| Notes |
- Artelia Roney Duke was born June 28, 1829 in what is now called Alamance county. She was 6th of 12 children. Here [Her] father was John Roney and her mother was Mary Trollinger. Mary's brother, William H. Trollinger, gave the area to where Elon was built (Fonville, Pg. 15). She meets Washington Duke when he came to her church. Then later he took her for his wife. They moved to Durham County and she had three children. She had one girl and two boys; Mary, Benjamin, and James (also know as Buck). She created a good home for her family (Fonville, pg. 17).
On August 20, 1858, Artelia Roney Duke died at the young age of 29 (Fonville, pg.19). Her husband never married and her children were raised by their aunts (Fonville, pg. 17).
This is a quote from the dedication book:
"In the wisdom of God, at an early age, she had done her work and earned her rest. In the full bloom of her young womanhood, before the sun had reached its zenith and while it yet climbed toward midday, God called her, and she slept (Fonville, pg. 17)."
Artelia Roney Duke, daughter of John and Mary (Trollinger) Roney and granddaughter of Henry and Mary "Polly" (Thomas) Trollinger, married Washington Duke in 1852. "Telia", a devoted wife and mother of three children, Mary Elizabeth, James Buchanan, Benjamin Newton, and two children from Washington's first marriage, Brodie and Sidney, lived in a modest home now referred to as the Duke Homestead in Durham county .
In 1858, Sidney contracted Typhoid and Telia rushed the child of 13 years into seclusion to her hometown in Haw River to care for him. Sidney died on August 10th and Telia died ten days later on August 20th leaving behind her husband, Washington Duke and four children.
Barbara Anne "Annie" Roney and Elisabeth "Bettie" Roney, sisters of Artelia quickly rushed to the Duke Homestead to care for Washington, Brodie and Artelia's young children, James (Buck), Benjamin (Ben), and Mary.
In 1863, Washington and Brodie joined the Civil War effort. For three years the three children, now in their 'teens, were sent to live with Artelia's parents, the children's grandparents, John and Mary Roney in Haw River. It is written that "Granny" Roney was a rigid taskmistress and a strict disciplinarian and the children learned to farm, milk cows and attended school at Harden's Schoolhouse and Old Pisgah Church.
Following the Civil War in 1865, Washington Duke and the children returned to the Duke homestead. Annie and Bettie Roney, sisters of Artelia, continued to care for the children at the Durham home. Washington and his sons began selling cigarettes out of a wagon across the state and ultimately built a factory at the crossroads of Durham with crude machines to manufacture cigarettes.
In 1875 Washington Duke contributed his first gift in the amount of $85,000 to the Methodist Church, Trinity College which ultimately became Duke University.
Over time, Anne became a permanent member of the Washington Duke household caring for the children and Washington at the Fairview Estate in Durham, North Carolina until Washington Duke's death in 1905.
Throughout her life with the Washington Duke family, Anne became interested in the development of Trinity College, which ultimately became Duke University. Barbara Anne Roney donated the Roney Fountain to Trinity College in 1901 that served as a centerpiece of the college entrance in honor of Washington Duke and also donated a valuable Shakespearean collection to the Trinity College Library. Barbara Anne Roney died at 83 in 1922.
Records also indicate William Henry Trollinger, Artelia's family relative had given the land for the site of the Elon Campus to Elon College. In 1927 the late James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke, sons of Artelia Roney donated the Artelia Roney Duke Science Building to Elon College following the devistating [devastating] fire at the college campus in 1923. The following was written for the Artelia Roney Duke Science Building Dedicatory Exercises and Addresses:
"Mr. Duke presented a beautiful life size portrait of his mother as a gift to the college for the dedication ceremony. This portrait has been placed in the corridor of the first floor of the Artelia Roney Duke Science Building, where it will perpetually remain and speak its message of beautiful motherhood to all who shall look upon it."
On May 11, 2011, The Roney Fountain was beautifully restored, relocated and dedicated in honor of Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, niece of Benjamin N. Duke and James B. Duke at a dedication ceremony in the Rose Garden Circle at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens of Duke Universiaty [University] wth [with] Richard H. Brodhead, President of Duke University and William M. LeFevre, Executive Director of Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
In September of 2011, Preservation North Carolina presented an award to Duke University for the preservation of The Roney Fountain.
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1829 - 1858 (29 years)
