Carlos Beaubien
| Charles H. Beaubien | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Alexis Beaubien October 22, 1800 Nicolet, Quebec |
| Died | February 6, 1864 (aged 63) Taos, New Mexico |
| Other names | Carlos Beaubien, Charles Trotier |
| Occupation | Fur trader |
| Known for | Beaubien-Miranda Land Grant |
Charles H. Beaubien (October 1800 – 1864), also known as Alexis Beaubien, Carlos Beaubien and Charles Trotier, was a Canadian-born American fur trader who was one of two investors who owned 2,700,000 acres (11,000 km2) of northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado in the Beaubien-Miranda as well as the Sangre de Cristo land grants.
Beaubein was born in Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Nicolet, Quebec. His birth name was Alexis Beaubien (Sieur de Beaubien is a title, his birth surname is most likely Trotier).
He studied for the priesthood, and was tonsured in 1820. When he dropped out of the priesthood he changed his name to "Charles" in 1820 and moved to the United States (probably at St. Louis, Missouri where he worked in the fur business with the Chouteau family). There are numerous stories about how he moved west. It is believed he was licensed by William Clark to enter Indian Territory in 1823.
From another New Mexico History we have that Charles Hipolyte Trotier, Sieur de Beaubien, left the Dominion of Canada for the United States during the War of 1812, and came to New Mexico in 1823, in company with a number of French Canadians who were making investigations in New Mexico.
Beaubien went beyond the Territory controlled by the United States and moved into territory controlled by Mexico and eventually settled at Taos, New Mexico where he applied to become a citizen of Mexico. As it was the custom for administrators, notaries and scriveners to translate Christian names, his name was recorded as "Carlos" instead of "Charles," and so he often appears as Carlos Beaubien in all New Mexico records.
In 1827 he married Maria Paula Lobato in Taos in a ceremony conducted by Antonio José Martínez who would later become his nemesis. He started a business in Taos.
In 1840 New Mexico Governor Manuel Armijo imposed a tax on non-native residents in New Mexico and Beaubien's businesses were regularly raided.
Beaubien, hoping to open businesses away from direct Mexican control, enlisted Guadalupe Miranda, the secretary of the government, to petition for a grant of 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km2) on the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Armijo approved the grant on January 4, 1841 with the provision that the land be settled within two years.
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