He journeyed to the United States in 1808, traveling many miles from Quebec in a birch-bark canoe across the Great Lakes and over rivers to Saint Louis.
Robert came to the New World in his early years and made his home in Montmorency, near Quebec City, where he married in 1663.
[4][5] Their marriage brought seven children, three boys and four girls, including Joseph LaBarge, who became a noted riverboat captain on the Missouri River.
LaBarge was employed delivering dispatches to trading posts and settlements on Rock Island and had volunteered for this dangerous task when others refused.
During the battle he had two fingers shot off by enemy fire, while also receiving a head wound from a tomahawk, leaving him with permanent scars.
As a result of his service in the U.S. Army, he became a naturalized citizen and, under U.S. law, was entitled to receive a pension; however, he never requested one.