Elias DeBoise, Frank’s father, was born about 1852 in Columbia, South Carolina to Marcus and Delia DuBose. (DuBose is the most common spelling of this family from South Carolina. DNA matches our DeBoise family with the DuBose family.) Elias was probably born into slavery, as were his parents. According to oral history passed on by Elias’s granddaughter there were two brothers of the DeBoise family who came from Canada. They argued, fought, and separated, never reconciling. Elias is one of those brothers. Documentation has not been found yet to support this story, and might never be found, but it is very probable. Columbia, South Carolina was an active port of the Underground Railroad before the Civil War, and escaped slaves fled to the Northeast and Canada either over land or by water, departing from Charleston. The first record found for Elias is the 1874 Worcester City Directory, where he was living and working as a waiter.

Worcester was a northern city which welcomed freed African-Americans from the South after the Civil War, as well as those escaping slavery before the War. Worcester was very active in the anti-slavery movement, and many African-Americans had positive interactions with soldiers and teachers from Worcester during the Civil War. Continue reading “Elias DeBoise and Rose Anderson” →