John Drake Sr. (1748 - 1839)

Born 5 Sep 1748 in Hopewell, Hunterdon, New Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Jane Elizabeth (Neely) Drake — married 22 Jan 1774 in Hopewell Township, Hunterdon, New Jersey

Descendants

Died 7 Feb 1839 at age 90 in Huntsville, Madison, Alabama, United States

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Biography

Private John Drake Sr. served with Virginia Militia during the American Revolution.

Captain John Drake Sr. served with Civil Service, Virginia during the American Revolution.

Drake, John DAR Ancestor #: A033384 Served as Private in the Virginia Militia in Captain May's Company. He was also a juror and surveyor. He was born 9 Sep 1748 Hunterdon County, New Jersey; he died 7 Feb 1839 Madison, Alabama. Spouse: Jane Neely. ^[1]

The year was 1807. America was still young and, to a great extent, unexplored. In keeping with the adventurous spirit of the times, 27-year-old James Drake and his 19-year-old brother William, and their brother-in-law, James Neeley, traveled down the Tennessee River by flat-bottom boat and arrived at what was then called "Ditto" Landing in Huntsville Alabama.

They settled in Little Cove and prepared for the arrival of the rest of the Drake clan. James and William's father Capt. John Drake, a soldier of the American Revolution, and his five other sons and their families, moved to Huntsville in 1810 and 1811. Little Cove was renamed Drakes Cove, and more than 70 years later, Drakes Cove was renamed Jones Valley. The original Drake Cemetery bears witness to the Drake Pioneers and descendants who lived and died there.

Captain John Drake was born on September 5, 1748, in Hopewell, New Jersey, and married Jane Neely of Augusta County, Virginia. He was an officer from Virginia during the American Revolution and, according to the Fincastle Virginia Democrat newspaper, he left Virginia and settled in Huntsville.

Captain Drake was a member of Captain Mays' Company during the American Revolution. He participated in the siege of Yorktown, Pennsylvania, according to the Pension Application of McNeely (W.1051).

His Bible states that Captain Drake was a Quaker Baptist and that he wrote a book on baptism. Captain Drake had a horse named Selah and, at age, 65, rode from Huntsville to Philadelphia to visit his sister and brother. Captain Drake spoke Old English, wore knee-breeches and high buckled shoes, according to the Virginia book, A Seed Bed of the Republic, by Stoner; Early Botetourt, p. 234.

Captain John and his sons were known as "squatters" until 1815. At that time John and his son James went by horseback to Nashville, Tennessee to purchase a land grant for $2.00 an acre.

The Drake family held the Huntsville estate for approximately 70 years. The Drake estate was sold in 1881 to Mr. William Garth, who later sold the property to Mr. Jones.

The original Capt. John Drake Cemetery of Jones Valley sits in a corner lot on Drake Garth Road. The cemetery still bears the Drake pioneers and their descendants who lived and died there. Established abt 1839

Source: The Heritage of Madison County Alabama by: Mary Eleanor Taylor-Compton, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

The Huntsville Democrat, Huntsville, Alabama

DRAKE - 2 March 1839 - JOHN, aged 91 years. He was a soldier of the Revolution. He removed from Virginia and settled near this place (Huntsville, Madison, Alabama) many years ago, where he has ever been known as one of our best citizens, maintaining through his long life the most unimpeachable character. He was a member of the Baptist Church and was universally esteemed a truly just, pious and good man. He has left a large family connection to lament his loss.

The Fincastle (Va.) Democrat will please copy the above.

Sources

1. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed Sep 16, 2021), "Record of Drake, John", Ancestor # A033384.

• Family Bible Records, Obituary, These Bible records were found in the Valley Leaves a publication by the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society. Published in the March 1992 issue. Contributed by Bobby Drake of Huntsville, Alabama.
• Sourced family tree on ancestry.com