Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 50

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 2390

USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 50
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 50
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 50
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 50

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to America in 1841, Mr. Lomax settling in Barrett township, where he died in 1883, one year after his faithful wife had passed away. After his marriage Edward Deubler settled upon a farm in Barrett township, where he erected good buildings, making his place one of the inviting homes of the township. There he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1884. He was one of the upright citi- zens of Monroe county, beloved and respected by all who knew him. For many years he had been a consistent and earnest member of the M. E. Church, and he died in the promises of that faith. He had served as steward and trustee of the Church, and through life was its liberal supporter. Politically he was one of the old-time Jacksonian Democrats.

Mr. Deubler left a widow and six children, as follows: (1) Sophia E., born in 1857, married Charles W. Seese ,of Barrett, and they live on a farm. They have three children, Arthur, Wesley and Frank. (2) Robert, born in 1859, has been a life- long farmer on his father's farm, which is now un- der the management of himself and his brother Charles. Robert Deubler is a young man of excel- lent moral character, most highly respected by all who know him. (3) Maud, born in 1862, is the wife of Casper Buck, of Barrett township, and they have one child, Laura. (4) Minnie, born in 1865, is the wife of George Stewart, of Canadensis; they have three children, Lorena, Nettie, and Edward. (5) Charles, born in 1867, married Annie Seese, daughter of William and Emma Seese, of Bar- rett township, and they reside on the home farm; they have one child, Elsie. (6) Kate, born in 1870, married Charles Seese, of Barrett township, and they have three children, Alfred, Mary and Meta. Mrs. Edward Deubler, widow of our sub- ject, now resides on the old home farm with her two sons. She is a good Christian woman, highly respected and loved by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

VALENTINE E. HIPSMAN is one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Shohola township, Pike county, and has been actively identi- fied with its agricultural interests for many years. An adopted son of America, his loyalty is above question, for he was one of the brave defenders of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war.

Our subject's great-grandfather Hipsman (or Huebschmann, as the name was originally spelled) was a traveling landscape painter, and during his travels went to Saxony, Germany, where he was em- ployed to paint some Biblical scenes in the Lutheran church at Steinbach. Being pleased with the coun- try, he married and located there. His son Casper was born in Saxony and became a cabinet maker. He married and reared a family of five children, three sons and two daughters. George Frederick Hipsman, the son of Casper Hipsman, and father of our subject, was born in Steinbach, Saxony, April 13, 1806, and during his youth learned the locksmith's trade, but only followed it for a few

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

years, obtaining a government position as game keeper, which situation he held for many years. In 1836 he married Elizabetha Weisenborn, and to them were born two children, namely: Elizabeth, now the widow of Peter Eckhart, of Shohola township, Pike county ; and Valentine Elias, our subject. The mother of these dying, the father subsequently mar- ried Elizabeth Mudler, by whom he also had two children : Augustus, who was born in Saxony, Sep- tember 17, 1851, and died at the age of fourteen years ; and Mary, who was born August 31, 1856, and is now the wife of William Erie, of Niles, Mich. The mother of these passed away September 4, 1871, at Shohola. In 1852 the family took passage on a sailing craft bound for America, and were seven weeks and three days in crossing the ocean. They located at Monroe, Orange Co., N. Y., but after a short stay removed to Turners, same county, where the father engaged in farming. On April I, 1856, they came to Shohola township, Pike Co., Penn., and purchased forty-two and one half acres of wild land, which the other members of the family operated while the father worked on the railroad. He was killed by the cars, March 23, 1871, while employed as night watchman.

Valentine E. Hipsman was born in Steinbach, Saxony, January 2, 1840, and received a fair edu- cation in the German language. He accompanied the family on their emigration to America, and at the age of thirteen began working for farmers in Orange county, N. Y. When seventeen he became a driver on the canal, and subsequently learned the carpenter's trade, at which he was employed at dif- ferent places in northeastern Pennsylvania for some time. In September, 1862, however, he laid aside all personal interests and joined the boys in blue as a member of Company B, 15Ist P. V. I. With his regiment he proceeded to Virginia, and was on picket duty at the old Bull Run battle ground and also farther down the Potomac river. He took pait in the battle of Chancellorsville, and on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, had his right arm shot off. After his recovery he returned to Shohola, and for seven years acted as night watchman on the Erie railroad. The following six years he was engaged in mercantile business at that place, and on selling out at the end of that time he returned to the old homestead in Shohola township. To its cultivation and further improve- ment he has since devoted his energies with marked success, and he now own 445 acres of land in Pike county, sixty of which are under excellent cultivation.

