Lawrence in Brown County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Eleazer Williams

Photographed By Robert L Weber

1. Eleazer Williams Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

This site is part of a 4800-acre tract patented to Eleazer Williams by the United States. In 1882 Williams led a delegation of New York Indians to the Fox River Valley, hoping to set up an Indian Empire in the West. A year later he married the daughter of a pioneer French-Canadian blacksmith, Joseph Jourdain and his Menominee-French wife. The couple settled in a cabin on the bank of the river but the building of the De Pere dam forced them to rebuild it on higher ground. In 1841 the French Prince de Joinville visited Williams in Green Bay, giving rise to the belief that he might be the "Lost Dauphin", son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This story gained wide publicity in 1853 through the book "The Lost Prince" by John H. Hanson. Williams had scars like those borne by the little Louis XVII. Was he the Lost Dauphin?

Erected 1961. (Marker Number 105.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Native Americans

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• Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.

Location. 44° 23.349′ N, 88° 7.439′ W. Marker is in Lawrence, Wisconsin, in Brown County. Marker can be reached from Lost Dauphin Road (County Road D). The marker is located at the Lost Dauphin State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2926 Lost Dauphin Road, De Pere WI 54115, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. St. Norbert College & The Packers (approx. 4.6 miles away); Address by President Lincoln (approx. 4.6 miles away); The Mueller-Wright House (approx. 4.7 miles away); Wisconsin's Maritime Trails (approx. 5.1 miles away); Marquette–Jolliet (approx. 5.2 miles away); Rapides des Peres (approx. 5.2 miles away); Brown County Court House 1838 to 1854 (approx. 5.2 miles away); Union Hotel (approx. 5.3 miles away).

Regarding Eleazer Williams.
Williams was the descendant of a Mohawk Native American and a white woman who had been kidnapped by the Mohawks at the age of 7. Though raised with the Mohawks, as a teenager he left the tribe, and went on to become an Episcopal minister and a pioneer of Greenbay, Wisconsin.

Lost Dauphin Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Robert L Weber

2. Lost Dauphin Park

He told his story, The Lost Prince, and became a national celebrity for a few years. He may have been the object of Mark Twain’s satire in Wild Man and Huckleberry Finn. Williams claimed until his death that he was Louis Charles, though there was never any evidence to support his story. His skull was exhumed in 1947 for anthropological study. The conclusion was that Williams probably did have Native American ancestry and so could not have been Louis Charles.

Photographed By Melinda Roberts, July 8, 2012

3. Eleazer Williams Marker

Entrance to park. Marker can be seen in distance, at top of hill.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2010, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,583 times since then and 81 times this year. Last updated on July 7, 2012, by Melinda Roberts of De Pere, United States. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 17, 2010, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. 3. submitted on July 8, 2012, by Melinda Roberts of De Pere, United States. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.