Scope and Contents Pierz sends the report requested July 8, 1843. In the mission under his charge there are 1100 Catholic Indians of the Ottawa tribe. There are a few pagans whose number he does not know. The Christians live chiefly by fishing. They cultivate from 1 to 4 acres raising corn, potatoes and vegetables. They build neat houses, make their own clothing - some in the manner of the whites. Only the pagans and a few Christians engage in the chase in the winter. They are located in the villages of Arbre...

Scope and Contents Pierz takes this occasion to tell Lefevere that his is at Mackinac and in good health and sends at the same time the records of the pupils at Lacroix and Middletown . He should establish another school at Castor's island and at Grand Traverse if he had the means. He received a letter from the Archbishop of Vienin and one from Lefevere with the news of some money coming soon. This is a providence of God at the right time. The Archbishop wrote Pierz that he will send 272 florins given for him...

Scope and Contents Pierz wishes Lefevere a Happy New Year and he sends his yearly report on the missions. He sent the school reports 2 days before. One very important matter occurs to him: the establishment of an orphanage home. On Castor Island, he found 4 young Catholic children living with an old pagan aunt, capable neither of feeding nor of educating them. There were many such cases. He wishes he could feed and dress and give a Catholic education to the 20 Orphans in the mission. But he does not want to do...

Scope and Contents Pierz received Lefevere's letter of Sept. 17, just as he returned from Ionia where he had accompanied some Indians to buy land. Pierz bought the land in the name of the three chiefs. They bought more than 1,000 acres of the best land they could get. This land is situated at Arbre Croche Bay, on the other side of the river, Lacroix and Middletown. Consequently the whites will not be able to establish themselves among the savages. This is very important in order to preserve the savages from...

Scope and Contents On Oct. 20, Pierz sent a letter to Lefevere. Now he is sending another one to give more details concerning the savages and his mission. The savages are very much satisfied with the land that Pierz advised them to buy. They are attached to him now because of that and because he works hard to civilize and educate the savages. But to stabilize and give more strength to the mission, it is necessary to emancipate the Indians and make them citizens of the United States. Stewart promised him to...

Scope and Contents Pierz tells Lefevere that he was very much pleased at the address of the President given to the congress concerning progress of the Indians in their education. On the other hand, after reading the gazette ?, Pierz is saddened by the yearly report of Mr. W. Medill, commissioner of the Indian affairs to Congress, in regard to the Indian situation. Medill says that they will try to deport the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians from their home to the West of the Mississippi. Pierz tells Lefevere of a...

Scope and Contents Pierz pays his respects to Lefevere and sends him the receipts from his teachers, whom he payed the first of the month. There is no receipt from Kosegwad, teacher at Middletown, because he had not taught school for a long time. Pierz received $150 from Lefevere through Watson's agent at Mackinac. He asks Lefevere to send him the balance of his salary for this year because on June 16, he will have to pay 3 notes and for the American workers finishing the saw-mill, which should be ready in...

Scope and Contents Pierz, back from his trip to Grand Traverse, received Lefevere's letter of October 7, in which Lefevere refused to accept his resignation from the diocese of Detroit. His demand is not an illusion or a joke but he is decided to stay in the mission until next spring when the navigation opens. If Lefevere does not want to agree with Pierz concerning the resignation, he will return to his native country. Before he left his country, Pierz decided to dedicate his life to God and to apply himself...

Scope and Contents He has just returned from Grand Traverse and found the Bishop's letter of May 16. He assures the Bishop that he has received the order to draw $100 on the Bank of Michigan but since he has been continually in the outer missions he could not write. He writes this letter in haste because an Indian is ready to leave for Mackinac. He has established two sub-missions, has baptized two chiefs and 60 natives and there are many more catechumens still under instruction. About all other things they...

Scope and Contents Pierz is just back from a visit to the savages at Machkigan. To Lefevere he sends a report concerning his visit and the conditions of the savages as far as Kachagen Ondichaning, 50 miles from Arbre Croche, where Pierz established a mission last spring. Pierz says that the place chosen for the mission is very good for such as purpose and that there are already 163 baptized. By next spring the same mission will be increased to a number of 400 or more because of the 5 small villages nearby and...

