Gravier, Jacques

Gravier, Jacques a French missionary to America, arrived in Canada in 1684. He was sent at once to the Illinois region, to follow up the labors of Marquette and others. He made a canoe voyage from Kaskaskia down the Mississippi to confer with Iberville; went down a second time in 1706, and from thence to Europe. He returned in February, 1708, re-embarked, and died at sea in April of the same year. He wrote a grammar of the Illinois language, a journal of his voyage down the Mississippi in 1700, and other works, a part of which have been published. See Appleton's Amer. Cyclop. s.v.