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Page 72 JOHN DUBOIS
Within three years after Louis duBois located with
other Huguenots on the banks of the Hudson, an Indian raid was made,
while most of the men were away from home, and large numbers of
women and children were taken by the Indians and carried into
captivity, among whom was the wife and children of Louis duBois.
These persons were held in captivity for three months, or more,
before a sufficient force could be organized to recapture them. When
the settlers, accompanied by the Government troops approached the
Indian stockade, Mrs. duBois had been placed on a pile of fagots
with the intention of burning her alive. She commenced to sing some
of the old Psalms, which attracted the attention of the Indians and
they became so interested that they did not notice the approach of
the whites until they were on them, and succeeded in scattering the
Indians and recapturing the prisoners. After this Indian attack,
Louis duBois engineered a treaty with the Indians by which a very
large territory, consisting of more than 36,000 acres, was purchased
from the Indians, from which the Township of New Paltz was taken and
upon which the towns of Kingston, New Paltz and Aesopus now stand.
Louis duBois could not remain long in this wilderness
without establishing a French Reformed Church, and on the 22nd day
of January, 1683, Pierre Daillie, a minister, arrived in New Paltz,
and preached twice on a Sunday and a church was organized, of which
Louis duBois was elected the Elder. The minutes of this meeting are
in the handwriting of Louis duBois, written in the French of that
time:
"Le 22 de Jan. 1683, monsieur Peirre Daillie ministre
de la parole de dieu est arrive au nouveau palatinat et presca deus
fois de dimanche suivant et proposa au ceef des famille de coisir a
plus de vois par les peres de famille un ancien et un diake de qu'il
firt et coisirt Louys duBois pour ancien et Hughe Frere pour diake
pur ayker le ministre a conduire les membres de l'eglise qu'il
assemble au nouveau palatinat lequel furt confirme ensuite dans
l'adiot charge d'ancien et diake. Le present liuur a est fait pur
mestre les chores qu'il apatien a la diet eglise."
The following is a translation:—
"The 22nd of January, 1683, Mr. Pierre Daillie,
minister of the Word of God, arrived at New Paltz, and preached
twice on the following Sunday, and proposed to the heads of the
families that they should choose by majority of votes, by the
fathers of families, one elder and one deacon, which they did, and
chose Louis du Bois for elder and Hugh Frere for deacon, to assist
the minister in guiding the members of the church that meets in New
Paltz; who were subsequently confirmed in the said charge of elder
and deacon. This minute has been made to put in order the matters
which pertain to the said church."
Because Louis du Bois was an ardent Protestant and
Huguenot,
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