USA > New York > Ulster County > New Paltz > History of New Paltz, New York and its old families (from 1678 to 1820) : including the Huguenot pioneers and others who settled in New Paltz previous to the revolution, 2nd ed > Part 18
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In Kingstowne this 22d day of February, 1695-6.
Lowies du boys, (seal) Catharina duboys. (seal)
Signed, Sealed and Delivered in the presence of
Jan Burhans, Marttys Slecht, W. D. Myer:
In the presence of Me
Jacob Rutsen.
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The last will of Louis DuBois, as recorded in the Surro- gate's office of the County of New York, is in Dutch, dated March 26, 1694, and was proved July 13, 1697. A previous will is as follows, made at the time of his removal from New Paltz to Kingston :
In the name of God, Amen, the one and thirtieth day of March, Anno Domini, 1686, I, Louis Du bois, of the New Paltz in the County of Ulster, being both sound in body and of good and perfect memory, thanks be to the Almighty, and calling to remembrance the uncertain Estate of this transitory life, and that all flesh must yield unto death whom it shall please God to call; doe make, constitute, ordain and declare this my last will and testament, in manner following: Revoking and annuling, by these presents, all and every testament and testa- ments, will and wills, hertofore by me made and declared either by word or writing, and this to be my last will and testament. Imprims : I will that all my just debts shall be paid within a convenient time after my decease, and what there shall be found afterwards belonging to my Estate, shall be equally dealt among my children ! but my two oldest sons desiring to have each of them a part of the land of the New Paltz, more than the other sons by reason their names are upon the Patent, but they will be content to deale equally with my other children, whether in land, houses, or any other sort of goods whatso- ever belonging to my said Estate, as well as the lands of the Paltz that I have bought for me and after my death and their mother's decease, shall be dealt equally amongst them, (to wit,) Three parts lying and being situated in the New Paltz, but if they (to wit) my two eldest sons will each of them have a part of the land lying in the New Paltz, they may have it after myn and their mother's death, with condition they shall pay for the said land with all the interest of the same, unto the
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other of my children, and shall not inherit any of the other land, houses, or any other sort of goods belonging to my said Estate, but them that have house lots and have built thereon, shall keep the same upon condition that the other of my chil- dren shall have so much land instead thereof, in such con- venient places as may be found most expedient for them in any place belonging to my said Estate. Myn wife, their mother, shall have the ordering of the Estate, that is to say, to have the profits and perquisites of the same, so long as she re- maineth the widow, but in case she cometh to remarry, that she shall have the one right half of the whole Estate, either lands, houses, or any other goods or chattels, whatsoever belong to my said Estate, and the other half shall be amongst the chil- dren aforesaid, equally dealt, except my two eldest sons, which, if they will have the Lotts above mentioned, must pay for the same with the interest of the said land, and shall have no other part in my said Estate, that is my last will and testament and no other, in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written. LOUYS DU BOIS.
Signed and sealed in presence of
Arent Tennisson, Dirck Schepmoes.
Entered upon record 19th May, 1686.
Examined per John Ward, D'p't Cl'k.
Louis was not only a very extensive land owner but a money lender likewise, and the writer has in his possession several receipts in his handwriting and with his signature for loans repaid to Louis in his later years.
HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
285
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Jejuns
RECEIPTS WITH SIGNATURE OF LOUIS DU BOIS, THE PATENTEE
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Some time after her husband's death, and when she was about 63 years of age, Louis' widow married Jean Cottin, a very worthy Huguenot, who kept a store at Kingston and had been previously the schoolmaster at New Paltz.
In the year 1703 we find recorded in the church book at Kingston the following interesting entry in the list of bap- tisms, under date of September 5th :
"Rachel after profession of her faith she received the sacrament of holy baptism, aged 17 years. Besides the points required of her in the formula of baptism she also promised the congregation to serve her mistress Catharine Cottyn faithfully and diligently until the death of her mistress and after that to serve her master Jan Cottyn and after that she shall be at liberty and free."
The old Dutch dominie, who recorded all this in the church book, performed a valuable deed for history and for the de- scendants of Louis DuBois, the Patentee. Usually the church record contained simply the name of the child baptised, the parents, and sponsors ; but here we have the evidence that the woman who, in her early married years, saved her life by : singing a psalm, while the savages were preparing to burn her at the stake, now in her old age manumitted her negro woman. This is perhaps the very first recorded instance in this country of the freeing of a slave.
