DUBOIS: Louis Du Bois was the son of Chretien and Cornelia Du Bois of Wicres [a hamlet in the district of La Basse, near Lille, Flanders]. He was born 21 October 1626.
After his father's death in 1628/9, Louis's uncle, Jean DuBois, took the family to Mannheim. There Cornelia married her brother-in-law.
Jean Du Bois had probably already converted to Calvinism. Cornelia and her children became members of the Protestant Church.
Louis moved to the Lower Palatinate as a young man. The Calvinist State was the leading Protestant power in Germany and offered refuge to oppressed Protestants. The little colony of Walloons, fleeing from the Duke of Alva, settled at Frankenthal, near Mannheim, its capital.
Louis married Catherine Blanchan in Frankenthal on 10 October 1655. Sons Abraham and Isaac were born in Germany.
Louis's, father-in-law Matthese Blanchan and other families migrated to Holland and then to New Netherland. They would name their home in America for their haven in Germany - the "New Palatinate."
The Blanchans, Crispells and the other Walloon refugees left Amsterdam aboard the "Guilded Otter" in April 1660 and arrived in New Amsterdam in August of that year. Sources have frequently stated that Louis arrived on the same ship as his in-laws, but his name does not appear on the passenger list for the "Gilded Otter."
Many Prall researchers believe that Louis made a stop in Leiden before leaving The Netherlands. Louis and Catherine had two young sons and must have felt that Catherine needed help. They most likely visited Louis's sister, Francoise Billiou, and persuaded the in-laws to allow eldest daughter Marie to accompany them.
Blanchan and Antoine Crispel established themselves at the village of Esopus in 1660, with Du Bois joining them a few months later. They removed to Wildwyck, which stood on a plateau skirting Esopus Creek and the Wallkill Valley, with the Catskill Mountains to the north.
[In Dutch, wilt means "wild" and wyck means "section or country, so Wiltwyck was "wild country." Likewise, wal or waal means "Walloon" and kil means "stream", giving us "Walloon's Stream."]
Du Bois, Blanchan and Crispel settled about a mile west of Wiltwyck and founded "Nieu Dorp" or New Village [later Hurley] in 1662. The houses and barns were built within a fortified inclosure to guard against Indian attacks. Fifteen families made their homes at the new settlement. Louis DuBois established a trading post at Nieu Dorp; dealing with both settlers and Indians.
Nieu Dorp was located on land claimed by the Indians, who were still resentful over the actions of Stuyvesant at the close of the previous hostilities. The Indians attacked and burned the village on 7 June 1663. Eight women and 26 children were taken captive, including Catherine Du Bois and three of her children, two of the Blanchan children, and Crispel's wife and child. The other settlers escaped into the woods. It was Louis DuBois himself who gave the warning of the attack. He had been out retrieving oxen that had wandered onto a neighbor's property. Louis was attacked by three Indians and wounded by an arrow before escaping.
Wiltwyck was also attacked and severe losses were sustained. Rachel de la Montagne and the wife and child of the local minister, Dominie Blom, were among the captives. Search and rescue parties were organized. Rachel de la Montagne escaped and provided search parties with detailed information as to the location of the captives.
After much delay and difficulty, the rescue party led by Captain Marten Krygier, surprised and routed the Indians and rescued the captives three months later. The Indians were constructing a third angle to their fort, trying to strengthen the compound, when the attack occurred. The captives were in good health and had suffered no ill treatment. They had been hidden in the woods at night to avoid rescue before negotiations for their exchange could take place.
Family legend has it that as the rescue party approached the Indian encampment, the melodious voice of Catherine Du Bois could be heard singing psalms. Her voice had so intrigued the Indians that they delayed putting the prisoners to death. Kreigier's rescue party then had time to stage their rescue. The family legend is supported by a reference in Kreiger's journal: "In the stillness around, the far off voice of Mrs. Dubois could be heard in singing of Dutch Psalms - then the sharp cry of a squaw in the cornfield as she discovered the approach of the Dutch troops."
In 1667 Louis DuBois was granted lots 16 and 24 in Nieu Dorp. His father-in-law, Matthew Blanchan, was granted lots in Nieu Dorp and Esopus.
In 1670, Louis gave approval of the marriage of his nice, Marie Billiou, to Arendt Jansen Van Naerden [Prall], a local wheelwright and blacksmith in Kingston.
In 1674, Louis Du Bois was a magistrate in Hurley.
An agreement was filed by Louis and Catherine on 13 October 1676 providing that if either should die, the minor children would be educated until they could earn a living. If the surviving spouse remarried, the children would receive half of the estate. At death of both, the children would inherit the entire estate.
Du Bois, Blanchan, and Crispel met the need of the expanding territory by continuing "their favorite work of building settlements." On 26 May 1677, they purchased a large tract of land from the Indians [probably the Mohawks] about 10 miles south of Hurley. The settlement was named "Le Nouveau Palatinat" ["New Palatinate"], or New Paltz, in honor of their home while exiled in Germany.
Between 1686 and 1688, Du Bois was granted a meadow north of Kingston. In 1689 he was granted a tract of land upon the Great Bennewater north of Kingston and in the vicinity of Edward Whittaker's homestead.
Louis wrote his will on 27 March 1694, leaving to wife Catherine "all estate of lands, houses and goods for life." Son Abraham was bequeathed six pounds "for his right of primogeniture in full of all claim." Jacob, David, Solomon, Lewis, Matthew, the children of Israel [dec'd], and the children of daughter Sarah were each bequeathed one-eighth of the estate. Catherine was name executrix. In a codicil to the will [same date] one-half of the Hurley farm was left to Jacob [for 1500 scheppels of wheat] and the other half to Matthew when he became of age for 50 scheppels of wheat [along with property in Kingston.] David received payments for land purchased in New Paltz. Land in New Paltz went to Solomon and Louis, while additional land in Hurley was left to Sarah in return for 700 scheppels of wheat. The will was filed 27 February 1695/6 and proved 26 March 1696. [Ulster Co. Wills, liber 5-6, p. 173]
After Louis' death, Catherine married Jean Cottin. She received 1/3 of the profits from his mercantile business while they were married. When she died in 1712, the money went to her children and to the Dutch Church. She also freed several slaves.
It might also be noted that the surname DuBois, although of French origin, is not pronounced as one would expect. Rather than doo bwa, the name is doo boice. The reason for this was supposedly to finalize the break with Catholocism. New faith, new pronunciation.
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