At Shohola, April 2, 1866, Mr. Hipsman was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Kreiter, who died March 29, 1879. Seven children blessed this union : Emma Elizabeth, born January 31, 1867, is at home ; Margaret, born February 5, 1868, is the wife of George W. Cole, of Middletown, N. Y .; Josephine, born October 31, 1869, died May 16, 1876; Elizabeth, born August 31, 1871, died May 3. 1876; Emil L., born July 15, 1873, died June 2, 1876; Bertha Georgiana, born September 22, 1875,

was married January 30, 1897, to Charles Rugger, of Matamoras, Pike county; and Anna Cathryn, born October 6, 1877, is at home. Mr. Hipsman was again married, September 12, 1879, his second union being with Mrs. Josephine ( Kreiter ) Keller, a sister of his first wife. One daughter was born of this union : Gertrude, born August 19, 1882.

Mr. Hipsman was a Democrat when a young man, but for years he has upheld the principles of the Republican party, and his fitness for office being widely recognized he has been called upon to serve his fellow citizens as supervisor twelve years ; over- seer of the poor fourteen years; constable sixteen years; tax collector sixteen years; assessor one year; and school director several terms. So- cially he has been a member of the Improved Order of Red Men for ten years, and is also a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic, having served as commander of the post at Barryville, N. Y. He and his wife hold member- ship in the German Lutheran Church, and enjoy the hospitality of many of the best homes of Pike county. As a citizen, friend and neighbor our sub- ject is true to every duty, and justly merits the es- teem in which he is held.

DU BOIS. For over a century Great Bend, Susquehanna county, has been the home of the Du Bois family, and during that period members of the several generations have been substantial men and women, active and influential in all that has pertained to the moral, social and commercial advancement and development of the locality. Minna Du Bois, the pioneer of the family at Great Bend, his son Abraham, grandson Joseph and great- grandson Hon. James T. Du Bois especially, have been conspicuous characters in the history of Great Bend and Hallstead.

The Du Bois family is of French origin. Prior to the middle of the eighteenth century there lived in the canton of La Bassee, near Lille, Province of Artois, in northern France, Chretien (Christen) Du Bois and family, Huguenots. Louis Du Bois, a son, and Jacques Du Bois, most likely another son of the same family, left their home and friends ow- ing to religious persecution, Louis and family going to Mannheim in the borders of the Rhine, in the Palatinate, and Jacques to Leyden, Holland. In about 1660 Louis embarked for America, and settling in what is known as the "Esopus country," now Kingston, on the Hudson, in Ulster county, N. Y., there became a leader in the little Huguenot colony, and was later chosen the first elder of the first Church established in that county, at New Paltz, in 1683. Jacques Du Bois was married at Ley- den, Holland, in 1663, and was there engaged in the manufacture of silk, cloth and other fabrics. His children were: Jacques, baptized in 1665; John, baptized in 1671 ; and Pierre, baptized in 1674. In about 1675 he and his family came to America, set- tling in the same county as did Louis DuBois some fifteen years previously.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Hon. James T. Du Bois, of Hallstead, Penn., and Washington, D. C., and the present consul- general at St. Gall, Switzerland, is in the seventh generation from Louis Du Bois, son of Chretien Du Bois, of Artois, France, the line of descent be- ing through Abraham (eldest son of Louis, one of the patentees of the Wallkill. Valley), Abraham (2), Abraham (3), Minna, Abraham (4) and Jo- seph Du Bois.

Abraham Du Bois (2) son of Abraham Du Bois, the Patentee, and grandson of Louis Du Bois, on the death of his father and the division of the estate removed from New York to New Jersey, where his son Abraham (5) was born.

Minna Du Bois, son of the latter, was born in 1754, the youngest of three sons, the others being Abraham and Nicholas. Just prior to the war of the Revolution he ran away, shipped and went to France. In the war that was then going on between France and England young Du Bois joined the French navy. The vessel to which he belonged was captured by the English, and he and the other pris- oners were taken to England and kept as prisoners in the mountains of Wales until the war was over. He then returned to his home in America, and served in the New Jersey forces in the Revolution- ary war. His brother Abraham, a wealthy jeweler in Philadelphia, who had in the meantime become a large land owner, made Minna Du Bois an agent and sent him to Great Bend to take care of his landed estate in that section. He soon became a prominent and influential citizen, interested in many enterprises. He became the owner of large tracts of land about Great Bend, and was one of the sub- scribers to the stock in 1812 for the building of a bridge over the Susquehanna river at that point. He built a tavern on the site of the present "Mitchell House," overlooking the Susquehanna, and had prior to this in the early settlement of Great Bend kept tavern on the same site, which had previously been a tavern stand, kept by Benajah Strong, one of the first settlers of Great Bend. Minna Du Bois was twice married, having one child, Abraham (4), by the first marriage, and one, Jane A., by the sec- ond. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Scud- der, who died December 30, 1848, aged eighty years. Minna Du Bois died March 4, 1824, aged seventy years.