Louis DuBois, the Patentee, had been dead seven years ; after his death his widow had married that good old French merchant of Kingston, Jean Cottin, who when he died left much property to the church. The families of her seven sons, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Louis, Jr., and Mat- thew, were living at New Paltz, Rochester, Hurley and Kings- ton, but it was to none of these that her negro girl should go
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as a slave. Mrs. Cottin was an old woman. It was not to be supposed in the course of nature that she or her husband could live many years. In all probability by the time the negro girl reached the age of 25 she became a free woman by the act of her mistress.
We have said that Louis' sons were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Louis and Matthew.
Of these sons Matthew settled in Kingston, where his de- scendants still reside. David located in the town of Rochester, where he left a line of descendants. Jacob settled on a farm of his father in old Hurley, where he left a large family, and his second son, Louis, settled in Monmouth county, N. J., and was the father of Rev. Benj. DuBois of Revolutionary fame. Patterson DuBois of Philadelphia is of Jacob's line. The other four sons, Abraham, Isaac, Solomon and Louis, Jr., remained at New Paltz. Although Isaac was only about 18 years of age and his brother Abm. hardly 21, they were both associated with their father as members of the 12 patentees of New Paltz in 1677.
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le confes darcon recu de bune freve de dixit celui onde periootac tas de 1097 Abraham Du Borg
Jan 170A le 26 de Setembre
DOCUMENT WITH SIGNATURE OF ABRAHAM DU BOIS, THE PATENTEE
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CHAPTER XXV
ABRAHAM DUBOIS, THE PATENTEE
Abraham DuBois married Margaret Deyo, daughter of Christian Deyo, the Patentee. They left a family of children, the eldest of whom, also named Abraham, was baptised in 1685. He settled in the County of Somerset, N. J. There was but one other son, Joel, who died in 1734 and left no family. One daughter of Abm. DuBois, the Patentee, married Roelif Elting, the first of the name at New Paltz; another daughter, Katharine, born in 1693, married Wm. Donalson and located in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Another daughter, Leah, married Philip Ferrie and moved with him to Lancaster county, Pa., where her father had obtained a patent for 1,000 acres of land. Another daughter, Rachel, married her cousin, Isaac, son of Solomon DuBois, and likewise moved to Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania.
Abm. DuBois was the last survivor of the 12 patentees of New Paltz, a fact that is stated on his tombstone, which is still standing in the old graveyard in this village. He died in 1731.
Among the old records at Albany is an abstract of the will of Abm. DuBois, survivor of the New Paltz Patentees. The will, which was probated in 1731, mentions the wife Margaret, the sons Abraham and Joel, the daughters Sara (wife of Roelif Eltinge) Leah (wife of Philip Ferree) Rachel and Catharine. The will disposes of land on the Raritan in New Jersey, on the south side of the Paltz River (Walkill) at New Paltz, at Can- istoga and house and lot at New Paltz ; also personal property.
19
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The executors are the son Abraham and the son-in-law Roelif Eltinge. Daniel DuBois is one of the witnesses.
Edmund Eltinge had in his possession two ancient documents relating to Abram DuBois and his children. One of them is an inventory containing a "true and perfect description of all ye goods, rights and credits of Joel Dubois, late of the county of Ulster in ye province of New York, deceased, taken by Abraham DuBois of ye county of Summerset, in the province of New Jersey, husbandman, the only brother and administrator of the said Joel DuBois, deceased, this twenty-first day of June in the eight year of his magisty's reign, anno dom, 1734."
The other paper in Mr. Edmund Eltinge's possession was a release from the heirs of Abraham DuBois, the Patentee, to Roelif Elting and wife, dated A. D. 1732 and signed by
Wm. Donaldson, Katharina Donaldson,
Rachel Douboys,
Abraham Duboys, Lea ferrie, Joel Duboies, Philip ferrie.
Captain R. C. DuBois, of Washington, D. C., in 1890 vis- ited New Paltz to gather material for a history of the family of Louis DuBois, and in particular the descendants of his son 'Abram, the last survivor of the New Paltz Patentees, on his return stopping in Somerset county, N. J., where Abram, son of the New Paltz Patentee of the same name, removed and located.
Capt. DuBois says :
I found the old stone house of Abm. DuBois, son of the New Paltz Patentee, still standing and occupied, looking as if
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it might withstand the heavy hand of centuries yet to come. It stands within the shadow of the mountain from the heights of which Washington watched the movements of Lord Howe and the British in the attempts of the latter to reach Philadel- phia. I found also that two of the grandsons of Abram the Second were in the service and on the right side.
