Topic Selection and Prior Knowledge
Growing up in South Bend, Indiana, I took several elementary school field trips to the Navarre cabin and heard about Pierre Navarre in fourth grade state history class. However, I didn't really remember any specifics, and I didn't learn about Kechoueckquay or the Potawatomi Nation at all. So I selected this topic in order to learn more about Pierre and Kechoueckquay's marriage and life together, as well as the significance of their biracial marriage and of their cabin.
Research Process
I first conducted an internet search for sources about Pierre and Kechoueckquay, their children, their log cabin, and the Potawatomi Nation. For my research, I used search terms including Pierre Navarre, Angelique (Kechoueckquay's Christian name), all spelling derivations of her Potawatomi name that I encountered in the historical record, Navarre cabin, Potawatomi tribe, Potawatomi Nation, and Trail of Death. This initial research identified books, websites, blogs, articles, and doctoral thesis papers to include in my collection (annotated bibliography).
I then conducted an in-person interview with Travis Childs, who is both the St Joseph County historian and the Director of Education at The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana. I also corresponded by email with both Joe Smith, assistant archivist at the University of Notre Dame Archives, and Lynn Reaume, historian at the Monroe County Museum System. Each of these contacts either gave suggestions for additional sources, provided copies of sources I requested, or provided copies of sources based on my inquiry.
I also attempted to contact the Genealogical Society of Monroe County by email to a general inquiry email box (the only contact method available), as well as Blaire Topash-Caldwell, the archivist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, by phone (the only contact method available). However, after several weeks, I still had not heard back from these sources. So while these sources may well have very useful information on my research topic, I was never able to verify for sure what information they have.
I then conducted another smaller, more detailed internet search for specific primary sources on the Navarre’s children (including obituaries, photographs, newspaper articles, etc.). I also conducted an internet search for background information on the history and culture of the Potawatomi Nation for historical context on the Great Lakes Region of the United States (where Pierre and Kechoueckquay were married and lived) and the historical significance of the Navarres' biracial marriage.
I didn't need to actually engage in the weeding process at this point in my collection, since I had just created my collection. However, I did decide to exclude some sources from my collection, particularly ones that presented a derogatory or racist view of Kechoueckquay as a Native American (such sources often dated from the early- to mid-20th century and didn't provide any new historical or educational insights). I did also decide to exclude some secondary sources that simply retold information from primary or older secondary sources and didn't provide any new historical or education insights. As additional sources are added to my collection over time, it is likely that at some point the weeding process will need to be initiated.
I then conducted an in-person interview with Travis Childs, who is both the St Joseph County historian and the Director of Education at The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana. I also corresponded by email with both Joe Smith, assistant archivist at the University of Notre Dame Archives, and Lynn Reaume, historian at the Monroe County Museum System. Each of these contacts either gave suggestions for additional sources, provided copies of sources I requested, or provided copies of sources based on my inquiry.
I also attempted to contact the Genealogical Society of Monroe County by email to a general inquiry email box (the only contact method available), as well as Blaire Topash-Caldwell, the archivist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, by phone (the only contact method available). However, after several weeks, I still had not heard back from these sources. So while these sources may well have very useful information on my research topic, I was never able to verify for sure what information they have.
I then conducted another smaller, more detailed internet search for specific primary sources on the Navarre’s children (including obituaries, photographs, newspaper articles, etc.). I also conducted an internet search for background information on the history and culture of the Potawatomi Nation for historical context on the Great Lakes Region of the United States (where Pierre and Kechoueckquay were married and lived) and the historical significance of the Navarres' biracial marriage.
I didn't need to actually engage in the weeding process at this point in my collection, since I had just created my collection. However, I did decide to exclude some sources from my collection, particularly ones that presented a derogatory or racist view of Kechoueckquay as a Native American (such sources often dated from the early- to mid-20th century and didn't provide any new historical or educational insights). I did also decide to exclude some secondary sources that simply retold information from primary or older secondary sources and didn't provide any new historical or education insights. As additional sources are added to my collection over time, it is likely that at some point the weeding process will need to be initiated.
Challenges
I encountered a few challenges:
- Because many primary sources aren't digitized yet, I had difficulty located sources that were accessible online, which is often expected by the general public and casual researchers (especially since the 2019 coronavirus pandemic).
- Because the topics (the Navarre marriage and their log cabin) are older topics, more recent research and sources on these topics are limited.
- After over three weeks since my contact attempts, I never did receive a reply email from the Genealogical Society of Monroe County nor a reply phone call from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi archivist.
- Partly due to names being common, repeatedly used across family generations, and/or having spelling variations, it was difficult to find historical information/records on some of the Navarre children.
Usefulness to future researchers
I believe future researchers will find this collection useful, as this collection brings several related topics (Navarre family genealogy, Navarre cabin history, and Potawatomi history and culture) together in one place. This will make it easier for future researchers to access information about these related topics, rather than having to research each one separately.
created by Erin Gaul for LIS-623 Genealogy and Local History class, IUPUI MLIS program, DLIS Dept
last updated: June 30, 2021
last updated: June 30, 2021