Biography: Washington Charles DePauw (1822-1887)

Washington Charles DePauw was born 4 January 1822 Salem, Washington County, Indiana and died 5 May 1887 at the Palmer House (Hotel) in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He was son of John DePauw (1785-1838) and Elizabeth Batiste (1786-1878). Washington C. DePauw was a benefactor and the namesake of DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana.

It now appears that Elizabeth Batiste was the daughter of John/Jean Batiste (est1768-est1820/1830) and an unknown first wife. Elizabeth was born 26 January 1786 (LDS Ancestral File gives 1788) and died 13 December 1878 at Salem, Washington Co., Indiana. John/Jean Batiste (est 1768-?) married, probably second, 7 April 1790 at Lincoln Co., Kentucky to Hannah Shuck (1756-1832). This is reported in a couple of Kentucky marriage indices. The online LDS Ancestral File says Elizabeth Batiste was daughter of Jean Baptiste and Hannah Shuck. I think this is wrong due to the disparity of Elizabeth's birth year of 1786 and the marriage date of 1790 of Jean and Hannah.

In The History of DePauw University Washington C. DePauw was benefactor and namesake of DePauw University, Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana. During the 1870's, this Washington C. DePauw and his family gave $600,000 to the Indiana Asbury University, which was founded by the Methodists in 1837 in Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana. In gratitude, the trustees authorized a change in name to DePauw University.

In "United Methodist in Indiana" by Dr. John Baughman (1996) DePauw was described as "... a prominent Methodist glass manufacturer from New Albany and financial benefactor for Indiana Asbury, who became an Indiana delegate to the General Conferences of 1872 and 1876 and in 1881 participated in the first Ecumenical Conference of the Methodist Church in London."

Note that a few Shuck's apparently were in Putnam Co. and it is one county west of Johnson.


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