Cérre Soulard had an older sister, Marie Therese, who married Auguste Chouteau, the founder of St. Louis.[4][5]

Her father moved to St. Louis in 1779 or 1780, some fifteen years after St. Louis was founded and some time after he had taken possession of a significant amount of property in the region.[2][6] In 1795, Julia Cérre married Antoine Pierre Soulard (1766–1825).[7][8] Antoine Soulard, a refugee of the French Revolution, was working as the Surveyor-General of Upper Louisiana when St. Louis was in Spanish territory.[9] Her father gifted them 63 acres or 76 arpents[10] of land when they married. Antoine Soulard developed an orchard on the property.[11] She and Antoine Soulard had four children: James Gaston,[12] Elizabeth,[13] Henry "Gustave",[5] and Benjamin.[14][15]

After the Louisiana Purchase, the validity of Soulard's ownership of the land was called into question.[16] Antoine Soulard filed suit but died intestate; his heirs, including Julia Soulard, spent over a decade fighting for ownership.[17] The case went to the Supreme Court of Missouri[18] and later the Supreme Court of the United States. The claimants lost in Soulard and others vs. United States in 1830.[19] However, the Soulards were awarded 124 acres in 1836.[20]

Julia Soulard lived on the land until 1836, when part of it was annexed to the city of St. Louis; this was known as "Soulard's first addition." A second addition was annexed in 1842, with Soulard transferring some land to the city under her condition that it be used as a public market.[21][22] Soulard worked with Bishop Joseph Rosati to build a church, Holy Trinity, on two lots she donated. Holy Trinity did not materialize due to low funds; later Vincentian Fathers took over the property and built St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on the site, 1427 S. Ninth Street.[23]

Soulard and her family members were interred in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.[24] The neighborhood Soulard, Julia's Cafe at Soulard Farmers Market, Soulard Street, Cerre Street,[25] and Julia Street are named for Soulard and her family.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zeitz, Barbara Joan (2016-09-13). A Thesaurus of Women from Water to Music. iUniverse. ISBN 978-1-4917-9641-2.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography – CERRÉ, JEAN-GABRIEL – Volume V (1801-1820) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  3. ^ Primm, James Neal (1998). Lion of the Valley: St. Louis, Missouri, 1764-1980. Missouri History Museum. ISBN 978-1-883982-24-9.
  4. ^ O'Neil, Tim (22 February 2014). "Look Back 250 • Mother takes long river trip with little ones in 1764, becomes matriarch of St. Louis". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  5. ^ a b "Henry G. Soulard Dead: A Resident of This City for Ninety Years Passes Peacefully Away". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1891-02-16. p. 1 – via Proquest.
  6. ^ St. Louis Commerce (1969-09-15). "A Market with History: Antoine Soulard's Farmsite Has Served Customers for Nearly Two Century". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 20 – via Proquest.
  7. ^ Olson, Bruce R. (2016-10-07). That St. Louis Thing, Vol. 1: An American Story of Roots, Rhythm and Race. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4834-5796-3.
  8. ^ Edwards, Richard; Hopewell, Merna (1860). Edwards's Great West and Her Commercial Metropolis: Embracing a General View of the West and a Complete History of St. Louis, from the Landing of Ligueste, in 1764, to the Present Time ; with Portraits and Biographies of Some of the Old Settlers, and Many of the Most Prominent Business Men. Published at the Office of "Edwards's monthly".
  9. ^ "Outdoor Market: Soulard Center Attracts Saturday Crowd of Experienced, Careful Food Shoppers". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1945-12-16. p. 89 – via Proquest.
  10. ^ Souvay, Charles Léon; Rothensteiner, John Ernest (1922). St. Louis Catholic Historical Review. Catholic Historical Society of Saint Louis.
  11. ^ Stovsky, Renee (1977-05-15). "Catfish to Cabbage". Columbia Missourian Newspaper. p. 5 – via NewspaperArchive.
  12. ^ Lincoln, Agnes Wyman (1901). Stone Family Association, 1897-1901: Catalogue of Members with Lines of Descent. The Association.
  13. ^ Savage, Mary Lucida (1923). The Congregation of Saint Joseph of Carondelet: A Brief Account of Its Origin and Its Work in the United States (1650-1922). B. Herder Book Company.
  14. ^ "Deaths". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1884-11-29. p. 5 – via Proquest.
  15. ^ Niles' Weekly Register. H. Niles. 1830.
  16. ^ "La Salle et la découverte du Me". www.ieeff.org. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  17. ^ Lucas, John Baptiste Charles (1825). Sketch of an Argument Delivered Before the District Court of the U. States, at the Second Session, Held at St. Louis on the Fourth Monday in November 1824: Together with Various Remarks on Certain Spanish Laws and Ordinances, Obtained Since that Time, which Have Been Submitted in Writing to the Judge of the Same Court. E. Charless.
  18. ^ Court, Missouri Supreme (1880). Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri. E. W. Stephens.
  19. ^ "U.S. Reports: Soulard and others vs. The United States, 29 U.S. (4 Pet.) 511 (1830)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  20. ^ Moore, Moore (2001). "St. Louis - Historic Soulard". www.slfp.com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  21. ^ Terry, Dickson (1965-07-23). "City's History Lives on at Soulard Market: Festival of St. Louis to Spotlight Activities of 186-Year-Old South Side Center on Aug 14". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 37 – via Proquest.
  22. ^ Lamphier, Peg A.; Welch, Rosanne (2017-01-23). Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-603-6.
  23. ^ United States Congress House Committee on Ways and Means (1979). Tax Incentives for the Preservation of Historic Sites: Field Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth Congress, Second Session, St. Louis, Mo., December 11, 1978. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  24. ^ “Untitled.” Iron County Register, 23 Mar. 1905, pp. 6.
  25. ^ Sonderman, Joe (2016-12-12). St. Louis: Bridges, Highways, and Roads. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-5904-5.
  26. ^ Zivic, Alex (2019-02-25). "Soulard Market's history predates Missouri statehood". Soulard. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
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