Zenobius Membre facts for kids

Zenobius Membré was a French friar and missionary. He was part of a group called the Franciscans, who dedicated their lives to helping others. Membré traveled to North America in the late 1600s. He explored new lands and tried to share his faith with the native peoples he met.

Zenobius Membré's Journeys

Early Life and First Explorations

Zenobius Membré was born in a town called Bapaume, in France, in 1645. When he was older, he joined a religious group known as the Franciscan Recollects. These friars lived simple lives and often traveled to new places to help people.

In 1675, Membré sailed across the ocean to Canada. Four years later, in 1679, he joined a famous French explorer named Robert de La Salle. They traveled together to the land of the Illinois people. Membré wrote down what he saw and learned about this new area. He also tried to start missionary work there, but it was not very successful.

Exploring the Mississippi River

In 1681, Membré went on another big adventure with La Salle. They traveled down the mighty Mississippi River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. This was a very long and important journey of exploration. After this trip, Membré returned to Europe with La Salle. He became a leader at the Franciscan friary in his hometown.

A New Colony in America

Membré did not stay in Europe for long. In 1684, he returned to America. He sailed with La Salle again, along with two other Franciscans and three Sulpicians (another religious group). Their plan was to start a new French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

However, they faced a big problem. Their maps were not correct, and they made mistakes while navigating their ships. Instead of reaching the Mississippi, they ended up about 400 miles (644 km) to the west. They landed off the coast of Texas, near a place called Matagorda Bay.

In 1685, La Salle built a fort called Fort St. Louis. It was about 50 miles (80 km) inland from Matagorda Bay, near where the town of Inez, Texas is today. Membré tried to set up a mission among the Cenis nation (also known as the Hasinai people) in this new area. Sadly, his efforts to establish a mission there did not work out.

Final Journey

After about two years in Texas, Zenobius Membré was killed. He died along with Father Maximus Le Cerq, Father Chefdeville, and the small group of soldiers La Salle had left at the settlement.