Abraham Du Bois (4), son of Minna Du Bois, was born in 1786. He succeeded his father at the old tavern, and was the inn-keeper in 1812. That year he, too, was a subscriber to the stock of the old bridge company. He became a large land owner, and in 1815 erected the old sawmill that has stood throughout the century and remained in the pos- session of the family. He was active in every move- ment that had in view the development and good of the town, and was one of the builders of the old Presbyterian meeting house that stood for so many years on the beautiful knoll overlooking the pic- turesque scenery thereabouts, and which in 1895 gave way to the present modern edifice. Of this 14

Society he was ever one of the most earnest members and supporters. He was one of the largest stock- holders in the company that built the bridge across the Susquehanna river at Great Bend. In 18tt Mr. Du Bois was married to Juliet, daughter of Joseph Bowes, whose father was a pioneer merchant of Great Bend. She was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1794, was educated at the Moravian School, Beth- lehem, Penn, and died May 15, 1855, aged sixty-one years. Abraham Du Bois died August 1, 1867, aged eighty-one years. There were thirteen children born to them, of whom, Joseph is mentioned farther on. Catherine married Rev. J. B. McCreary. Elizabeth A. married Francis P. Catlin, and lived in the State of Wisconsin. Lydia married Dr. James Brooks, a physician of Great Bend and Bingham- ton. Nicholas was educated at Mannington and Gettysburg, Penn., became a civil engineer on the Erie road, went to Oregon, laid out the city of Port- land, and returning in 1859 to Washington became principal draughtsman of the General Land office ; was killed on a construction train in 1879, while in the discharge of his duty as civil engineer for the construction of a railroad in the State of Missouri, his remains being brought home and buried in Rose Hill cemetery. William lost his life in Nicaragua, while en route home from California, the passen- gers being fired on by the Nicaraguan forces. Fanny married Hon. Simeon B. Chase, a prominent lawyer and public man of Great Bend, and is a lady of rare culture and refinement, who has been prom- inent throughout her life in Christian and Temper- ance work. Juliet married R. E. Curtis, of Great Bend, who became a prominent citizen at Bingham- ton, New York.

Jane A. Du Bois, daughter of Minna Du Bois, and sister of Abraham Du Bois (4), was born in 1810 in the old "Du Bois tavern," in Great Bend. Her first husband, Henry K. Niven, died in 1826, and in 1831 she became the wife of Hon. Franklin Lusk, a prominent lawyer of Montrose, Penn. Their only son, William D. Lusk, is a lawyer of ability and a leading citizen of Montrose. Mrs. Lusk was a large land owner and was extensively known for her liberality and hospitality. She was one of the first Sunday-school teachers in the first Sunday-school held in Great Bend, June 1, 1817, or 1818. She was one of the founders of the Epis- copal Church at Great Bend. In speaking of an old. landmark in Great Bend which was destroyed by fire in 1867, a writer says: "Many persons will re- member it as the residence of Mrs. Jane A. Lusk, formerly of Montrose, whose noble life and char- acter are still as fresh and green as the evergreen that covers her tomb in sight of the smoldering ashes of her hospitable home." Mrs. Lusk died in 1863, aged fifty-three years. Hon. Franklin Lusk died in 1853, aged fifty.

Joseph Du Bois, son of Abraham Du Bois (4), was born June 8, 1812, in the old family homestead at Great Bend, and that village and vicinity were the scene of his subsequent active business life.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

From boyhood he seemed interested in the talk of the pioneers of that locality, and, himself one of the pioneer boys, he witnessed, heard and imbibed not a little of pioneer life. As the years passed, being of an observing mind, he gathered and stored away in his memory valuable historical data of Great Bend and of the people it was his privilege to know in his boyhood. His recollections from time to time were given to the press, rescuing from oblivion much that otherwise might have been lost. His contributions to the several histories of this section have been in- . teresting and valuable. He held many positions of trust and honor in his native village and was always recognized as a conscientious and faithful officer. In 1841 he was appointed postmaster of Great Bend, and with but little intermission so served until 1855. In 1876 he was burgess of the borough of Hallstead. At the time of his death the Great Bend Plain Dealer said: "Mr. Du Bois has enjoyed an un- usually large acquaintance in Susquehanna county, where he has ranked as a man of prominence. He was a man who had seen much of human nature and who had by intuition a clear perception of events and men, hence his counsels were much sought and his judgment was relied upon. He has gone the way of all the earth, but his works will live; the many points of beauty in Great Bend village which are the work of his hand and heart will perpetuate his memory.'