Another grandson made the first dies for the mint at Phila- delphia. Thus one of the descendants of Louis and Abram DuBois helped to lay the foundation for the U. S. Mint, which was not established until about nine years later.
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TOMBSTONE OF ABRAHAM DU BOIS, THE PATENTEE
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CHAPTER XXVI
THE FAMILY OF ISAAC DUBOIS, ONE OF THE NEW PALTZ PATENTEES
Isaac DuBois, the second son of Louis, was the youngest of the New Paltz patentees. He was born at Manheim about 1659. He was about two years old when his parents came to Kingston, and about eighteen years old when they came to New Paltz. In 1683 he married, at Kingston, Mary, daughter of Jean Hasbrouck, the Patentee. Seven years afterwards he died "at his home in Paltz," as is briefly stated in the church book, leaving two sons, Daniel, born April 28, 1684, and Philip, born in 1690; another son, Benjamin, having died young. Daniel's baptism is the first one recorded on the old French church book at New Paltz. Of the son Philip we have no further account except that he married Esther, daughter of Peter Gumaer of Minnisinck, settled at Rochester and left no son.' One daughter, Esther, married Louis Bevier of Marble- town. Daniel married, June 8, 1713, Mary, daughter of Simon LeFevre, the Patentee.
The following release from Mary, widow of the Patentee, to her son Daniel is found among the old papers in the family :
Know all men by these present's that I Mary Dubois of the new Paltz in County of Ulster widdow and Relict of Isaac Dubois late of the same place deceased for divers good Causes me thereunto moving but more and Especially for a Compe- tent sume of good and Lawful money to me in hand paid by my son Daniel Dubois of the new paltz aforesaid have given granted Released devised and forever quit claimed and do
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hereby Release and forever quit claim unto the sd Daniel Dubois his heirs and assigns forever all my right title claim interest and demand whatsoever which I now have or might could or ought to have of out in or to all and singular the real estate of lands and buildings situate and being within the bounds and limits of the township of new paltz which did belong unto my said deceased husband in his lifetime to have to hold the same unto the said Daniel Dubois his heirs and assigns forever to the sole and only proper use benefit and behoof of him the said Daniel Dubois his heirs and assigns forever In witness whereof the said Mary Dubois hath here- unto putt her hand and seale in the new paltz this fourteenth day of February, annoy Dom. 1718-9.
Mary Dubois, her M mark.
Sealed and delivered In the presence of us,
Solomon dubois, Louis bevier le jun, W. Nottingham.
DANIEL, SON OF ISAAC
In 1705 Daniel built the old stone house or fort which is still standing, with its iron figures, showing the date of erection, and the port holes in the eastern walls for safety against In- dian attacks, and the window high up on the western wall. We find Daniel's name in the list of freeholders in 1728; also in the release from the proprietors of the Paltz Patent to Solo- mon DuBois, in 1729. Daniel died in 1755. His tombstone in the old graveyard in this village bears simply the date and the initials D. D. B.
.
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THE OLD DU BOIS HOUSE OR FORT IN THIS VILLAGE
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Among the old family papers is found a will of Daniel, in French, dated in 1729. The writing is very plain and legible. Another will, in English, is dated 1747 and is as follows:
In the Name of God amen the twelve day of September in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred & forty seven I Daniel Dubois of the new palyes in the County of Ulster and province of New York being sick of body but sound memory and understanding Praised be God for it Call- ing to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die and being Desirous to Settle things in order Do Revoke all former wills and Testaments by me in any ways and manner before this time made named willed Devised and bequeathed Ratified and Confirm this and no other to be my last will and Testament That is to say Prin- cipaly and first of all I Give and bequeath my Immortal Soul into the hands of almighty God my Creator that Gave it hoping by the meritorious Death and passion of Jesus Christ my sole Saviour and only Redeemer to Receive pardon and full Re- mission for all my Sins and my body to the Earth from whence it Came to be buried in Christian Like & Decent manner at the Discretion of my Executors herein named & nominated nothing Doubting but I shall Receive the same again at the General Day of Resurrection by the almighty power of God, and as touching such worldly Estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this world I give Devise and Dispose of the same in the following manner and form Imprimis I do order and appoint that my Just and Honest Debts be by my Executors within Convenient time paid and satisfied Item it is my will and order that my two sons Benjamin and Isaac Dubois Shall have as good an outfit as my Son Simon has had Item I give and Bequeath unto Maritie my dearly beloved wife all my whole Estate real and personal during her natural Lifetime and after
