The Dupee family, so well known and highly esteemed in Earlville and
LaSalle county, is one of the honored early families of New England, it
having been established in Boston in 1685 by Jean Dupuy (as the name was
originally spelled), who fled from La Rochelle, France, his own loved
country, to America, on account of the persecution of the Huguenots. His
descendants continued to dwell in the land which had been such a kind foster
mother to him, and in the opening year of this century Jacob Dupee was born
in Boston. He learned the tailor's trade and during the last years of his
life dwelt in Earlville and Chicago with his children, four of his sons
having lived to maturity. He died in this town in 1879, when nearly
four-score years of age. His wife was of Scotch-English extraction, one
branch of her family dating back to the historic Mayflower.
One of the sons just mentioned was Ralph Oscar Dupee, who was born in West
Brookfield, Massachusetts, April 23, 1846, and was reared with his three
elder brothers, — Charles A., for years one of the prominent lawyers of
Chicago; Jacob A., of Earlville, with whom he was engaged in business for
more than twenty years; and Henry H., for the past ten years a resident of
Paola, Florida. The great civil war claimed the anxious attention of Ralph
O. Dupee as he was approaching maturity, and though he was young he enlisted
in the Forty-second Massachusetts Infantry and served for four months, in
the Army of the Potomac, when the terrible conflict was finished.
As early as 1854 one of the Dupee brothers came to the west, and as the
years rolled away his example was followed by the other members of the
family. After his army service, R. O. Dupee came to Illinois and for a
period dwelt at Augusta. In 1867 he came to Earlville and entered into
business with his brothers Jacob and Henry, the latter of whom withdrew from
the firm in 1871, on account of poor health. The other brothers continued
successfully engaged in the same enterprise until the death of Ralph O.
Dupee, in the spring of 1895. He was the vice-president of the Earlville
Bank for several years, and was the president of the board of education two
terms. The patriotic spirit which led to his enlistment in the defense of
the Union always governed him, and few are more sincere in desiring the
welfare of the public and the land of freedom. He was an active member of
the Grand Army of the Republic, and in his religious belief he adhered to
the staunch old Congregational creed of his forefathers. During a period of
years he served as the church clerk, treasurer, trustee and superintendent,
and his place in the congregation has indeed been hard to fill. The entire
community felt that it had suffered an irreparable loss when he was so
suddenly stricken, but his example and the ennobling influence of his manly
life endures and will endure for many years to come. In all of his
relations, in the business world, in the church and the Grand Army of the
Republic, in the social and home circles, he was loved and admired for his
truly superior qualities of mind and heart. His uniform courtesy and
kindness, his generosity and considerateness, won the respect of the most
casual acquaintance and endeared him forever to those who knew him
intimately. His widow, whose maiden name was Sarah Cone, is still a resident
of Earlville. She was born in Rhode Island and is of Scotch-English descent.
Her father, Rev. William Cone, was a native of New Hampshire, and was a
minister of the Methodist denomination. At a very early day he came to
Illinois, where he preached the gospel until he was well advanced in years.
He died in Earlville and left three children to mourn his loss.
Mrs. Dupee, soon after her marriage, joined the Congregational church, and
in church matters has ever taken an active interest. She is the mother of
one daughter and three sons, namely: Ella, Walter R., Frank W. and John.
Extracted 17 Jul 2017 by Norma Hass from Biographical and Genealogical Record of LaSalle County, Illinois, published in 1900, volume 2, pages 474-476.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
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Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
| Marshall | Woodford | Livingston |
