Louisa (Williams) DuBois (1799-1877)

The paternal grandmother of Rev. Henry Harris Slaton DuBois lived most of her life in Alabama. That is all I knew about her four years ago.

I began further research. Little did I know I would end up writing a saga revolving around her!

Here is the nutshell version of the facts:

Louisa was the sixth of nine (recognized) children of Josiah Williams and Judith (Elmore) Williams, born in Virginia January 6, 1799. The family moved to Laurens, SC where they remained until Louisa was about 19. While in Laurens, Louisa’s parents engaged in public and scandalous disputes, resulting in a Suit for Separation. The couple may have reconciled because they both migrated, likely with extended families, to the Territory of Alabama in about 1818.

The family settled in Autauga County (currently, Elmore County), just across the river from the Creek Nation. Louisa’s uncle, General John Archelaus Elmore, was so prominent in the area that a county formed later after the civil war was named after him.

On her 26th birthday, Louisa married John DuBois, also an immigrant from South Carolina, he being from Charleston. Nothing suggests the couple knew each other before each lived in Alabama. Their common connection besides being from SC is that they were Methodist (he, definitely; she, most likely).

Soon after marriage, the couple settled in Perry County, Alabama, where John had a land patent (meaning, first purchaser from the government; in this case it was after acquisition from the Creek Nation) for 80 acres. They purchased additional land and had probably the first three of their eight children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. The remainder were born in Greensboro, about twelve miles northwest and over the county line into Greene County (currently, Hale). While in Perry, the couple would have witnessed the forced migration of many of the Creek who once lived on lands where they lived—both in Perry and in Autauga Counties. This migration was known as the Trail of Tears.

Louisa’s life between her residence in Greensboro up until possibly 1859 and where she died, in Eutaw, Alabama in 1877 is murky. There are many hints, however, and exploring the boundaries of those hints will be taken up in later volumes of my saga surrounding her.

Louisa’s relationship with the family’s slaves—both those of her parents and her husband’s—fascinates me. I am exploring those relationships more fully in Book Three (yet untitled) and afterward. There are a few mulattos mentioned in the slave schedules, suggesting some sort of family dalliance. While I have been in contact with slave descendants with whom I share DNA, I have been unable to prove they are from the Williams-DuBois line. There are, sadly, more slaveowners in this and related families. I hope that the slave descendants are able to better document their heritage (like get beyond their grandparents) so that I can connect them to our family.

Because of the breadth of talents and occupations of Louisa’s children, I conclude at least some of this came from the woman who likely spent the most time with them—Louisa. We know from his writings and cotton gin patents her husband John was no slouch, but I feel certain Louisa brought a lot to the table. At the very least, she was literate, and she had the benefit of tutors.

Louisa died of pneumonia on March 20, 1877 when she and John were living with a daughter. There is evidence the couple were bankrupted and possibly otherwise involved in scandal sometime around 1860 and afterwards. But the glowing obituaries reflect that she was in high regard.

I am drawn in to my great-great-grandmother’s life, writing several books focused upon her. Here’s to you, Louisa!