Jonathan Joseph House (1760 - abt. 1824)

Born 1760 in Montgomery county, New York

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1824 at about age 64 in Twelve Thousand, Richfield Springs, Otsego, New York, United States

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Biography

Private Jonathan House served with Tryon County New York Militia during the American Revolution.

Jonathan House is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A057488.

Jonathan was born in 1760. In 1822 he visited his son Abraham in Parish and gave his age as 62^[1]

Jonathan was listed in the 1800 Census: ^[2]

He passed away in 1824^[3]

Jonathan House, also known as John, fought in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812. Promoted to captain in 1812. At the time of the Revolution he was living at Indian Castle.^[4] He and his brothers Nicholas and George were members of Capt. Jost Dygert's company in Col. Clyde's regiment of the 1st Canajoharie Militia.^[5]He participated in the battle of Oriskany. Family tradition says he assisted General Herkimer get down from his horse after he was wounded and stood next to him throughout the battle. See Melvin Rhodes Shaver, The House Family of the Mohawk, pp. 8-11 for discussion of the life of Jonanthan/John House and the evidence. He married Lena Van Slyke about 1778.^[6] He was living at Indian Castle in 1790, as well as brothers Nicholas and George.

John House in 1790 lived on a farm at Indian Castle, N. Y. which adjoined the farm of Catherine Herkimer whom I presume was the widow of Henry Herkimer. Indian Castle was then in the town of Canajoharie.^[7]

After Lena's death he married Rhoda. He died in 1824, and was found kneeling in prayer beside his bed.^[8]"Captain John House was a very religious man and one night when his family returned from attending a gathering at a neighbor's, they found him kneeling at his bedside in an attitude of prayer, but his spirit had flown. Thus he died in the year 1824." He was buried on his farm at Twelve Thousand, Richfield Springs, Otsego, New York. Shaver mentions speaking with an elderly member of the House family who remembered seeing the grave on the farm as a child, but with time all trace of it disappeared^[9]"In his later years Captain John House took up a tract of land on what is called 'Twelve Thousand', (on the northwest part of Otsego, Otsego county) near Richfield Springs. The title to the land could not be obtained until after the death of one of his heirs. Capt. John died and is buried in a private cemetery on the farm where he lived. ... One of Captain John House's great grandsons has made affidavit to the location of the grave which he saw many times when a boy but the markers have been obliterated by time."

Shaver does not include Dorothea or Peter in the list of children Jonathan, but when he takes up the account of the children he says "Of Engelge, Dorothea and Peter we have little or no record, but we believe that Peter at one time lived in the town of Columbia, Otsego County."^[10]

There does not seem to be any evidence for the middle name "Joseph". Perhaps this arose from confusion with Lt. John Joseph House of Minden who also fought at the battle of Oriskany and was taken prisoner^[11] (while at the time Jonathan was a private). Jonathan was made an Ensign in 1805, Lieutenant in 1811 and Captain in 1812, resigning in 1814.^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ Shaver, Melvin Rhodes The House Family of the Mohawk (St. Johnsville, NY, 1941), p. 9.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1800", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH5Y-6T5 : 10 June 2015), John Josep House, 1800.
3. ↑ Shaver, page 12
4. ↑ Shaver, page 5
5. ↑ Shaver, page 5
6. ↑ Source: #S43 p. 10.
7. ↑ "Records Early Rightmeyer", by Frank D. Deuel, Ransomville, N. Y., Saint Johnsville Enterprise and News, Thursday, August 17, 1950, p. 7.
8. ↑ Shaver, page 12
9. ↑ Shaver, page 11
10. ↑ Shaver, page 12
11. ↑ Shaver cites: Nelson Greene, "Story of Old Fort Plain".
12. ↑ Shaver, page 9

• Source: S43 House Family of the Mohawk, by Melvin Rhodes Shaver (Ransomville, N. Y., no date) Download