Thanks to Jane Garoutte, a visitor to these pages, for this info. To contact her for, send an e-mail to [email protected].
Please note that much of these details are from other researchers or the 3rd edition of "Garoutte Family History 1775-1985", by Ellan Douglas Thiesen. Pleasant Mills is mentioned frequently as the home of Michael Garoutte and his wife, Sophia Smith, daughter of Quaker innkeeper, James Smith. Most of the thirteen children of Michael Garoutte and Sophia Smith were reportedly born in New Jersey. Please note that I have not verified actual birth places for these individuals.
Also of note is that Michael Garroute is supposed to be buried at the cemetery in Pleasant Mills, but I have transcribed nearly the entire cemetery and have yet to come across his headstone(although there are still a few left to be done, so he may turn up yet.)
This is the unofficial genealogy, as far as we know right now. As stated above, this has not been 100% verified.
James Smith (b. abt 1730) was the father of:
Excerpt from The Garoutte History 1775 - 1985, by Ellan Douglas Thiesen
The American History of Michael Garoutte, son of Antoine Garoutte and Anne D'Lascour Garoutte
In 1775, Michael Garoutte outfitted one or two ships at Marseilles, at his own expense and brought a large number of
men to America to aid the Colonists in their fight for freedom. He landed on the New Jersey shore, probably near
Pleasant Mills, and during the early years of the Revolutionary War, he assisted the
colonial government. On account of the burning of the New Jersey Archives covering this war period,
we are unable to obtain an authentic record of his help to the government, but it has been handed down
and generally understood that he loaned money to the government and outfitted and manned ships which he gave to the
government. One ship was burned and sunk by the British at the Mullica River, at or near a place called Sand Point.
A part of the wreck could be seen at low tide within the last few years. One ship is said to have been burned at Quebec.
He was a volunteer officer on the brig "Enterprise" and the sloop of war, "Race Horse." Michael Garoutte was riding with a
party of American and French officers during fighting when they met a party of British officers. In the fight that followed,
Michael was wounded in the head and left for dead. An old Quaker passing by with his wagon saw signs of life, carried
him home and nursed him back to life, and Michael married his daughter, Sophia Smith. He never received a pension.
The records of the Pension Bureau at Washington, D.C. show that the pension he asked for was refused because his
service was on private ships instead of the continental Government. Michael Garoutte married Oct. 26, 1778, at
Pleasant Mills, NJ, Sophia Smith, born Sept. 23, 1759, the daughter of James Smith, an inn-keeper. Her brothers and sister
were: Bethia Smith, born 1754, died 1783, married a Mr. Gale; James Smith, Jr., and Isaac Smith. We have no further
record of her mother or her family but it is known that they were Quakers. Innkeepers in that day were appointed.
They were responsible men of good morals and upstandingness. They were selected for the responsible position
of "Host" to the strangers who came to that particular settlement. He was expected to decide on the qualities of
the guest, whether a desirable member of the community or not, if he wanted to stay, and the report if they were a
"menace to the morals." Michael and Sophia Garoutte spent their married life in New Jersey, living at various places
including Pleasant Mills and Tuckahoe, according to the data handed down. They had 13 children, all born in
New Jersey. In 1787, Michael Garoutte made a trip to France and visited his sister, Magdalene D'Espinassy, a
nd her daughter, Charlotte D'Espinassy, at which time they wrote letters to Michael's wife, Sophia, in America,
copies of which [are contained in the books].
It is generally understood that Michael was educated for the Priesthood and that he attended the same military schools as Lafayette, and that he was highly educated. It is a fact that they were close friends, and the age of 25, in the year 1775, Michael Garoutte outfitted his own ship and left his home in Marseilles and came to America to aid the colonies in gaining their independence.