The Dupuys in Alabama -

Beginning shortly after the death of James Dupuy, Sr., in 1811 in Virginia., this branch of the Dupuy family began to migrate to the South and Southwest. The exact date of departure is unknown, but it was after the birth of Jonathan in 1812. The destination was Alabama, and the region is now recognized as Madison and Limestone Counties. The first official record of James W. Dupuy (i.e., James, Jr.) is as a member of a Madison County patrol detachment on 22 July 1817. He also appeared in 1818-1820 in the Limestone County census (Table II).

Just exactly who made up the original emigration party is unknown. Prudence Wills Dupuy (widow of James, Sr.) did go along, since she died in Alabama in 1822. She died intestate, and her sons, James W. and Edmund, were executors. The three children of James W. and his Martha Mann, were small children at the time of the move. Other than Edmund, we do not know if any of the other brothers and sisters of James W. Dupuy, Jr., made the trip at this time.

Except for the bare facts that have been recited, little is known about the lives of the Dupuy family in Alabama. As noted, the three children of James,, Jr. and Martha Mann were quite young at the time of the move. It is presumed that both James, Jr., and his brother, Edmund prospered, because of the number of real estate entries.

The marriages of all three of James' and Martha's children seem to have taken place in Alabama. Mary married Mr. Magee. Martha married Isaac [Elijah Dodson] Stamps. Jonathan Ethelbert Dupuy, M.D., married Tabitha Evans (daughter of Jessie and Elizabeth Evans) on 19 July 1836. The record was filed in Pike County, Alabama. She was aged 19 and he was twenty-four. He had just returned from medical school.

We have no records of Jonathan's early education., but it would have to have been considerable to make him eligible for admission to medical school. Although it was later written that he was a graduate of two medical schools, this cannot be confirmed. It is, however, a matter of record that he was registered for the 1835-1836 semester in the Medical Department of Transylvania University of Lexington, Kentucky. Records of the University are incomplete, but they fail to show that Jonathan gave a dissertation at the close of the semester. This is thought to be evidence that the M.D. degree was not awarded. He returned home to Alabama in time to be married.

Whether or not Jonathan did have an M.D. degree is unknown. He had medical training, and he practiced medicine throughout his active life. He was invariably recorded as a physician in census records. Medical practitioners without degrees were exceedingly common in frontier days. Possibly Dr. Dupuy fell in this category.

Almost immediately after Dr. Dupuy's marriage, he and his wife, Tabitha, moved to the community of Hernando, De Leon County, Mississippi, where he started the practice of medicine. He appeared in the 1840 census in that county (Table III).

Whether other members of Jonathan's family went along with him is unknown. But they did appear in the same community shortly thereafter. Jonathan's father and mother came along and are listed as members of the Hernando Baptist Church. According to church records, "Sister" Martha Dupuy died circa 1847. Both James W. Dupuy and his other son, Edmund, prospered and accumulated considerable real estate and slaves.

Edmund Dupuy died in 1848. James W. died circa 1850. Isaac Stamps (son-in-law) was executor of the James W. Dupuy estate. It included 25 slaves.

Jonathan's First Trip to Texas.

Beginning circa 1841, the life of Dr. J. E. Dupuy becomes obscure. A biography written by his son, James Alva, is confusing since it contains obvious misstatements of fact. It raises more questions than it answers. In it, Dr. Dupuy is credited with being a graduate of two medical schools. This cannot be confirmed. It is also said that he served under General Sam Houston in the Mexican War (i.e., 1846), but this cannot be confirmed. It is also said that Tabitha came to Texas with her father and later joined Dr. Dupuy where they lived in Huntsville, Texas. This is at. variance with her later divorce plea.

At this late date it would appear that James Alva was doing what was necessary to cover up what must have been considered a family scandal. It seems probable that Tabitha did accompany her father to Texas prior to 1846, since he qualified for 6 land grant. Whether Tabitha. deserted Jonathan or whether he deserted her might be open to question. We have no details of Tabitha's life with her two minor children during this time. Later, she appears in 1850 in Walker County census as "widow" Tabitha Dupuy. Her father and her brother also each appear separately in that census (Table IV).

The question arises as to why Tabitha used the designation "widow''. Did she actually think Jonathan was dead? If not, did she think he had divorced her? Or. was the designation "widow" employed to cover the shame of an abandoned or deserted woman?

Dr. Dupuy in Arkansas. Meanwhile the 1850 census of Montgomery County, Arkansas, (Table V) lists J. E. Dupuy, age 35, physician, as head of a new family. The listing of the children leaves no doubt that he was Dr. Jonathan Ethelbert Dupuy and former husband of Tabitha Evans. Bible records confirm that he had married Louisa Jane Jenkins (b. 5 Oct. 1824 in Alabama). She was the daughter of Jessie Jenkins (b. in Tennessee 14 May 1797 and Nancy B. Rogers (b. in Tennessee in 1799).

