The document is an expose of the facts concerning the troubles at Detroit., 1. The town of Detroit was burned June 11, 1805., 2. On July 8, 1805, Governor William Hull announced that the government had sworn in Aug. B. Woodward and F _____ Bates as judges of the territory and that the three had drawn up a plan for a new Detroit. In this plan the ground of the old cemetery and church of St. Anne was crossed by the main street now called Jefferson Avenue., 3. By an act of Congress of April 21, 1806 on the land of Detroit, this provisional plan became legal., 4. On Aug. 4, 1805, the elders of the parish assembled and named a committee composed of Francois Chanter, G _____ Godfroy, Jacques Pelletier, Henri Berthelet and Antoine de Quindre to build a presbytery and church and to decide on a site for the church., 5. On Aug. 8, 1805 the assembly of the old Trustees authorized the committee appointed Aug. 4. to examine the rule of the Fabrique of the Church and make a report to a general assembly., 6. On Aug. 11, 1805, the assembly of the elders of the parish approved the conduct of the committee as regards the old site of the church. One side opposed in the register and found a copy containing 6 large pages of rules on the fabrique in use at St. Anne's. These were approved in a general assembly of Sept. 8, 1805. One rule says that they will follow all the rules of ritual of the diocese of Quebec. Among those rules was one that said all assemblies without the presence of the Cure or one whom he should authorize be null and that the cure could invoke the civil power to break up these unlawful assemblies., 7. Dec. 29, 1805 the assembly as a general assembly agreed that the committee should plan the erection of a church of wood 100' by 40', with 228 posts every 5 feet, a sacristy 20' square and a presbytery 30' square, all attached. There were 12 signatures., 8. On Dec. 5,1806 the elders of the parish in assembly agreed that the church and presbytery should be on a little square and that they should be of stone or brick and annulled the previous decrees on this. As a committee to receive the government land and arrange for renting the lots in the cemetery or adjacent they appointed Francois Chanter, Gabriel Godfroy, and Henri Berthelet. There are 12 signatures of which 4 are common to the previous decree. The following acts should be placed after no. 3., 9. Jan. 5, 1795 the Cure of the parish summoned an assembly in which the decrees of the Bishop of Quebec on the fabrique and the benches of the church was read and accepted as the rule for the parish. This was signed by Father Michael Levadoux as cure., 10. An act concerning religious societies. Sec.1 sets forth the conditions of incorporation and the election of trustees and their power; sec. 2 Sets forth the conditions for the incorporation of the Roman Catholic Church property in Michigan, as copied from the similar act in the laws of Maryland; Sec. 3 That this act is revocable by the poor of the legislature, as is done in Connecticut and Massachusetts. This was signed April 3, 1807 by Governor William Hull and witnessed by Peter Audrain his secretary and the two judges Augustus P. Woodward and John Griffin., 11. The agreement of the people of the parish of St. Anne in consequence of the act above given; April 12, 1807 the assembly of the parishioners agreed: 1. The title is the Apostolic and Roman Catholic Church of St. Anne of Detroit; 2. according to the act they decided that the goods of the parish shall be administered by a board consisting of the Cure and 4 curators or trustees elected by the assembly of the faithful for 4 years. The older of the 4 will act as Trustee in charge and have charge of receipts. They shall form a corporation and act in its name. For this action the cure and two trustees or three trustees with the cure's consent can transact the business of the corporation. The actual trustees were Antoine Beaubien, Francois Chanter, Gabriel Godfroy and Jacques Campeau; 3. The Bishop or the Cure alone shall make the rules governing the interior policy of the church and school. Of the late this means the appointment of teachers. Signed by 12 and Gabriel Richard as cure and registered in book no. 2 pages 149-150, April 15, 1807., 12. The government needing the wood for the Church to be used for fortification, the trustees in charge were ordered to turn it over, getting for it a certificate of its value etc. Signed by 6 trustees and Richard. Three others were present but did not sign. 13. Dec. 27, 1807 Francois LaFontaine was elected to replace Antoine Beaubien who had gone and Charles Morand and Nicolas Gouin were appointed examiners of the accounts of Francis Chanbert Joncaire. Signed by 8 and Richard., 14. June 23, 1808, Joseph Serre dio St. Jean in the name of the people of Cote du Nord Est, asked for a separate parish and a division of the church goods. The assembly voted that there should be no separation. This is signed by 3 and Richard., 15. July 3, 1808, in an assembly Mr. G. Godfroy announced that the sheriff wished to take away the material of the old church and presbytery and he was authorized to enclose the ancient cemetery. Seven or eight signatures., 16. July 10, 1808, the trustees decided that the cemetery and the site of the burned church be closed and also the place of the presbytery. Eight or ten