This marker was placed by the Chouteau Society -
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"Chouteau Society and its mission to preserve the memory of Kansas CIty's early French heritage
In 2008, the Jackson County Historical Society accepted responsibility for preserving and perpetuating the work of The Chouteau Society.
Organized in 1984, this group of historians and civic leaders came together for the purpose of "Collecting, preserving and disseminating information relating to the French heritage of the New World, the Mid-west, and with particular and special emphasis upon, Metropolitan Kansas City Missouri and Kansas for the period extending from and after the year 1599 Anno Domini ."
This mission was further defined as: "To erect... historical markers, monuments and statues in the Kansas City Metropolitan area memorializing the French heritage and outstanding personages figuring in said heritage."
In the ensuing 24 years, a series of 11 markers were placed on historic sites ranging from the City Market at 3rd Street and Grand Avenue in the northern part of the City, and spreading southward to the Loose Park neighborhood near 51st Street and Wornall Road.
The Jackson County Historical Society is proud and honored to accept responsibility for preservation and maintenance of this unique historic asset."
Text of the Marker:
The Old French Cemetery
Kansas City in the early 1800s was an exclusively French-speaking community and its religious (and much of its social) life centered around its little log Catholic Church erected on a plot of land near present 11th and Pennsylvania, given to the Church by Pierre La Liberte. Madame Berenice Chouteau was a substantial patroness of the Church and it was named St. Francis Regis, but frequently called "Chouteau's Church." A cemetery was located behind (south) and west of the Church, and over the years the French, who comprised almost the entire population of Kansas City from about 1799 to 1844, were buried there. The early death records were kept by the Church in Latin and French. The number of burials was fairly substantial, particularly after a cholera epidemic nearly filled the cemetery, and as the City grew it became apparent that the French cemetery stood in the way of progress. In about 1880 supposedly all the French burials were moved to St. Mary's cemetery, and the roll of interments was deposited with the Trustees of the new cemetery. Most of the ancient remains, of necessity somewhat poorly segregated and identified, were interred en masse. Easily visible today in the old French section of St. Mary's cemetery are the graves of the Etues, the French-related Mulkey-Drips families and others. Probably the most interesting is the monument of Jaques Fournais ("Old Pino") who lived to be 125 and who witnessed the tumultuous Battle of Montreal in 1760 while splitting fence rails with his father. In late June of 1986, construction excavation at 11th and Jefferson Streets near this marker exposed sixteen burials, on the western edge of the old French cemetery, later reinterred elsewhere, and the sites yielded very old crucifixes and religious medals.
The Chouteau Society The Francis Families Foundation
In French on the reverse side -
LE VIEUX CIMETIÈRE FRANÇAIS
Tout au debut des années 1800, Kansas City était une communauté ou l’on parlait presque exclusivement le français. Sa vie religieuse comme la plupart de sa vie sociale étaient centrées autour de sa petite église catholique construite en troncs d’arbre, érigée sur un lopin situé près de ce qui est à notre époque la lleme rue et Pennsylvanie. Lopin de terre donné à l’église par Pierre la Liberté. Madame Bérénice Chouteau était une dame patronesse importante de l’église nommée Saint François Régis mais fréquemment appelée “Église des Chouteau”. Un cimetière se trouvait derrière (au sud) et a l’ouest de l’eglise. Au cours des années, les français qui constituaient presque toute la population de Kansas City depuis environ 1799 jusqu’en 1844 y furent enterrés. Les premiers actes de décès étaient rédigés par l’église en latin et en français. Le nombre des enterrements était assez important en particulier lors d’une épidémie de choléra qui remplit presque le cimetière et comme la cité grandissait, il parut evident que le cimetière français entravait le progrès. Aux environs de 1880, on suppose que toutes les tombes françaises furent transférées au cimitière Ste. Marie et la liste des enterrements fut remise aux administrateurs du nouveau cimetière. La plupart des restes qui, par nécessité, furent mal triés et identifiés, furent réenterrés en commun. De nos jours, dans la vieille section du cimetière Ste. Marie, on peut facilement voir les tombes des Etue et des families Mulkey-Drips apparentées à des français. Le monument le plus intéressan est probablemant celui de Jacques Fournais (“le vieux Pino”) qui vécut jusqu’à l’âge de 125 ans et qui fut témoin de la bataille tumultueuse de Montréal en 1760 alors qu’il fendait du bois avec son père. En Juin 1986, lors de travaux d’excavation à la lleme, rue et Jefferson à proximité de cette plaque, sur le côte ouest du vieux cimetière français, seize sépultures furent découvertes et tranférées autre part; On y découvert de très vieux crucifix et des médaille religieuses.
Le Societe Chouteau La Foundation Families Francis