Posted by Clint Swalley
on 9/7/2008, 7:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Red Bransford"
66.249.174.234
MARIA MANUELA2 RIL was born 1827 in Wyoming, and died April 13, 1886 in New Mexico. She married (1) MARCELLIN ST. VRAIN 1840 in Weld County, Colorado, son of JACQUES ST. VRAIN and MARIE CHAUVET-DUBREUIL. He was born October 14, 1815 in Spanish Lake, St. Louis County, Missouri, and died March 3, 1871 in Ralls County, Missouri. She married (2) WILLIAM A. "BILLY" BRANSFORD Abt. 1860. He was born 1813 in Virginia, and died Abt. April 13, 1886 in Trinidad, Colorado.
Notes for MARIA MANUELA RIL:
Red Bransford, sister of Red Cloud and aunt of Crazy Horse, operated one of Trinidad's first lodging establishments on the site of the Columbian Hotel. (Trinidad, Colorado) Trinidad was officially founded as a town in 1862, but had existed as a trading spot at the junction of the Sante Fe Trail and the road to Denver. It is on the Purgatory River.
Oglala Sioux
Notes for MARCELLIN ST. VRAIN:
Marcellin St. Vrain
Marcellin St. Vrain was born at Spanish Lake, Missouri, on October 14, 1815. He was the tenth and last child of Jacques Marcellin Ceran de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain and Marie Felicite Dubreuil.
After graduating from college in St. Louis in 1835, he went to Bent's Fort where he worked for his older brother, Ceran, of the Bent & St. Vrain Company. He learned how to manage the fort and about the fur trade. Marcellin married Tall Pawnee Woman. In 1837 he was put in charge of St. Vrain's Fort when it was still under construction.
Marcellin was five feet six inches and weighed about 115 pounds. He was reputed to be an active sportsman, a devil with women, fond of hunting, riding and horse racing. He had a special charm and style which attracted travelers to St. Vrain's Fort.
{ Rufus B. Sage, a New Englander who was traveling in the Rocky Mountain region with a view to writing a book about his travels and observations, visited Bent and St. Vrain's fort in September, 1842. The name of the post had been changed from Fort Lookout to Fort George, presumably in honor of George Bent, one of the Bent brothers.
Sage writes:
Twelve miles below Fort Lancaster [Lupton] we passed Fort George [St. Vrain], a large trading post kept by Bent and St. Vrain. Its size rather exceeds that of Fort Platte, previously described; it is built, however, after the same fashion--as, in fact, are all the regular trading posts in the country. At this time, fifteen or twenty men were stationed there, under the command of Mr. Marsalina St. Vrain.(13) }
In 1840, he married Royal Red (Red Bransford), whom I was told, was a sister of Red Cloud of the Sioux. They had 3 children: Felix born 1842, Charles born 1844 and Mary born March 9, 1848 at Fort St. Vrain.
Some accounts show that in 1845 Fort St. Vrain was closed by the Bent & St. Vrain Company and Marcellin moved back to Bent's Fort. But, if so, he apparently returned to the fort and ran it on his own after this.
In 1848, Marcellin returned to St. Louis. There are many stories told about why he left but most feel it was due to some sort of problem with the Indians. In 1849, he married Elizabeth Jane Murphy. They settled in Ralls county, Missouri, and raised 10 children. Marcellin operated a flour mill there until his death on March 3, 1871. He was buried in Centre, Missouri.
It is unclear what ever became of Tall Pawnee Woman. The St. Vrain family continued to support and care for Red after Marcellin moved back to St. Louis. Red moved to Mora, New Mexico where she married William Bransford. Marcellin maintained contact with Red and his three children until his death. His daughter, Mary, was educated in St. Louis.
Photos from;
Marcellin St. Vrain -- from a paper which used to be available at the Fort St. Vrain Nuclear power plant's visitors center (now closed). The brochure noted on the back, "Special thanks to the Colorado and Weld County Historical Societies for their help with this brochure." Assuming these two graphics must have originated with the historical societies, we thank you again.
More About MARCELLIN ST. VRAIN:
Burial: Centre, Missouri
Cause of Death: Suicide ?
Christened: August 6, 1820, St Louis King of France, St Louis
Education: 1927, St. Louis Academy/college
Marriage Notes for MARIA RIL and MARCELLIN ST. VRAIN:
When their father left and returned to St Louis in 1848, Royal Red stayed in Colorado and ended up at Trinidad operating the hotel.
More About MARCELLIN ST. VRAIN and MARIA RIL:
Marriage: 1840, Weld County, Colorado
Notes for WILLIAM A. "BILLY" BRANSFORD:
Red Bransford's Obituary:
In the Trinidad Advertiser
April 13, 1886
Children of MARIA RIL and WILLIAM BRANSFORD are:
iv. JEFFERSON C. D.3 BRANSFORD, b. 1868, Colorado.
Notes for JEFFERSON C. D. BRANSFORD:
Currently I am getting a copy of your wonderful history of William Bransford from the Colorado Historical Society. In scanning the pages, you mentioned one of William's and Red's sons, Jefferson Bransford, was a deputy of Pat Garrett. signed Steve Grimm, December 29, 2000
v. WILLIAM C. BRANSFORD, b. 1862, New Mexico.
vi. ALEXANDER BRANSFORD.
vii. VIRGINIA BRANSFORD.
viii. ANNIE BRANSFORD.
ix. AMILIE BRANSFORD.
x. CHARLES B. BRANSFORD, b. 1864, New Mexico.
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