- Julien Garnier
Julien Garnier (born at
Connerai , France,6 January 1642 ; d. inQuebec , 1730) was a FrenchJesuit missionary to Canada.Life
He entered the Society of Jesus in 1660, and, in October, 1662, sailed for Canada. He was the first Jesuit to be ordained there, and after his ordination in 1668, he prepared himself for missionary work among the Indians.
He went first to the
Oneida , but in a few months changed the field of his labours to theOnondaga mission. Garaconthié, the Onondaga chief, received him with every evidence of friendship, and, at his request, rebuilt the chapel of St. Mary.On the arrival of other missionaries in 1671, Garnier set out with Father
Jacques Frémin for theSeneca Nation country. There he found a bare handful of Christian Indians at theGandachioragou mission. He immediately began to preach and baptize; and he persevered after his chapel was destroyed by a fire which wiped out the entire village.When trouble arose in 1683 between the French and the Senecas, Garnier went with
de Lamberville toGovernor de la Barre to urge compromise and moderation. He was unable, however, to dissuade the latter from his policy of repression. De la Barre set out upon the ill-starred expedition which was to prevent priests from venturing among the northern tribes for over thirteen years.Every missionary was recalled at the outbreak of hostilities and Garnier was sent in turn to the settlements of
Lorette andCaughnawaga . When access to the Indians was made possible by thetreaty of Montreal , in 1701, Garnier returned to his mission among the Senecas. There he remained until 1709, whenSchuyler 's expedition once more made it necessary for him to return to Canada. His departure marked the end of missionary work among the Senecas; his notes and letters remain one of the principal and most accurate sources of information on this division of the Iroquois.He passed his remaining years among the various settlements along the
St. Lawrence River , retiring from active life in 1728.References
*Campbell, "Pioneer Priests of North America" (New York, 1908);
*"Jesuit Relations";
*"Handbook of American Ethnology" (Washington, 1907)External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=796 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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