On October 22, 18440, Mr. Du Bois was married to Emroy, the only daughter of Benjamin Taylor, and to them were born children as follows: Richard C. married Ella, daughter of C. F. E. Richardson, of Washington, D. C., where they reside: Juliet married S. S. Wright, of Hickory Grove; Harriet married George M. Bache, an officer in the United States navy; James T. is referred to farther on ; William married Fanny, daughter of Dr. Motram, of the State of Kansas; Frances married M. B. Moore, of Seneca, N. Y. ; Addison is an attorney of Washington, D. C .; and Abraham married Abbie, daugliter of Henry McKinney, of Great Bend. Joseph Du Bois died March 22, 1885.

JAMES T. DU Bois, son of Joseph Du Bois, was born April 17, 1851, in the village of Great Bend. Susquehanna Co., Penn. . He attended the public schools of his birthplace, and at an early age entered the office of the Northern Pennsylvania, a newspaper of the village, where he learned the print- ing business. Having served his apprenticeship he again went to school, this time entering the Ithaca (N. Y.) Academy, from which he was graduated in 1870. He then took a special course of lectures at Cornell, in preparation for journalism, and in 1872 became assistant editor of the National Repub- lican, Washington, D. C., with which paper he was connected until 1877. His purpose in going to Washington was to enter upon the study of law, which he did at the Columbia Law School, pursu- ing his studies into the second year, when they were dropped to accept the position on the paper referred to. Two years after commencing his career as

journalist in the Capital City he was advanced to the editorial chair. He resigned this position in 1877 to accept the post of United States commercial agent to Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany, tendered him by President Hayes, and was promoted to the consu- late there in 1881. In 1883 he declined an appoint- ment as consul under the President Arthur adminis- tration to Callao, Peru. Subsequently he was trans- ferred to the important consulate at Leipsic, Sax- ony, a position he resigned in 1886. In accepting his resignation the assistant Secretary of State said : "I take this occasion to express the Department's appreciation of the zeal and fidelity in the discharge of the duties connected with the office you have held under it, and to assure you that your retirement from the consular service is recognized as the loss of a faithful and efficient officer.'

On returning to this country Mr. Du Bois again became connected with the National Repub- lican, Washington, D. C., taking charge of the con- sular edition of that journal. He was also for some years interested in the Plain Dealer, at Great Bend, and some years ago he started the Herald, a weekly newspaper published at Hallstead. Penn. In 1888 Mr. Du Bois established a newspaper styled the Inventive Age, and erected the handsome building in Washington, D. C., which that office occupies. He is a journalist of ability, and his writings attract attention. While at Aix-la-chapelle he prepared several small volumes, among them "An Hour with Charlemagne" and "In and About Aix-la-chapelle." Concerning the former, Postmaster Vilas wrote: "I sat down with the great Charles last evening and wa's so interested by your presentation that I ceased only with its close. Your sketch is delightful. It lifts the splendid story out of the darkness and shows what a wonderful creation and creator a great man is. Had Bacon's philosophy then been known modern civilization would have dated with Charlemagne. May I be allowed to commend the rich and flowing style in which you bear your read- ers blissfully ? I shall hope to enjoy other products of so deft a pen."

In 1897 Mr. Du Bois was appointed, by Presi- dent Mckinley, consul-general at St. Gall, Switzer- land, assuming his duties in January, 1898. Shortly after taking charge of his post, Consul-General Du Bois inaugurated a vigorous American fight against the fraudulent under-valuations of export goods to the United States which has resulted in a saving to "Uncle Sam" of several thousand dollars. The appraiser at the Port of New York, in a recent in- terview published in the New York papers, has this to say about the famous St. Gall fight: "St. Gall case is the largest ever taken up by the government. It is one interesting fact that the goods now brought to the United States from St. Gall are 20 per cent. higher in invoice values than they were when the investigation began last spring. The total value of importation of St. Gall goods amounted to about seven millions of dollars every year. Take 20 per cent. of this and you have $1,400,000. Fully 60 per

James JDuBois

acourtois

PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN 1863,

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

cent. of this amount, or $840,000, represents the gain in duties of the Government."

A prominent official at Washington, D. C., said : "Consul-General Du Bois, in the energetic and intelligent administration of consular affairs at St. Gall, Switzerland, has during the year 1898 saved more money to the Government by increasing the revenue and stopping fraud than the total cost of the entire diplomatic and consular service of the United States and Switzerland during the past twenty years."

