Tag Archive: indiana

Originally born in Italy, and a solider for the French in New Orleans, Francis Vigo (born Giuseppe Maria Francesco Vigo) became a fur trader first in St. Louis and then in Vincennes, Indiana.  It was in Indiana, that Vigo became an informant for George Rogers Clark, an American General during the Revolutionary War.  It was through his efforts that George Rogers Clark knew the British had occupied Vincennes, and prompted him to take the city back from the British in 1779.  Vigo was also a significant funder of the war effort at the time, and  is credited with helping found Vincennes University, which at that time was known as Jefferson Academy.