Scope and Contents Pierz received Lefevere's letter of Feb. 16 and Mar. 17, 1851. He tells Lefevere that he is very happy that Lefevere wants to come to visit the mission. But he says the time is not well chosen, since it is time now for Pierz to go to visit the affiliated missions. Pierz says that the savages are not prepared to have the visit and the new church is not completed. Pierz believes that the best time for such a visit would be on May 24 or 26. At that time the church will be completed and he will...

Scope and Contents Pierz received Lefevere's letter of Nov. 10 with his dismissorial letter of Oct. 21. Pierz thanks Lefevere for this favor and tells Lefevere of his good intentions to go among the savage pagans to establish new missions in the hope of doing good in the Ottawa missions. Pierz hopes that God will bless him in his work. He will be with Lefevere in heart and soul and also through correspondence. Because the weather is very bad he will have to spend the winter at Arbre Croche and go to Minnesota...

Scope and Contents Father Pierz received Lefevere's letter of October 23. He is sending back immediately the account demanded by the Bishop for the government. He made changes in the matter presented to him by the Bishop, so that in case of a government investigation he may be able to justify himself, since the Secretary of War is not friendly to Catholic Schools. This exactness on the part of the government is caused by Father Santeli 's complaint 2 years ago. Concerning the expenses for the first 3 posts,...

Scope and Contents Pierz acknowledges a check for $200 from Lefevere. During his visit to Grand Traverse, he baptized 25 savages. The Catholics there began a church, and Pierz asks for a priest there. He is very tired after travelling 1,200 miles among the savages. Sometimes he spent night and day on his horse or in his canoe visiting the sick. He begs for a good coadjutor because 3 or 4 priests are really needed in the mission. He paid all the teachers except the one from Manistee. As soon as he gets all the...

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Pierz encloses in a letter that has apparently been lost the statement of the condition of the Catholic Indian mission at Arbre Croche for the year 1844. The number of the Catholics he gives as 1,384 at the missions at Arbre Croche, Lacroix, Middletown, Cheboygan, Manistee, Beaver Island, etc. He lists also the number of baptisms, deaths and marriages. Also, the number of dispensations from the banns. :: III-2-h A.L.S. Latin 1pp. 12mo.

Scope and Contents Pierz tells Lefevere that he reorganized the school at Arbre Croche as well as he could. A good savage Paul Itanwigijig, who was employed up to now for the instruction of the savages, takes charge of the school for the savages and will teach the children to read and write in the language of their fathers, and also the prayers and catechism every morning for two hours. Margarete Kabegijigokwe takes the school in English and will teach every afternoon for two hours to those willing to learn...

Scope and Contents Pierz sends the report of the last year concerning the conditions of his mission. He tells Lefevere that he is not satisfied with the conditions of the schools. He made some changes during the winter; he teaches school at Arbre Croche to many children. Father Ignatius Mrak takes care of the school at Lacroix since Pierz promised him the same payment that he uses to give to Eniwechki and Kinis. Concerning the schools in the affiliated missions Pierz tells Lefevere that they are maintaining a...

Scope and Contents Pierz sends this letter to Lefevere on the occasion of Father Ignatius Mrak' s departure for Detroit. He sends at the same time a French translation of his catechism which he hopes to print when he has the money; but to do so he needs Lefevere's authorization, and he sends the french translation of his catechism because Lefevere does not know Indian well enough. If there is anything to change he will be glad to do it to obey Lefevere's order. Pierz used several other catechisms to compose...

Scope and Contents Just back from a trip to Grand Traverse Pierz tells Lefevere that he received the check for $150. He paid the teachers for the first quarter and sends Lefevere the receipts. Pierz spent what was left for his own needs. He expects to receive another check at the end of the second quarter to pay the expenses of the missions. In his last letter Pierz asked Lefevere to pay $2 to the doctor Kaminzky and $35.40 to Mr. Blum, but since Lefevere does not mention it in his letter of January 10, he...

Scope and Contents Mr. Richmond sent some government papers containing 99 questions concerning the conditions of the savages. He wants to know the exact number of the savages and how much Pierz pays his school teachers. Pierz asks Lefevere what answer he could give to the questions. Father Ignatius Mrak received his quarter payment some time ago and Pierz is worrying since he did not get any answer to his letter of March 3. lest the letter containing his check got lost. Consequently, he asks Lefevere to send...