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her decease to be divided among my children as Shall be here- after ordered and mentioned in this my last will and Testament Item I give and bequeath unto my eldest Son Benjamin Dubois his heirs and assigns for Ever first out of my stock of horses one horse the choice of all my horses in Consideration as being my eldest son on which account he shall not have or pretend to have any thing more by any ways or pretences whatsoever Item I give and bequeath unto my Three Sons all the rest of my stock of horses to be Equally divided amongst them share and share alike Item I give and bequeath unto my four chil- dren all my Remainder and Remainders of all my Estate Real and personal to be equally divided amongst them share and share alike Each and equal fourth part of all my Estate that is to say to my Son Benjamin Dubois his heirs and assigns for Ever one fourth part of my Estate to my son Simon Dubois his heirs and assigns for Ever one fourth part of my Estate to my son Isack Dubois his heirs and assigns for Ever one fourth part of my estate to my daughter Elizabeth wife of Abraham doyoe to her heirs and assigns for Ever one fourth part of my estate Item it is my will and order that if any of my children shall come to die without having any Lawful children then that share or fourth part shall be divided into Three equal Shares amongst the rest of my children to them their heirs and assigns for Ever and in case any of the Brothers or Sisters being dead and Leaving children behind them their children shall have their fathers or mothers share shall be divided amongst the Children share and share alike Item I do order constitute and appoint my wife Marietie and my four children as follows-Benjamin Dubois Simon Debois Isack Dubois and my daughter Elizabeth doyoe above named to be my Executors of this my last will and Testament and that every part and parcel hereof may be performed and fulfilled
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TOMBSTONE OF DANIEL DU BOIS IN OLD GRAVE YARD IN THIS VILLAGE:
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In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand and seal the day and year above written.
Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by the Said Daniel DuBois to be his last will and testament In the presence of
Samuel Bevier daniel hasbrouck Daniel Dubois [s] Charles Brodhead Josia Eltinge.
SIMON DUBOIS
Daniel left three sons, Simon, Isaac and Benjamin, and one daughter, Elizabeth, who married Abraham Deyo (2) and lived with him in this village. We know nothing further concerning Isaac. Simon married Catharine LeFevre and kept the homestead of his father. Benjamin married Maria Bevier and lived either at Springtown or in the stone house still stand- ing on the farm adjoining the Peter D. LeFevre place on the south. In the list of slaveholders, in 1755, Simon DuBois is mentioned as the owner of three male and three female slaves and Benjamin the owner of three slaves. In the tax list of 1765 we find Simon assessed for £42 and Benjamin for £29. We find Simon's name as one of the Duzine in 1772. The old homestead in this village has remained in the possession of Simon's family until the present day. We have in our pos- session an ancient paper, being the official record of the town election at New Paltz, in 1749, which was held at the house of Simon DuBois, and contains his signature. It is endorsed "Paltz election 1749, filed May 2d." It is in English and a transcript is as follows :
At the annual election of the freeholders and Inhabitants of the township of the New Paltz on the first Tuesday of April
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HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
Annoq: Dom: 1749 the following persons were duely chosen and elected by a plurality of Voices of said towns freeholders to serve the said town in the soovrall offices which they were chosen is as followeth V't:
Constable-Jacobus Bovier. Supervisor-Abraham Hardonborgh.
Evort terwellego.
Assessors Josias Eltinge
Collector-Noah Eltinge.
Surveyors of Highway-Petrus Low.
Abraham Rosa.
Overseers of the Poor Abraham Lesfover.
Josias Eltinge.
Fence Viewers 3 Isaac Freer. Hendrikus Dubois.
The Election was Koop By me the under Written Simon Dubois as Constable Pme. Simon Dubois.
There are a number of other papers of Simon Dubois that have come down in the family until the present day and have been stored in the old trunk for perhaps 150 years. Simon Dubois' sons were Joseph, Daniel (called Welche), who kept the homestead in this village; Isaac and Andries, the two latter being twins. Simon also had one daughter, Cornelia, who married Josaphat Hasbrouck, and another daughter, Mary, who married Jacobus Rose.
Daniel married Catharine Bessimer. They had no children. The old homestead in his day is described as an old-fashioned one-story house with a basement, the entrance to which was directly off the street. An old gentleman informs us that when he was a boy there was no fire in the church on Sundays
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and it was customary for people to have foot-stoves to keep warm while attending Divine service. At the DuBois house a good fire of hickory wood was kept burning on Sunday morn- ing that people might have good coals to put in the foot-stoves.
