Gabriel

History of St. Joseph Church Prairie du Rocher Illinois

St. Joseph's Church and Rectory as originally built in 1858 and 1868 respectively

St. Joseph Church Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, was established in 1722 as a chapel dependent upon the royally endowed church of Ste. Anne at Fort Chartres. King Louis XIV of France had dreamed of a great French empire in Mid America, but died before he could bring his dream to reality. Following his death in 1715, the regent, Philip of Orleans, ruling for the boy King Louis XV, commissioned Pierre Duque Boisbriant to found Fort Chartres in 1718 on the mighty Mississippi, midway between Quebec and New Orleans, to be the capital of the new French empire in Mid America. … Read more

Biography of George W. Gabriel, M. D.

George W. Gabriel, M. D., of Parsons had his first medical experience as a hospital steward and soldier during the Civil war. He is now the oldest active medical man in the state, having practiced continuously for over forty-five years. Doctor Gabriel is one of the pioneer physicians of Parsons, and has identified himself with that community not only in a professional capacity but also as a public spirited man of affairs. He is a former state senator. He was born in that old center of education and culture of the Ohio Valley, Athens, Ohio, on November 17, 1841. The … Read more