by Jay Samson
In the late fall of 1883, a series of articles around the United States were published regarding a man by the name of Frank Dubois.
There was nothing particularly startling or unique about Dubois upon first glance; that is, as he said himself, he “wore pants… smoke(d)… and earn(ed) [his] living as a man.” He was cheerfully married to Gertrude Fuller, who by all accounts declared her love for Frank and the happiness she had in their marriage, the two of them having been wed not long after meeting one another in the spring. He attended balls and events with Gertrude — who he called “Gertie” — and, by working as an artist, was able to provide a comfortable income for her.
What was it that made Frank so important, then, as to have so many articles written about his endeavors? If he was not some elite businessman, thief, or celebrity, then who was he?
Dubois was what many articles described as a “female husband:” a man who had once been known as a woman and who had now taken a wife. The derogatory title was initially popularized by Henry Fielding in his 1746 book of the same name, and quickly became one of the most popular phrases to find in articles of the time; society was enthralled with the idea of what would now be considered transgender — or, in some cases, genderneutral — people, with stories such as that of Charles Hamilton in Fielding’s novel and, in this case, Frank Dubois, blowing up in popularity.
Who was Frank? He had been born as Delia Derthick, and, at 18, had married S. J. Hudson, a man twenty-three years his senior. While married to Hudson, Dubois had been known to wear men’s clothing and to have his clothes fitted to appear masculine, a behavior which, while Hudson found odd, went unquestioned. After thirteen years of marriage and the birth of two children, Derthick seemingly disappeared from the Hudson family home in Illinois; it was then that, in exchange, Frank Dubois appeared in Wisconsin.
Whilst living as Dubois, Frank asserted repeatedly that he was a man and that he would, as phrased in the article History of the Woman Claiming to be a Man and Marrying Another Woman published by the Benton Weekly Record on November 10th, 1883, “not going to keep house for that old man” (meaning Hudson) “any longer, and that [he] would marry a girl.”
For eight months, Gertrude and Frank had been married and living together as painters and lovers, and when Hudson appeared at their home in Waupun, Wisconsin, it seemed impossible that Dubois had once been Hudson’s spouse. Dubois had started quite the life in Wisconsin, and even his and Gertrude’s “most intimate friends” thought of them as a “quiet, happy honeymoon.”
When questioned after Hudson’s confrontation, Dubois continued to assert his masculinity, stating, “I am [a man]— [and] as long as my wife is satisfied it is nobody’s business.” And his wife was indeed satisfied; even past the “reveal” of Dubois’ birth sex, Gertrude also continued to proclaim Frank as a man, accepting of his transition and loving of him nonetheless. The couple eventually shared that Gertrude had been aware of Frank’s transition since the night of their marriage (if not earlier) and that she continued to see him as a man regardless of his birth gender.
Even further, Dubois said very plainly, “I will not return to live with my husband.”
Frank’s story was not singular. In fact, there were many men throughout the 1800s who had also been called “female husbands,” transgender men and non-binary people who had been brave enough to live as who they were. In some cases, these husbands were forced from their homes and relationships in order to return to the life of a woman which they had found uncomfortable. In others, they were arrested, jailed, and, in some cases, treated violently or even executed. It was rare that such men were left to be the men that they proudly were.
Transgender history is often viewed as singular, transgenderism something new and modern. This is simply not true, and men such as Frank Dubois and other “female husbands” show this clearly. Frank’s story is important and so are the stories of those who faced similar struggles in their identity and the acceptance thereof.