Charity Dubois

   FamilySearch ID: L7BD-46J.

  General Notes:

In a fashion similar to the biography of her husband Medad, Charity's granddaughters prepared a biography of her sometime in the early 1900s basing much of their information from Medad and Charity's spinster daughter Elizabeth Porter, who lived with them in Neenah in the five years before she died in 1916. The facts about her life conform to records that have been found in published records and files with the DuBois Family Association: "Charity Bubois was born June 4, 1804, the second child of Jonathan and Elizabeth Ham Dubois, in Catskill, a town on the west bank of the Hudson River, about halfway between Kingston and Albany."

There were three in the family, the parents and the eldest child, Margaret, born in 1802, when they went from Rensselaer county to live in Catskill, a hundred miles away. It was then rather pioneer country. There was a serious drought and the mother, Elizabeth Ham Dubois, found it so lonely and primitive that she wept continuously from homesickness; so she supposedly 'marked' Charity, at that time 'on the way.' That, in the estimation of her daughers, accounted for the fact that their mother was a very frequent weeper. Asked one time by her daughter Harriet, 'Mother, do you know that not a day goes by without your crying over something?', she replied, 'Why, child, is it as bad as that?'

It was told of Charity as a young woman that she was 'the prettiest girl in the village' and that the college boys waited around to see her pass when she went out on her errands." There is speculation in the biography that that may have been Union College in Schnectady.

The biography also indicates that she was a shy woman: "When her daughter Harriet in her later years was asked how she came to be such a good conversationalist, she replied, 'Mother was too shy to talk to guests, so it fell to me very often to entertain them.' In contrast to her elder sister Margaret who could cook a fine meal and at the same time take active part in conversation, Charity needed to be by herself when she prepared a meal."

The biography goes on to describe her as one of a shy indispostion, an excellent cook and housekeeper who taught her daughers all the feminine arts of the day. She was thrifty to the point of being teased about it by her husband.: "...husband Medad used to tease her, saying that after she had died of starvation there would always be a penny to be found in the house, laid aside for a rainy day."

The biography also has a curious entry: "(she)...was puzzled and concerned always about the doctrine of predestination."

When Charity died at her home in Chittenango she was attended by her daughter Elizabeth who lived with her as well as her other daughter, Harriet Mott who had come from Wisconsin with her 5 year old daughter Florence and 3 year old son Wesley Mayhew. Her burial place is unknown.
Thrift was also a strong trait: "...husband Medad used to tease her, saying that after she had died of starvation there would always be a penny to be found in the house, laid aside for a rainy day."

The biography also has a curious entry: "(she)...was puzzled and concerned always about the doctrine of predestination."

When Charity died at her home in Chittenango she was attended by her daughter Elizabeth who lived with her as well as her other daughter, Harriet Mott who had come from Wisconsin with her 5 year old daughter Florence and 3 year old son Wesley Mayhew. ⁵⁵⁴

  Events

• Census, 1850, Sullivan, Madison County, NY. ⁵⁴⁶ Dwelling number 329 which is the same as 54 year old Noble Davis, his wife Anna, their newly married daughter Chloa and Sylvester Rogers who is presumably her husband. (They would relocate to Michigan by 1860.)

• Census, 1860, Chittenango, Sullivan Township, Madison Co., NY. ⁵⁵¹

• residence, 1870, Chittenango, Sullivan Township, Madison Co., NY. ⁵⁴⁷ Two listings away from Abram C.

• residence: First District, 1875, Madison, Sullivan Co., NY. ⁵⁵⁵ Next door to son Abram C.
Born Scholarie County

• Probate: Administration to Elizabeth Porter, 22 Oct 1877, Madison County, NY.

Charity married Medad Porter Jr., son of Medad Porter Sr. and Mary Davis, 9 Feb 1826. (Medad Porter Jr. was born 5 Jan 1802 in Waterford, Saratoga Co., NY, died 12 Sep 1863 in Chittenango, Sullivan Township, Madison Co., NY and was buried in Chittenango, Sullivan Township, Madison Co., NY.)