Campau family

The Campau family of Detroit, Michigan was established when brothers Michel and Jacques Campau settled in Detroit, Michigan in 1707 and 1708, respectively. Jacques, Joseph Campau, and Barnabé Campau are among the Barons of Detroit, according to Richard R. Elliott, because they had "ancestral virtues most worthily perpetuated."

Joseph; Louis, Sr.; Louis, Jr.; and Barnabas Campau were fur traders, first selling their furs in Canada and then New York. Joseph was a merchant in Detroit and several trading posts and the others operated a number of trading posts in "Indian country". They were also involved in treaties between the Native Americans and the federal government, which were very lucrative endeavors. Joseph made millions as real estate promoter and was a civil servant for Detroit. Other family members established trading posts in places that came to be known as Manlius (1825),Eaton Rapids, Muskegon, Manistee, Lowell, and Hastings. George established a trading post at Maple Rapids. Louis Campau, Jr. established trading posts at Saginaw (1816) and Grand Rapids (1826).

The descendants of Jacques and Michel, the 18th-century settlers of Detroit, were located in three cities: Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Chicago by the 20th-century.

The coat of arms for the Campau family shows that they descended from a Baron of the Middle Ages. The surname is sometimes spelled "Campeau".

Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit in 1701 and sold 68 land grants between 1707 and 1710, two of which were sold to the Campau brothers. Michel Chapau left Montreal and settled at Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit on August 3, 1707. He lived at the settlement with his wife, Jeanne Maas, and worked as a farmer. The couple had daughters named Jeanne and Marguerite (b. 1708) and a son, Paul Alexander (b. 1709). Michel died before 1740.

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