This was the second marriage for Jonathan Ethelbert Dupuy, and it is recorded in three separate Bible entries. None of them give the state or county of marriage, so no official document is available. He may have been legally divorced in another state or) at least, thought so, or why did he participate in a bigamous marriage? I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his medical aptitude and later religious convictions. He certainly would not have applied for divorce in Texas.

Just what Tabitha Evans Dupuy thought about all this is uncertain. She waited until 28 Oct. 1850 before she filed suit for divorce in the district court in Walker County. She charged that after five years of marriage (1836-1841) to Jonathan A. Dupuy she had then been abandoned for nine years (1841-1850). She also charged adultery and requested permanent possession of the Negro male that had been left in her custody.

After filing suit for divorce and before court action had been taken, Tabitha married John W. Wyatt. The date was 5 July 1851. Ironically, she died almost immediately thereafter, and because of this, the divorce action was terminated 24 Sept 1851. Index of court entries indicate that guardians for Tabitha's two minor children were appointed on more than one occasion. At no time did John Wyatt or Jessie Evans assume this obligation. The outcome of a suit to inherit Tabitha's portion of her father's estate is unknown. Likewise., the fate of the slave in question is also unknown. The exact date of death and place of burial of Tabitha Dupuy Wyatt has not been recorded.

Despite the primitive conditions of the times and the paucity of public records, it is remarkable how few clues can be found concerning the life of Dr. Dupuy in Montgomery County, Arkansas. He lived there between 15-20 years, and he and his new wife became the parents of nine children. Aside from the 1850 and 1860 census records, we find evidence of two court records. These seemed to concern suit for debt in one case, and as a witness in a perjury suit in another.

A complete listing of children both of Dr. Dupuy's second marriage can be obtained by comparison of Bible entries and census records. All nine of the children were born in Arkansas.

The Dupuys in Texas.

Circa the end of the Civil War, Dr. Dupuy moved his family to Texas. His daughter, Mary Caroline., (my grandmother) received a letter addressed to Huntsville, Texas., and dated January, 1867. The tone of the letter indicates that the move from Arkansas had been recent. It seems probable that Huntsville was the first stopping-off place in the migration. The story told by my mother of the alledged loss of one child by drowning in the course of fording the flooded Red River cannot be confirmed by Bible entries.

It would appear that Dr. Dupuy and his large family were now on the move since they had arrived in Texas. A chance finding of a loose sheet of paper in the Jenkins' family Bible is reported by Mrs. Helen Wyche. It bears the following note:

J. E. Dupuy., a member of the Methodist Protestant

Church., residing in the Navasota Mission being duly examined by the quarterly conference on Gifts, Graces and Acquirements is hereby authorized to preach the gospel of Christ. This license to be renewed annually. Signed by order or in behalf of the Quarterly Conference, April 13, 1867.

J. W. Cowart, Sect.

M. C. Kellough, Chairman

This surprise finding indicates that Dr. Dupuy and his family stayed in Huntsville, Texas, for only a short time. His membership in the Methodist Church comes as a surprise, since his family were Baptists in Hernando, Mississippi. The stay in Navasota, Texas, is of uncertain duration. In must have been short, since he next is found on the 1870 census of adjacent Robertson County.

The marriage of the eldest Dupuy daughter, Mary Caroline Thankful Dupuy, is recorded in Bible entries for 10 Sept 1867. The groom was Joseph Dewitt Hibbetts (b. 15 July 1830; d. 13 Aug 1903). He was aged 36 and she was twenty-three (b. 29 July 1846). In later years my mother suggested this was evidence that this was a second marriage for him. There has been no evidence to confirm this. A more likely explanation is that he had spent 4-5 years on military duty with the Confederate Army.

It is unfortunate, but the county where Mary Caroline and Joseph Hibbetts were married has not as yet been discovered. Likewise, the county of their residence at the time of the 1870 census is unknown. They do appear in the 1880 census of Robertson County. It seems probable that they remained there until they became separated or divorced.

In the meantime Dr. Dupuy moved again. This time it was to the community of Battle in McLennan County, Texas (Table V). He was infirm and had retired from the practice. Only two of his children remained at home. Two of his daughters had married. One child had died as a baby. His eldest son, David Lawrence, was listed separately as head of family.

Dr. Jonathan Ethelbert Dupuy died August 9, 1884. He was buried in the Lone Oak Cemetery. In addition to his birth and death dates, his grave marker shows a Masonic emblem and poem.

