Manuel Lisa (1772 - 1820)
He was born in Habana, La Habana, Cuba to Christoyal de Lisa (Sergeant in Spanish Militia) and Maria Ignacia Rodriguez (she married Antonio Francisco Ramis in 1774 at New Orleans). Manuel married Mary Polly Charles (d.1818 St.Louis), Miss Mitain (Omaha woman) and Mary Hempstead (she later married John Keeney). His children were: Manuel Lisa Jr. (1809-1826), Christopher Lisa (b.abt.1813 St.Louis) & Rosalie Lisa (b.1815 St.Louis). Manuel Sr. was long time trader on the Missouri River. He was in partnership with Benjamin Wilkinson, Pierre Chouteau senior, Augustin Chouteau junior, Reuben Lewis, William Clark, Sylvestre Labbadie (all of St. Louis), Pierre Menard, William Morrison (both of the town of Kaskaskia), Andrew Henry (of Louisiana) and Dennis Fitzhugh (of Louisville Kentucky), in the firm of the St. Louis Missouri fur Company. The following is from Washington Irving's, Astoria, "...Several of these traders had, two or three years previously, formed themselves into a company, composed of twelve partners, with a capital of about forty thousand dollars, called the Missouri Fur Company; the object of which was, to establish posts along the upper part of that river, and monopolize the trade. The leading partner of this company was Mr. Manuel Lisa, a Spaniard by birth, and a man of bold and enterprising character, who had ascended the Missouri almost to its source, and made himself well acquainted and popular with several of its tribes. By his exertions, trading posts had been established, in 1808, in the Sioux country, and among the Aricara and Mandan tribes; and a principal one, under Mr. Henry, one of the partners, at the forks of the Missouri. This company had in its employ about two hundred and fifty men, partly American and partly creole voyageurs..."