Alexis Coquillard
Alexis Coquillard was an American fur trader, explorer, and the founder of South Bend, Indiana. He was born in Detroit, and fought in the War of 1812 under William Henry Harrison. After the war, he moved to the St. Joseph River valley in 1823, where he lived until his death. His parents, Alexis Cerat dit Coquillard and Cecile Tremblay and his paternal grandparents, Jean-Baptiste Cerat dit Coquillard and Marie-Madeleine Jourdain, were both born Montreal. Coquillard was a friend to Father Edward Sorin, and was instrumental in the founding of the University of Notre Dame in 1842. His nephew Alexis T. Coquillard was one of the first students of the university.
He died in 1855 at the age of 59. He was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Notre Dame, where his remains lie today.
