DuBOIS, WHITNEY

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Tuesday, February 03, 2009 at 05:24:33 :

Marin Journal
Thursday, July 31, 1913
Page 3

Pioneer Lady Passed Away

Mrs. Mary DuBois passed away at 6:45 o’clock on Monday morning, at her home, 227 Bay View street, aged 78 years.

Mrs. DuBois was the daughter of George and Susan Whitney, and was born in Pittsfield, Maine, on July 23rd, 1835. She came to California in 1863, and after a few months in San Francisco, came to San Rafael, where she has lived ever since.

In 1864 she taught the first public school of the town, which was situated where the present B street school is located. The building was later sold and moved away, and is now the second story of the Begley building, corner B and Third street.

The year after her arrival she was married to Elisha DuBois. She was the mother of two sons, Ernest DuBois, who passed away two years age, and Dr. Charles DuBois, 215 Mission street, this city.

The deceased was a woman of strong character, and was lopal (sic) to her town, her friends and her belief. She was of a liberal mind, and was always a staunch defender of the absent and of the maligned. She stood for reformation and progression and was a leader in advanced ideas and new methods.

She was the president of the first woman’s suffrage league, founded here in 1870, and has for fifty years been a strenuous advocate for equal citizenship. She has been in failing health since her husband passed away eight years ago, and has been in a hospital three times within twelve months, returning from St. Luke’s, San Francisco on Tuesday last week.

She made no complaint of her suffering and told no one of her illness.

The funeral services will be conducted at the home on Friday, August 1st, and the cremains will be in Cypress Lawn cemetery.

[Note: elsewhere on the page were a few words indicating the funeral was to be held at 11:30 a.m.]