Francis CABARET [Francois CABOREH] was born in France on March 16, 1811. Francis CABARET and wife, Margaret, and their six children: Madaline, Joseph, Margaret, Louis, Frank, and Rosa, all born at Harcourt, France, sailed from France in 1858 for America. They settled at Peru, Illinois, and remained there three years. Then, in 1856, they came to Ringgold County and settled in Grant Township.

Madaline married Thomas CANNY and Margaret married Chris SALTZMAN, April 1860. She died November 12, 1910.

When the CABARETS came to Ringgold [County] they went down to Ringgold City or to Hopeville [in Clarke County] for supplies and to FUNK'S mill in Decatur County to have grists ground.

After all the children were married and the old folks were alone, one night robbers came to their home and demanded their money. They would not tell them where it was so they tied Mrs. CABARET up in a feather bed and bound ropes around the bed and while they were tying her up, Mr. CABARET was so scared, he crawled under the bed. When they got her tied they could see his foot sticking out so they dragged him out and took him out to a post in the yard and bound him to the post with a rope, and got some hay and threw around him and made ready to burn him at the stake. When they struck the match, he got weak kneed and told them the money was locked in a trunk in the house. They went in the house and got $500 and untied the rope so he could get loose and rode off. When he got loose he ran in the house and untied the rope that bound his wife in the feather bed. The next day the officers and a lot of men went out there from Mount Ayr to try and find out who it was but they found out nothing. Later they found that it was their son Lewis' wife helped her two brothers to plan the robbery. This caused a separation of Lewis and his wife and she took their small son and left. The younger generation have forgotten her name, but Lewis worried so much over it that he lost his mind. He lived with his parents as long as they lived. Then he went to his sister's home, Mrs. Chris SALTZMAN, staying there until he died. His parents never allowed the family to mention it, probably on account of Lewis' condition. Now they cannot even tell the names of the robbers.

The Francis CABARET family is all dead now. However, there are twenty-seven grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren living today [1937].

Francis CABARET died at the age of 60 years on April 6, 1871.

Cabaret Cemetery Transcriptions

SOURCE:
LESAN, Mrs. B. M. Early History of Ringgold County: 1844 - 1937 Pp. 182-84. Blair Pub. House. Lamoni IA. 1937.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, May of 2010