the Mass in their presence. Father Badin was the first Catholic priest ordained in the United States. A stone monument fashioned to look like a log cabin stands on the grounds of the University of Notre Dame as a tribute to him. There is also a mosaic on the east porch of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. in memory of him. On October 28, 1837, the settlers gathered on a knoll south of the Embarras River and took formal possession of the land, dedicating the village to the Virgin Mary. The newly acquired land was called Colonie des Freres, or "Colony of Brothers". Eventually the name of the new settlement was changed to "St. Marie", with the name changing in 1892 to the French feminine version of the spelling. Joseph Picquet made many more trips back to France to bring other family members to the new colony. Ste. Marie quickly grew and erected its first church, free school, post office and store. It served as a cultural center amidst miles of wilderness. Geography Ste. Marie is located in southeastern Jasper County at (38.931480, −88.025205). It is southeast of Newton, the county seat. According to the 2010 census, Ste. Marie has a total area of , all land. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 261 people, 116 households, and 69 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 116 households, out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.99. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 29.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.0 males. For every 100 females age 18