Isaac, son of Simon and brother of Daniel, married Rebecca Deyo. They lived for a time at what has been of late years the Wm. E. DuBois place, where they had a grist mill. They then moved to Chenango county, but not liking the country there moved back to Ulster county. It is related that Mrs .. DuBois in going to Chenango, aided by pushing on the wagon at different places, and in returning was so desirous of getting back to Ulster county that she lent her aid in the same manner. After coming back from Chenango Isaac built what is now the Nathan Townsend house at Centerville, where he lived a long time and ended his days. This house was built of stone, but has been since sided over.
In the Revolutionary War Isaac served as a private in Capt. Abraham Deyo's company in the Third Ulster County Regi- ment. Isaac DuBois left four sons: Joseph, who lived on South street in the town of Lloyd and afterwards moved to Michigan; Simon, who kept his father's homestead, now the Nathan Townsend place at Centerville; Daniel who took the place of his uncle Daniel in this village; and Henry I., who lived at Ohioville. Simon, at Centerville, was twice married. By his first wife he had one son, Abraham, who sold the house to Nathan Townsend and bought a farm in the Grahow neigh- borhood. By his second wife, whose maiden name was Poyer, Simon had two daughters.
Daniel DuBois always lived in the homestead of his fathers in this village which had come to him from his uncle Daniel. He married Magdalene Hasbrouck. Daniel's children were John W., Daniel, Melissa, who married Benjamin Relyea, and
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Mary, whose heirs now own and occupy the old homestead. Daniel rebuilt the old stone house, but the walls of the lower portion of the house have been left unchanged and the port holes in the eastern and northern walls remain to the present day.
ANDRIES DUBOIS
Isaac's twin brother, Andries, located at Highland where he had a mill, now the Philip Schantz mill. His wife was Mary Deyo, sister of his brother Isaac's wife. Andries was a stone mason and with his own hands built the stone house in which he lived and which is still standing. Andries left but one son, Joseph, who died in the army in the war of 1812, leaving one daughter, who married Daniel Tooker of Marlborough. An- dries had four daughters : Phebe, married Job G. Elmore ; Ellen, married Reuben Deyo; Elizabeth, married Samuel Dun- can; Rachel, married Arthur Doren and kept the mill, and Catharine, married Dr. Deyo and after his death Isaac Craft.
Hon. Andrew E. Elmore, of Fort Howard, Wis., was born in the old stone house of his grandfather, Andries DuBois, and was named for him. From Mr. Elmore we have our in- formation concerning this branch of the family. At the age of eighty-one Mr. Elmore visited the National capital, and on his return stopped at Highland to visit his old home. He likewise drove to New Paltz to see friends and to take another look at the old DuBois house, the house of his mother's an- cestor's and in the attic of which, before it was rebuilt, he had slept when a child.
JOSEPH DUBOIS
Joseph, the youngest son of Simon and brother of Daniel, Isaac and Andries, married Mary Hardenburgh and lived
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about two miles north of this village on what has been known of late years as the Moses P. LeFevre place. Joseph had one son, Hardenburgh, and one daughter who married Daniel Bevier of Ireland Corners. Hardenburgh kept store for a time, about 1830, in what is now the Huguenot bank building.
BENJAMIN DUBOIS
We will now go back to Benjamin, grandson of Isaac the Patentee and son of Daniel. Benjamin left his brother Simon in possession of the homestead in this village and located on the other side of the Wallkill in the Springtown neighborhood. His wife was Maria Bevier. Benjamin's children were Daniel, who married Catharine LeFevre; Anna, who married Peter Freer; Abraham, who married Bevier, and Samuel, who married Jane LeFevre. All located in the town of New Paltz as it then existed, and in the Springtown neighborhood their descendants lived,-some of them till the present time. Benjamin's oldest son, Daniel, married Catharine LeFevre and lived in the old stone house adjoining the Peter D. LeFevre place on the south, and here his only son, Abraham, lived after him. A little story that dates back about 100 years illus- trates the customs of those times. Daniel's cousin Isaac, son of Simon, had come to visit him. Each had a horse of which he was proud and each claimed that his own horse was the better of the two. . So to settle the question the two cousins, both of whom were then old men, decided to have a test on the ice on the Wallkill at once. The horses were hitched up forth- with, but the question as to which had the better horse was never settled as one horse fell into an air hole and was drowned.
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