Born in the French-speaking frontier world of Detroit Michigan as "Marie-Anne Savignac" in 1822, when James Monroe was president of the United States, and passing away as "Mary Ann Leasia" in English-speaking Michigan when William Howard Taft was president, "the Indian woman" of Saginaw Michigan was actually the great-granddaughter of Jean-Baptiste Savignac who had emigrated to the New World around 1710. "The Indian woman" earned her nickname from the fact that she had mastered the local Indian language so well and her character was so highly esteemed that she served as a trusted intermediary between the Indians and the white man. As time passed, the story began to be circulated that Marie-Anne's grandmother on the Savignac side (that would have been Angélique Guillet) was actually a full-blooded Indian slave of the Savignac family. Although there is no evidence whatsoever that this might be true, prejudice towards the Indians in the latter part of the 19th Century was such that at least one of her grandchildren felt it embarrassing to hear his grandmother called "the Indian woman" and sought to mitigate the stigma of being "related to the Indians."

By the time that she passed away, Mary Anne was recognized as being one of the final links to the wild frontier years of the region. Reproduced below are two obituaries from local papers.

A career that was closely linked with fur trading days of Michigan and particularly the Saginaw Valley, and was filled with incidents and intermingling with the chiefs of the Indian tribes which then populated this state, was ended in the death Tuesday at her home here of Mrs. Mary Ann Leasia. Mrs. Leasia was a descendent of a French family, distinguished not only in this country but also known and influential in court circles of France in the days of the monarchy. Born in Detroit in 1822, she was the daughter of Francois and Genevieve Campau-saranac, her mother being the granddaughter of Jacques Campau, who came to this country as Cadillac's secretary and established himself at Detroit. From him is descended the well known Campau family of that city. [Editor's comment: her parents were actually François Savignac and Geneviève Campeau.]

Early in life Mrs. Leasia came to Saginaw with her husband, whom she married at the age of sixteen, and who died twenty-one years ago. There was but little of civilization on the banks of the river in those days and the town became chiefly active as a trading station for furs, the neighboring Indians being particularly active in gathering the skins and trading these to the white settlers for little trinkets. In making these trades and deals the whites found it necessary to have an agent who thoroughly enjoyed the trust of the Indian chiefs, and for many years Mrs. Leasia acted as the agent, becoming so much beloved by the Indians as to often act as peacemaker during their troubles and disagreements. In those days all traveling was done by a canoe, and at canoeing she became most expert and up to the closing days of her life evidenced a firm interest in this girlish and womanly enjoyment of many generations since.

Mrs. Leasia's father served in the war of 1812 in the cavalry and earned special honors and recognition for his daring and bravery. She was the mother of fifteen children, six of whom survive, 75 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. In the earliest days of Saginaw, she gave this city a reputation for hospitality by courteous entertainment of strangers and especially the chiefs. She completely mastered the Indian language, and carried out her trading and dealings with the Indians in their native tongue.

In the rudely constructed log cabin which was her home, was celebrated the first Catholic Mass said in this part of the state, a missionary from Detroit being the celebrant. This was years before the first mission was established in this section, or Saginaw became the headquarters for a missionary priest. Mrs. Leasia has always been a most devout Catholic and since the establishment of the Holy Family church here one of its most sincere members. The funeral is to take place Saturday from that church.

Mary Ann Leasia, oldest pioneer succumbs. She passed away yesterday at the home of her son, Albert Leasia, 126 Thayer Street. She was born in Detroit January 15, 1822, and came with here widowed mother to this city when seven years old, coming here when there were but twelve houses in the whole city. She had been a resident of this city for the past eighty-one years. In 1838 she was united in marriage in this city to J.B. Leasia, who passed away twenty-one years ago. She was the mother of fifteen children, six of whom survive: Frank of Birch Run,; Baptiste, of Oregon; Joseph, of British Columbia; Mrs. Joseph Coveau, of Chicago; Albert, and Mrs. Matilda De Fore, of this city.