posts have been planted in a corner of the old cemetery in the midst of the great street, but no more are placed there because the sheriff opposes., 17. Nov. 21, 1808, the accounts of Antoine Beaubine [Beaubien] were rendered and approved, although there was objection to approving the accounts of the cure since all accounts had not been rendered. However, considering his trip to Baltimore as for the glory of God and useful for the parish they approved, knowing that can have him render an account next year. Further he leaves property enough to assure them that he will return to work among them. Signed by Richard. He notes that he left Detroit Nov. 25 for Baltimore and returned July 24, 1809., 18. The old and new trustees and other people of St. Anne's met Aug. 1, 1809. The Cure suggest that the Church of the South Shore accept the property of the North Shore and that both agree to build the church together. This was rejected. The same day it was decided that the billets payable in October 1806 and 1807 be sent back to the people by Francois Chabert Joncaire., 19. Sept. 10, 1809, at an assembly of the parish to choose a site for the new church they agreed on the site between the cemeteries, which was also the site proposed by the government., 20. At an assembly it was resolved that: 1. Father Richard P. Desnoyers and P. Audrain form a committee to see to the construction of the church. 2. That the same committee have charge of the debts of the church and be allowed to pay the debts in so far as they can and to render the value of the wood to those who furnished it. they can not impose any tax which has not been agreed to in the general assembly. Dated Sept. 17, 1809., 21. is blank, 22. The trustees called on April 4, 1811 to fill out the number of trustees for the corporation, found so few present that they agreed to meet for that purpose on April 29. That meeting also failed. There was no other meeting until May 29, 1814. On April 26, 1816 the supervisor of streets announced that he had been ordered to open the main street and to plow up the land of the cemetery and the burned church. He asks for a meeting of the parish. On April 28 they arrived at a friendly understanding on the exchange to be made with the parish. Richard finding it necessary to reestablish the corporation to do business, convoked a meeting to be held on the North East Shore after the high Mass. All was favorable to the people of the North East Shore and they could easily have elected 3 of the 4 trustees but feeling that their participation would prevent them from having a separate church of their own, they refused to participate and the 7 or 8 persons from the South Shore then elected the 4 trustees to work with the cure to form the Corporation. The following are acts of that election., 23. 1. John Williams was made secretary. 2. The Corporation was declared reestablished. 3. The 4 trustees with the cure were to act for the corporation. The trustees were MM. Barnabe Campeau, Francois Gamelin, Gabriel Godfroy, pere, and Pierre Desnoyers. 4. The trustees with the cure were commissioned to alienate the land in the main street, and to remove the bodies of the N.E. Shore. That the people of all these sections should contribute toward enclosing the cemetery., 24. Dec. 29, 1816. The old trustees elected Louis Buffet of the N.E. Shore to replace Barnabe Campeau, unless Buffet refuses and decided that the resolution for the building of the church on Section 1 of the city of Detroit be approved, that any resolution of the people of the N.E. Shore for paying for the church be agreed to., 25. Jan. 1, 1817, Richard read to an assembly of the people of N.E. Shore the letter of the bishop of Bardstown dated Nov. 15, 1816 and returned Jan. 6 to sign the resolutions of joy and gratitude of the people for that letter. On Jan. 19, these resolutions being read to the assembly some, especially 4 of the 7 persons named under the name of the new Corporation of St. Anne, refused to submit to the letter of the bishop and entered their feeling on the registers of the parish. Richard called a meeting for Jan. 26, 1817, at which there were few from the N.E. Shore. They resolved: 1. That they approved the Bishop's letter. 2. That the trustees had all the power to carry out the resolutions of April 28. 3. That they subscribed to the resolutions of Jan. 1817 and revoked all those contrary. 4. That they could not recognize the new corporation. 5. That they cannot accept a division of the parish until the bishop so ordains. Signed by the secretary and Richard., 26. At a regularly convened assembly of April 20, 1815 it was resolved: 1. That they are afflicted by the division and scandal. 2. That they submitted to the decision of the Bishop dated Loretto Feb. 23, 1817. 3. That all good Catholics should obey. 4. That a double list be made of those who submit containing the motives for submission and the other the present deliberation. 5. That all who wish to remain members of the Corporation should attach their name in their own handwriting to these two lists in the presence of two persons. 6. That those living in the parish limits who do not sign are to be regarded as members of the illegitimate parish and to have incurred the interdict. This was signed by Richard and more than 50 others. :: III-2-f A.D.S. Copied by Richard 9pp. 4to., 3