Elisha Depue & Hannah Everitt

Elisha was born November 25, 1811 to John (23) and Phoebe Shay Depue (22) in Sandyston Township, NJ. He was the fifth of thirteen children with eight brothers and four sisters. His father was probably a farmer.

Elisha too was a farmer, fairly prosperous for the times. He had eleven children by three wives and purchased the brick house on the Old Mine Road which would be passed down through the family and is still standing today. He lived to be 64.

On January 17, 1835 (23) he married Hannah Everitt (25), born October 10, 1809, and the first of his three wives. She was the daughter of Isaac Everitt and Mary Davis.

A year after he married and there first child was born Elisha received on April 23, 1836 land from his father in Sandyston Township.

Elisha and Hannah had three children including our ancestor Mathew:

Hannah died on January 26, 1840 at age 30 after only five years of marriage and a month after her third child was born. She was baptized in the Minisink Church and is buried in the Everitt Burying Ground located on the Daniel Everitt Farm, which was owned in 1929 by Augustus J. Depue. Her son John is buried there also.

The DAR cemetary records list Elizabeth, wife of Elisha Depue as having died June 12 1810 aged 30 years, 8 mnths, 9 days and buried in the Everett Cemetery. This conflicts with the other date. Pehaps a different Elisha.

He then married Sarah Gumaer on August 1, 1840, just six months after Hannah's death. 'Sussex County Marriages' puts the date at August 17, 1840. The Sussex Register said: 'Married Elisha Depue to Miss Sarah Garris (sic), both of Sandyston'. She was born January 11, 1813, married at age 27 (he was 29).

He had five children with her:

Sarah died March 9, 1856 at age 43 (he was 44) after 16 years of marriage. She is buried in the Gumaer Cemetary (JRR verified in July 1979.)

Elisha's third wife was Sarah Bevans who he married on August 16, 1856 only five months after Sarah's death. She was 31 and he was 44. She was born May 2, 1825.

He had three children with her:

On June 1, 1857 he bought the house on Old Mine Road from John Nyce.

The 1850 census (age 39) lists Elisha as a farmer worth $8,000. The 1860 census (age 49) lists him as a farmer with $30,000 in real estate and $6,000 in personal estate. This was a sizable sum for the time. (Page 830, tape 709, 1860 Sussex County)

His New Jersey Herald obituary dated November 8, 1876: 'Elisha Depue died October 26 in Sandyston at age 65 years.'

He had borrowed money on the house and lost it to trustees from the support of public schools in NJ on April 5, 1877 after his death. His sons Ben and George bought it back. The house was bought by the state as part of the Tocks Island Project in the 1970's, but not demolished because of its historical value. By 1979 when I first saw it, it had been gutted and was empty. A dehumidifier kept it dry and preserved it somewhat. Much the same in 2007.

Sarah Bevans outlived Elisha by four years and died August 11, 1880 at age 55. She died at Hampton, NJ (from the New Jersey Herald of August 18, 1880)

JRR saw their stones n the Layton Cemetary in August 1979. Hers had fallen down. Inscription is: "Elisha Depue died October 26, 1876, age 65' and 'Sarah Bevans, wife of Elisha Depue, died August 11, 1880, age 55".

• Sandyston Township Info & Map
• Letter from E. Walters to Jon Roe, 8/31/1979
• Elisha Depue Family Bible
• Will: File 4006S, Inv. 1876 (NJ Archives, Index of Wills)
• Bib. 34, Ancient Trail, p. 116
• Bib. 31, Genealogy Magazine of NJ, Vol 12, 1937, p. 23
• Bib. 30, NJ Genealogy, p. 1182
• 'Alonzo Depue House' by F. Lauback, Jr. August 25, 1967
• http://www.sandystontownship.com/sandyston_township_009_015.htm
• http://www.sandystontownship.com/sandyston_township_009_010.htm