Scope and Contents Father Ivo Leiviz, a good friend of Pierz and confessor in the convent of the sisters at Eden Hall, diocese of Philadelphia, wrote Pierz a letter dated August 28, telling him of his wish to apply for the mission among the savages. Consequently, Pierz asks Lefevere if he could accept Leiviz in the diocese for an indefinite time. Leiviz, Pierz says, is an excellent Franciscan priest, learned, knowing several languages: Ilyrian, Italian, Latin, German, English and French. Pierz believes that...

Scope and Contents Pierz sends the teachers' receipts from the school at Arbre Croche, but he does not send those from the private schools in the affiliated missions, since Lefevere has not yet them. He is not able to send the report of the school at Arbre Croche properly, since he cannot lie about the poor conditions. Indeed, if he would write a true report concerning the conditions in the school Lefevere would not be able to send it to the government. Lefevere can make any report he wishes. Ever since he was...

Scope and Contents Since he did not receive any salary for a half year nor any answer to his last letter, Pierz thinks that he has lost the favor of Lefevere. He asks Lefevere to send him the means to take care of his mission. He wants to know what salary Lefevere wishes to give him in the future, so that he can balance his expenses with his salary. The savages want schools everywhere and insist on seeing a priest constantly. Pierz plans to have 3 public schools which would be financed by the government. He...

Scope and Contents Pierz sends Lefevere receipts for the money accepted for his salary up to now. In case there is any mistakes it is all right for Lefevere to correct them on a new piece of paper. He sends also two receipts from Margaret, a few others will soon follow. Coming back from Detroit, Pierz went through Grand Traverse where he found 12 sick and 6 dead. It will be necessary to send a priest to Grand Traverse to take care of the savages. When Pierz told them that they must assure the bishop that they...

Scope and Contents Pierz sends a copy of his reports on the schools, so that the Bishop can see their present condition. Se also sent a receipt for $216 of the government funds. He told this to Mr. Stewart and gave him an "apendix" in addition to his report. Pierz asked Mr. Stewart for the necessary building material for the new schools at Arbre Croche, and La Croix . But Stewart said he did not have any money for such purposes. He could furnish the carpenters if Pierz could furnish the wood; but that, the...

Scope and Contents Pierz asks counsel of Lefevere. Since the savages now know the catechism by heart they need an advanced catechism. Pierz has prepared such a catechism composed of extracts of many catechisms of which Madame Maria Anna Fisher has made a translation. But he has a difficulty. In the European catechisms there are 5 precepts of the Church, which he quotes, but in Baraga's catechism there are 7 precepts and which he also quotes with the Indian translation, and they are not the same. They are in...

Scope and Contents Father Pierz tells the Bishop of his many and great tribulations. When he was sent to the mission of Sault Ste. Marie on November 4, 1836 with the order to enlarge the church, the Bishop had assured him that he would pay the old church debts, owed to Mr. Rancher. Pierz therefore undertook the building of the church on voluntary subscriptions, which, however, were not all redeemed. He had a stone foundation made, in the inside a solid floor was laid and the building fitted with lathes. In the...

Scope and Contents Pierz after sending 3 petitions to Lefevere without an answer send a fourth one for the needs of his mission. With the close of navigation his communications with Mackinac are nearly gone and he is without supplies or money. The week before All Saint's day he went to Mackinac hoping to get money and other necessities; but he got only 3 furnaces for his school, and had to get a kitchen stove on credit. Not buying any provisions, he secured a net and caught some fish which he ate with...

Scope and Contents Since the return of Lefevere from the council of Baltimore, Pierz has expected everyday to see a barge bringing him to the mission. There is a great number of savages who arrived for the last months or so, who have not received confirmation. Pierz tried to keep the savages from leaving expecting Lefevere would come. Now they are leaving one after the other, but Pierz's Indians are still hoping that Lefevere will come to Lacroix. Because of his lack of money, he cannot pay the daily expenses...

Scope and Contents Pierz is back from his mission of Grand Traverse and he takes the pleasure in sending Lefevere a report concerning his visit. The pagans at La Pointe de Chabwasson, 12 miles in from the village of Grand Traverse, received Pierz very well. Pierz preached to the savages 3 whole days and the chief followed by the 6 members of his family accepted the Catholic religion upon the condition that a priest should come to visit them often enough to give them the proper instruction in religion and in...