09/01/2026
A gift from Maternity church.
The Legris family is an important part of the early history of Bourbonnais, Illinois, and there’s especially good documentation connected to the historic Joseph Legris House at 465 S. Main Street.
The Legris family in Bourbonnais
The Legris family was part of the French-Canadian settlement of the Bourbonnais area. Historical accounts identify Moise (Moses) Legris Sr. as an early pioneer who came from St. Léon, Canada, in the 1830s. He settled in Bourbonnais and built a log house that he operated as a tavern for settlers looking for homes in the area.
His son Joseph Legris became one of Bourbonnais’ prominent early residents. According to local historic-preservation records, the Joseph Legris House at 465 S. Main Street dates to 1857. It began as a log dwelling, and remarkably, part of that original log structure survives within the present-day kitchen.
Joseph Legris and the house
Joseph reportedly traveled to California during the Gold Rush, accumulated money there, and returned to Bourbonnais. He married Cleophil Sylvester and established his home and family in Bourbonnais. As the family grew, additions were made to the original dwelling, eventually creating the much larger house seen today.
Joseph became financially successful and was involved in the community. When Bourbonnais officially incorporated in 1875, Joseph Legris was elected as one of the members of the first Village Board, serving alongside first mayor George R. LeTourneau and other early community leaders. The Village of Bourbonnais itself confirms his place on that first board.
The family went on to have a significant influence in the area. Historical material identifies Joseph’s sons as including Monsignor Gerasime Legris, a longtime theology professor at St. Viator College as well as a poet, musician, author and priest; Frederic Legris, who became a banker and served as president of the Bourbonnais Village Board for approximately 26 years; and Harvey and Thomas Legris, who were also involved in banking. Joseph and his sons were associated with the establishment of two banks in Kankakee.
There is another surviving Legris property in Bourbonnais as well: the Frederic Legris House at 195 N. Convent Street, dating to the 1890s. Frederic Legris Sr. purchased it in 1915, and Frederic Jr. and his family occupied it until the early 1970s.
The historic Legris House today
The house at 465 S. Main Street has survived for more than 165 years. Kankakee County’s historic-preservation documentation specifically recognizes it as the Joseph Legris House and notes its 1857 origins.
A 2022 local newspaper feature reported that the historic property had been restored/transformed for use as lodging and an event property while retaining its historic character.
So when you advertise the Legris House, you have a strong piece of authentic local history behind the name: an 1857 home connected to one of Bourbonnais’ pioneering French-Canadian families and to a man who helped govern the village when it was first incorporated.
If you’d like, I can dig much deeper into Joseph Legris and his family—his parents, wife, children, occupations, the Gold Rush story, and the complete history of the 465 S. Main Street house—and put together a beautiful “History of the Legris House”.