After the death of Dr. Dupuy in 1884, his-widow continued to live in the community of Battle, Texas. In correspondence she was referred to as Mrs. L. J. (Louisa Jenkins) Dupuy. She died February 1. 1900. Funeral arrangements were made by J. L. Hunter (son-in-law) and W. L. Lowry (Battle, Texas) and are recorded in Fall and Puckett funeral records. The cost of the casket was $25. An obituary notice appeared in the Waco Times Herald of February 3., 1900. She was referred to as Mrs. L. J. Dupuy, age 76. 1 am told that her grave is adjacent to her husband's but has no marker.

Written by Dr. Edgar Frazell

Bartholomew Dupuy, b. 1652, France, d. 1743, VA, m. 1685, France, Countess Susanna Lavillion, d. 1737.

Issue: 1) Peter, 2) Martha (Chastain), 3) John James, 4) Phillippa (Levillain)

Peter Dupuy, b. 1690, d. 1736-43, m. Judith LeFevre, circa 1722.

Issue: 1) John Bartholomew, 2) James, 3) Elizabeth (Hundley), 4) Peter, 5) Mary (Jackson), 6) Isaac, 7), Jusith, 8), Mary Magdelene

James Dupuy m. Prudence Wills.

Issue: 1) Lawrence, 2) James, 3) Edmund, 4) Nancy, 5) Eliza (Wright)

James W. Dupuy m. Martha Mann

Issue: 1) Mary (Magee), 2) Matilda (Stamps), 3) Jonathan Ethelbert, M. D.

Jonathan Ethelbert Dupuy, M. D., b. Va, 8/28/1812, d. Texas 8/9/1884,

m. (I) Tabitha Evans 7/9/36

Issue: 1) Martha Bell (Owens) (Wilkerson), 2) James Alva

m. (II) Louisa Jenkins

Issue: 1) Mary Caroline Thankful (Hibbetts), 2) David Lawrence, 3) Mattie (Hunter), 4) Ed, 5) Su (Wyche), 6) Geo. Denton, Others

Mary C. T. Dupuy, Mary Caroline Thankful, b. Ark. 1846, d. Texas, 7/9/1895

13. 9/10/1862 Joseph DeWitt Hibbetts, b. Tenn 7/15/1830, d. Texas 1904

Issue: 1) Louisa (Lula Wyche), 2) Wm. Lawrence, 3) Robert, 4) Sarah (Sallie - Davis), 5) Mary Matilda (Frazell), 6) Ada (Punchard), 7) James

Mary Matilda Hibbetts, b. 11/29/1877, d. 2/17/1962,

m. 11/29/1900, Richard Simon Frazell, Sr. b. 11/12/1872, d. 6/26/1942

Issue: 1) Sallie Grace (Frye), 2), Richard Simon, Jr., 3) Edgar Leonard, M. D., 4) William Davis

Sources: 1) Rev. Dupuy Book, 2) US Census Records, 3) Family Records

1818-1820 Census, Limestone County, Alabama

Dupuy, James W., 2 white males over 21, 1 white female over 21, 1 white male under 21, 2 white females under 21

This accounts for James, his wife, Martha Mann, his two daughters, Mary and Martha, and his son, Honathan Ethelbert. We do not know the identity of the extra male over 21. It is possible that Brother Edmund might have been living with the family at the time.

1840 Census, DeSoto County, Mississippi, County Seat, Hernando

Jon. E. Dupuy, 1 male 20-30, 1 female 20-30, 1 female under 5

Note: the female child was Martha - James Alva born later

1850 Census, Walker County, Texas

Dupuy, Tabitha (widow), age 32, Alabama

Dupuy, Martha, 11

Dupuy, James, 9

Census records indicate that Tabitha dupuy and her children lived in Walker County. Her father, Jesse Evans also live there:

Jessie Evans, age 56, farmer, Georgia

Elizabeth Evans, age 56, Georgia

Celia Evans, Age 17, Alabama

1850 Census, Montgomery County, Arkansas

Dupuy, J. E., age 33, Rhysician, $2,240, VA

Dupuy, Louisa, age 25, Ala.

Dupuy, Mary, age 3, Ark.

Dupuy, David L., age 1, Ark.

Dupuy, J. E., age 47, Doctor, $1,675, Va.

Dupuy, Louisa, age 36, Ala.

Dupuy, Mary, age 13, Ark.

Dupuy, David, age 12, Ark.

Dupuy, Sarah, age 11, Ark.

Dupuy, Edmund, age 8, Ark.

Dupuy, Joseph, age 5, Ark.

Dupuy, Jessie, age 2, Ark.

Dupuy, Dr., age 55, Physician

Dupuy, Louisa, 45, keeping house

Dupuy, David, 21, working on farm

Dupuy, Mattie, 18

Dupuy, Ed, 14

Dupuy, Susan, 8

1880 Census, McLennan County, Texas

Dupuy, Jonathan, Retired Physician, age 67

Dupuy, Louisa, age 54

Dupuy, Edmund, age 26

Dupuy, Susan, age 18