Piquet, Francois

Piquet, Francois an eminent Roman Catholic missionary, was born at Bourg-en-Brasse. France, Decmber 6, 1708. Having been educated at the seminary of St. Sulpice, Paris, he was admitted to that order, and in 1733 was sent to Montreal, of which the Sulpicians were the founders and pastors. In 1740 he was placed in charge of the Iroquois mission at the Lake of the Two Mountains. He accompanied the Iroquois in their ensuing campaign, and tried to found a mission at Oswegatchie, but, protected by count de la Gallissoniere and Bigot, he began his work on the site of Ogdensburg, in 1749. The Mohawks burned his mission buildings a few months after, but in two years he received three thousand in, Christian instruction. In May, 1752, a bishop conferred the sacraments for the first time within the present limits of New York State. The fall of Canada approaching, Piquet, in 1759, had to abandon Oswegatchie, and retired with his converts to Grande Isle des Galops, where he built a chapel. His register closes July 23, 1760. He then returned to Europe, and the traveller Bossu met him at Corunna in 1762. In France he was occupied in various duties in the Church, and died at Verjon, July 1, 1781. See (N.Y.) Cath. Almanac, 1877, page 60; De Courcy and Shea, Hist. of the Cath. Church in the U.S. page 447.