Among the many complimentary notices from the leading newspapers of the country the Phila- delphia Press says : "Mr. DuBois is one of the ablest representatives of the consular service." The New York Journal of Commerce says: "We must ex- press our admiration and appreciation of Mr. Du Bois' achievements at St. Gall." The Binghamton Leader says : "Hon. James T. Du Bois, Consul-Gen- eral at St. Gall, Switzerland, returned to his home at Hallstead, Penn., Wednesday evening, amid the rejoicings of his fellow people at that place, where he is regarded as everybody's friend, full of public spirit. a heart filled with sympathy and solicitude, and active always in the interests of his home town and its citizens. Mr. Du Bois' mission abroad has been one of conscientious hard work and concentrated effort, and it is an acknowledged fact that no repre- sentative in the consular service ever accomplished greater results than has Mr. Du Bois during the eighteen months of his administration. Switzerland, noted for its manufacture of laces and embroideries. has for years been exporting to the United States a large percentage of its products on under-valua- tions, thereby defrauding the revenue department of between $1,000,000 and $15,000,000 annually. The quick eye of Mr. DuBois detected the source and enormity of this fraud, and he succeeded, against almost overwhelming influences and "pulls, in correcting the abuses and restoring the revenues in the sums above mentioned. The President the treasury department, the collector and appraiser of the Port of New York, have all given expression of their recognition of his most valuable and dis- tinguished services. Is it, then, any wonder that those who know him and love him best are proud of his record and greet him with new and enthu- siastic admiration ? Mr. Du Bois will enjoy a well- earned rest with his family at his delightful mount- ain home during the remainder of the summer."

For years Mr. Du Bois has made his home in Washington City, and is there a director in the Washington Loan & Trust Co., and vice-president of the Washington Building & Loan Association. He is a trustee of the Washington Public Library, and deeply interested in its promotion He is a forceful and pleasing speaker, always in demand, and he did effective work in Maryland, Virginia and Penn- sylvania during Mckinley's campaign. He owns a beautiful farm and residence in the vicinity of his birthplace, Great Bend (now Hallstead), Penn., where his summers are passed. In December, 1883,

Mr. DuBois, while consul at Leipsic, was married to Miss Emma, only child of Henry Pastor, of Aix- la-Chapelle. Their children are Henry Pastor and Arthur.

RICHARD CATLIN DU BOIS, eldest son of Joseph and Emroy (Taylor) Du Bois, was born April 19, 1842, at Great Bend, now Halstead, Susquehanna Co., Penn., and had made preparation for entering college, when the war of the Rebellion began. He was the first signer of the enrollment list of volun- teers for the war of the Rebellion, presented by Judge William Jessup, at Great Bend, April 19, 1861, and joined the first company leaving Sus- quehanna for Harrisburg, where this organization became "Company K, of the Sixth Pennsylvania Re- serve Corps." Soon after arrival at Camp Curtin young Du Bois was detailed for duty at head- quarters. Hundreds of sturdy mountaineers poured into camp, each bringing the trusty rifle that had captured many a fine buck at long range, and which seemed to be a part and parcel of its owner's exist- ence, outranking all other earthly possessions. It was of course necessary that the troops be provid- ed with arms of uniform calibre, and in the dis- turbances which attended the making of this change by the Government our subject distin- guished himself for fidelity to duty and tact in dealing with the disaffected, and averted a catas- trophe which would at least have called forth un- favorable criticism from the enemies to the Union cause. The trouble ended, patriotism, which seemed to have received a momentary shock, leaped into the saddle, and every trace of dis- affection disappeared. Du Bois was tendered a commission to remain on duty at Camp Curtin, which he declined, and as a special mark of recog- nition he was then mustered into the service in presence of the Adjutant-General, members of the Governor's staff, and others assembled at head- quarters, by direction of the mustering officer mounting the center table and taking the flag sus- pended above it in his right hand while the oath was administered, followed by the congratulations of those present. He served with his company in the Army of the Potomac until March, 1862, when honorably discharged. He was then ap- pointed deputy marshal to make the enrollment for Great Bend, on completion of which he joined Company B, 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and soon after arriving at Harrisburg received a commission as first lieutenant and adjutant of the 158th Penn .. sylvania Regiment, Col. David B. Mckibbin, commanding. After a march of nearly one hun- dred miles from Suffolk, Va., through the Dismal Swamp region and North Carolina to the Chowan river, they reached Newbern, N. C., January I, 1863.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 50

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 2390

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 2390