Elijah Du Bois (Kingston, NY)
Elijah Du Bois (June 29, 1816 – Feb. 7, 1895)
Biography
- Name: Elijah Du Bois
- Birth: June 29, 1816
- Death: February 7, 1895 Kingston, NY (and is buried there)
The Du Bois Family
Louis Du Bois was born in the province of Artois in northern France in 1626. In 1655, he married Catherine Blanshan, daughter of a burgher of Mannheim, Germany. In 1660 he and his wife and two sons, Abraham and Isaac, sailed for America, establishing himself in Hurley, New York The descendants of Louis Du Bois in the settlement and history of Ulster County have been numerous and influential. In the Revolutionary War, the Du Boises were patriotic and rendered sympathy and active cooperation in all the plans and efforts necessary in the formation and establishment of the Union and in its preservation. Whether on the battlefield as a private soldier or military leader, as legislators to make the laws, as judges, magistrates, attorneys, and jurors to administer them, as agriculturists and tillers of the soil, as merchants and businessmen, as doctors, as founders of churches and promoters of church and educational interests, their generations have been characterized by resolution, patriotism, industry, morality, Christianity, and virtue.
Joshua, grandfather of Elijah, born in 1745, married Miss Schepmoes of Kingston, by which marriage they had one son named Joshua. After the death of his first wife he married Miss Masten of which union were born two children--Charles and Ann. Joshua farmed during his life in Kingston and was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He died at about the age of 78. Charles, father of Elijah, was born in 1785 and married Catherine, daughter of Jacob Hendricks of Flatbush. Their children were Harriet, Tunis, Elijah, Margaret, Jacob H., a lawyer in Kingston for 30 years who died in February 1875, and John Gosman. Charles Du Bois was an enterprising businessman. He was engaged extensively in farming, owning considerable real estate in Kingston, and carried on a tannery and mercantile business in Kingston for about twenty years. He was one of the principal contributors and one of the building committee members for the construction of the Second Reformed Church in Kingston. All through his life he was an active and influential church member and an elder in the church. He was connected with many local organizations in Kingston and died in 1859.
Elijah Du Bois, Merchant and Banker
Elijah Du Bois was born June 29, 1816. He received a liberal education and at the age of 20, he became a partner with John H. Eaman in a general mercantile business. After a few months, Mr. Eaman went to New York, and Mr. Du Bois carried on the business alone for about a year. Mr. Eaman returned and they were in business for three years together before Mr. Eaman retired from the firm. Mr. Du Bois continued in trade successfully until 1859 when, upon the death of his father, he assumed the duties of settling the estate.
For several years both he and his father had been connected with the banks of Kingston, and in October 1868, Elijah was elected cashier of the State of New York National Bank. In November of the same year, upon the death of Henry H. Reynolds, the president of the bank, Mr. Du Bois was chosen as his successor. He was one of the trustees of the old academy and was a member of the Board of Education.
In May 1840, he married Louisa, daughter of Rev. Peter Overbagh of Saugerties. They had one daughter, Mary, wife of Henry Abbey of Kingston. His wife died in October 1842. He re-married in January 1846 to Elena V., daughter of John V.L. Overbagh of Saugerties. Of this union were born Caroline Louisa; Charles V., of the firm of Clay, Merritt and Du Bois, Kingston; Carrie O., wife of Daniel E. Keyser; Louis A., a graduate of Rutgers College in 1878 and a law student at Columbia College, New York; and Annie F. November 9, 1877, Elena, Elijah's second wife, died.
Elijah Dubois, aged 79 years, died at his home in Kingston at noon, February 7, 1895, of the grip, after an illness of five days. He caught a cold while attending the 10th annual Holland Society dinner at New York City the week prior. Mr. Dubois was a descendant of the long line of Huguenots that settled in Ulster County.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, Elijah Du Bois was involved with the following bank:
- The State of New York National Bank, Kingston, NY (Charter 955): President 1869-1887; Cashier 1868
Sources
- Elijah Du Bois on Findagrave.com.
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- The New York Times, New York, NY, Thu., Jan. 18, 1894.
- Poughkeepsie Eagle-News, Poughkeepsie, NY, Fri., Feb. 8, 1895.