Jean Baptiste Point DuSable: Reevaluating His Haitian Origin As Chicago’s Founder
Jean Baptiste Point DuSable or Jean Baptist Pointe Desable is widely celebrated as a Haitian “Founder of Chicago,” but a deeper historical analysis raises questions about the accuracy of this origin story. Despite his recognition as an early settler and trader in the region, gaps in historical records, the inconsistencies surrounding his name, and the broader context of Black participation in the fur trade suggest that his legacy may be more nuanced than commonly presented.
Point DuSable’s Name and Origins
One of the first points of contention is Point du Sable’s name itself. Historical records overwhelmingly refer to him as Point de Sable, rather than the later Du Sable designation. The name Du Sable only appeared long after his death in 1818, suggesting that it was either a misattribution or a later romanticization. Furthermore, there are no known French, Canadian, or U.S. vital records containing the surname Point de Sable, raising doubts about his precise lineage and connections. (Retrieved from Web Archive). This recurring practice of reclassifying Soulaan as foreigners in their own homeland echoes the experience of Edmond Dédé and others like him. Dede was Creole in New Orleans, a city where free Black families — like the Dédés — could trace their lineage back long before the Civil War, challenging narratives that painted them as foreigners. Contrary to claims that Edmond Dédé was of West Indian refugee descent, his roots in North America were as deep as the nation’s own. His story reflects the unique opportunities and obstacles faced by Creoles of color in antebellum America.
Additionally, speculation about a Haitian connection lacks concrete evidence. While some have claimed that Point du Sable was from Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), his name does not match any known Haitian or French surnames. The idea that he was a recent Haitian immigrant seems inconsistent with his deep integration into Ojibwe kinship networks and the fur trade economy, which were essential for survival in the Great Lakes region.
The Role of Black Traders in the Fur Trade
Historical narratives have often ignored the presence of Soulaan individuals in the fur trade, which was dominated by Black, Native American and French-European alliances. While scholars such as Jennifer Brown, Sylvia Van Kirk, Susan Sleeper-Smith, and Richard White have extensively documented the role of intermarriage and kinship in the fur trade, very little work has explored Soulaan participation in this system. The Bonga family, for example, represents a documented case of Black Ojibwe fur traders. However, there is little direct evidence that Point du Sable followed a similar path (Harper, 2012)”.
If Point du Sable had been a crucial player in the region, one would expect to see more contemporary documentation of his trading activities. Instead, his name appears only sporadically in records, often in contexts that suggest he was one among many traders rather than a singularly significant figure. The absence of a substantial documentary trail weakens the argument that he alone “founded” Chicago.
The Question of “Shikaakwa”
Chicago’s name originates from the Native American word “Shikaakwa,” referring to wild garlic that grew in the area. This raises another important question: Would an outsider from Haiti have been the one to name the settlement using an indigenous term, or would it have been the local Native tribes or a Black Soulaan trader integrated into their society and has a long lineage to the country? Given that Point du Sable’s origins remain unclear, it is worth questioning whether he had the cultural and linguistic connection necessary to name the settlement.
The Louisiana-Saint Domingue Connection
During the late 18th century, Louisiana had deep connections to Saint-Domingue (Haiti), with free Black immigrants and enslaved individuals moving between the two regions. However, the migration of Saint-Domingue refugees to Louisiana did not directly extend to the Illinois region. If Point du Sable had been of Haitian origin, his presence so far north would have been an anomaly rather than a common occurrence.
Furthermore, by the late 18th century, Spanish and French authorities had enacted numerous strict laws to prevent Saint-Domingue migrants, both free and enslaved, from entering Louisiana and spreading revolutionary ideas. One of many quotes like: “The colony’s officials, responding to uprisings on the island, banned the entry of enslaved Saint Domingans in 1763.” Vidal, 2019. Haitians were not a free people in America, especially after the 1804 massacre. Why would they free themselves from bondage just to follow and be enslaved by the same people you massacred? And why would the French allow Free Haitians to roam free in a lawfully enslaved country where Haitians were slaves there and banned well before 1779? It’s counterproductive and illogical. Haitians were only allowed entry under the exception of enslavement by their White Hatian refugee’s, referred to as “faithful servants”. Given this historical backdrop, it is unlikely that a Saint-Domingue-born trader would have freely established himself in the Illinois region without more extensive documentation.
Reevaluating the Legacy
The modern perception of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable as the “Founder of Chicago” seems to be the result of historical mythmaking, rather than concrete evidence. His name was retroactively changed, his documented presence in the region was relatively limited, and the broader context of Black fur traders in the Great Lakes region suggests he was not unique in his role. In 1951, Joseph Jeremie, a native of Haiti, published a pamphlet in which he said he was the great-grandson of Point du Sable and is highly likely the origin of the myth of him being from Haiti.
The 1968 placement of a modern tombstone for Point DuSable by the Illinois Sesquicentennial Commission further illustrates how his legacy has been shaped by later generations rather than solidly grounded in historical fact. While he may have been an important early settler, the lack of conclusive evidence surrounding his origins, name, and impact makes it difficult to definitively credit him with being Haitian.
Conclusion
With all the evidence in consideration, its far more likely he was an Ojibwe and or a Soulaan French citizen of that territory that founded “Chicago”.
“The historical record of Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, the acknowledged founder of Chicago, has often been obscured by incomplete documentation and racial biases in historical narratives. However, in 1951, Dr. Mercer Cook of Howard University brought attention to a pamphlet, Haiti et Chicago by Joseph Jeremie, in which Jeremie, a distinguished Haitian nonagenarian, declared himself a descendant of Du Sable’s family and stated that Du Sable was born in Saint-Marc, Haiti, to a free Black woman, later studying in France before traveling to Louisiana in search of new markets. Jeremie supported his claim using family recollections and tombstone inscriptions (Graham, 1953).”
References:
Harper, Mattie Marie. French Africans in Ojibwe Country: Negotiating Marriage, Identity and Race, 1780–1890. University of California, 2012. Retrieved from eScholarship.
Graham, Shirley (1953). Jean Baptiste Pointe De Sable: Founder of Chicago. Julian Messner. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
Vidal, Cécile. Caribbean New Orleans: Empire, Race, and the Making of a Slave Society. University of North Carolina Press, 2019.
Early Chicago. “Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable: The Founder of Chicago.” Retrieved from Web Archive.
