Johann Jacob Shook (1749 - 1839)

Born 7 Apr 1749 in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Isabella (Weitzel) Shook — married 1775 in North Carolina

Descendants

Died 1 Sep 1839 at age 90 in Clyde, Haywood, North Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Marvin Philip Shook [send private message]

Biography

Private Jacob Shook served with Rowan County Regiment, North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

Jacob Shook is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A104322.

Johanne Jacob Shook was born on April 19, 1749 in Williams, Northampton, Pennsylvania Colony, North America, the son of Johannes George Shook and Maria Elizabeth (Grubb) Shook. He married Elizabeth Isabella Weitzell. They had the following children:

1. Abraham Shook,
2. Elizabeth (Shook) Hyde,
3. John Shook,
4. Susannah (Shook) Goodwin,
5. David Parker Shook,
6. Peter B. Shook,
7. Margaret (Shook) Hicks,
8. Catherine (Shook) Cooper,
9. Mary Anne (Shook) Haynes and
10. Daniel Shook

He died September 1, 1839 in Clyde, Haywood, North Carolina, United States. He was buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Clyde, North Carolina.^[1]

The following information is excerpted from the work researched and compiled by Alton Blevins in his Ahnentafel Chart for Jacob Shook. This work has been conducted by Mr. Blevins since 1976 and is being shared with his permission.

"On October 3, 1833, Jacob applied for a pension for his service during the Revolutionary War. He said he was born in Northampton County, Pennsylvania on April 19, 1746 and lived in Lincoln County, North Carolina in 1775. (Lincoln County was formed from Tyron County in 1779 so technically he lived in Tyron in 1775.)

Lutheran Church records for Williams Township in Northampton County show that Johann Jacob Schuck was born on April 7th in the year 1749 and christened on May 14th. His parents were Johann Georg and Maria Elizabeth and his sponsors were Andreas Grub (who was probably his maternal uncle) and Catharina Klienhans.

Jacob served three tours during the war. He enlisted in May 1775 as a private in Captain William Bateman's Company, Colonel Christopher Bateman's Regiment, General Rutherford's Brigade and campaigned against the Torries at Cross Creek (now Fayetteville in Cumberland County) for about a month. He was drafted in August 1776 as a private in Captain Rudolph Conrad's Company, Colonel Christopher Bateman's Regiment, General Rutherford's Brigade and campaigned against the Cherokee for two months. He was drafted again in May 1781 as a private in Captain Daniel Smith's company and spent three months guarding the western frontier at Davidson's Station at the head of the Catawba River in Burke County, North Carolina.

He moved to Burke County after the war and is listed in the 1790 census of the 1st Company of the Morgan District (now McDowell County and part of northern Rutherford County.) He moved farther west to the Pigeon River valley towards the turn of the century and is listed in the 1800 census of Buncombe County (which was formed from Burke County and Rutherford County in 1791 and the 1810, 1820, and 1830 census of Haywood County (which was formed from Buncombe County in 1808.)

Jacob's large, three-story house (in present-day Clyde) is said to have been the first framed house built in Haywood County and he is said to have sawed the boards and forged the nails himself. The following was extracted from Haywood County Tourism Online -- "The Shook House. Haywood County's oldest house, easily seen off US-19/23/74 in Clyde has traditionally been recognized key to Methodism's history in Haywood County. The house has been standing for over 200 years. It is now being converted into a museum, preserving & celebrating its two styles of architecture as well as the history."

There are two historical markers for the Shook House in Clyde. Both contain quotes from Bishop Francis Asbury's journal for November 30, 1810. One is inscribed -- Three hundred yards south to the Shook House, preaching place of Francis Asbury, pioneer Bishop of American Methodism. "Our troubles began at the foaming, roaring streams which hid the rocks at Catahouche. I walked over a log, but O, the mountain -- height after height and five miles over."

and the other --

Home of Jacob Shook and preaching place of Francis Asbury, pioneer Bishop of American Methodism. "After crossing other streams and losing ourselves in the woods, we came in about nine o'clock at night, to Vater Shuck's. what an awful day!"

Jacob wrote his will on July 2, 1836. He gave his beloved wife Isabella the full possession of his house and plantation during her natural life and asked that she be maintained and supported out of the proceeds from the plantation and stock at the discretion of the administrators or executors. He left a dollar to his sons John, Abraham, Daniel, David, and Peter, and his daughter Polly Hines. He requested that his estate be sold upon Isabella's death and the proceeds equally divided among his children Betsy Hide, Jacob Shook, Susanah Goodson, Peggy or Margaret Hicks, and Catharine Cooper. It was also his will that Catharine's part, except for one dollar for her own use, be divided among her three children, with Susanah getting half and Polly and Uriah the balance. He also left Susanah a cow and calf, a bed, furniture, and a spinning wheel and cards -- she must have been his favorite.

It's possible that Jacob has a son named Alexander who made the trek from Missouri to Arkansas with Jacob Jr about 1815. If so, he must have died before Jacob made his will.

Jacob's grave is marked with a headstone furnished by the Daughter's of the American Revolution."

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #20674864, Jacob Shook, contains photo of Jacob's grave

See Also:

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed July 24, 2016), "Record of Jacob Shook", Ancestor # A104322.

• Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension, Jacob Shook, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 1772, Application #S7486

• FamilySearch Jacob's Revolutionary War Claim notes only

• Shook-Smathers House Museum Preservation

• Shook-Smathers House Tourism Listing

• Smokey Mountain News Jacob Shook: The life and legacy of an Appalachian pioneer, By Michael Beadle

• The Shook House

• Johanne Jacob Shook notes about his life

• Simpson, Wilma. Greater Than The Mountains Was He. Mustang , OK: Tate Publishing. 2013

• Revolutionary War Soldiers for NC and SC, Data provided by the website Carolana. (accessed 6 Jun 2022)

• Ahnentafel Chart for Jacob Shook, composed by Alton Blevins.