Henry VanderCook Weatherwax (1812 - 1867)

Born 15 Oct 1812 in Schenectady, Albany Co, NY

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 31 Jan 1867 at age 54 in Constantine Township, St. Joseph Co, MI

Biography

Henry was born in 1812. He was the son of Andrew Weatherwax and Olive vanderCook. He passed away in 1867.

THE LIFE, TIMES AND ANCESTRY OF HENRY VANDERCOOK WEATHERWAX

As his family moved to West Glenville, Schenectady County, New York just prior to 1800, Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax was born there rather than on the land left to his grandfather, Alexander Weatherwax, at Tomhannock near what is now Pittstown, Rensselaer County, NY. He was born 15 October, 1812, the youngest son and second youngest of the ten living children of Andrew and Alida/Olive (VanDerCook) Weatherwax.

Family sources say that he never used his given name of Henry, but was always known as VanDerCook Weatherwax. One of his grandsons was also named VanDerCook, but went by Van.

Both of Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax's grandfathers served in the 14th Regiment, Albany County Militia in the Revolutionary War, which was recruited from the towns of Hoosick and Schagticoke, Albany (now Rensselaer) County, New York. His maternal great-grandfather, Michael VanDerCook, we find listed as a Patriot for his services to the Committee of Correspondence for the Town of Schagticoke, NY by the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. This particular maternal great-grandfather was also the original settler (in May of 1762) on Cook's Patent, which now makes up much of the Town of Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York. Michael, a gristmiller, moved there in May, 1762 from Montville, NJ, in which vicinity the VanDerCook family had apparently lived for some time, having migrated there from New York. According to church membership records, the family originally came from Breskens, Zeeland, The Netherlands to Nieuw Amsterdam about 1686.

The Weatherwax family originated in America with the migration of father Johann Henrich Christophel (Hunter List #809), son Johann Andreas and daughter Maria Catharina Wiederwachs from Hessen-Kassel, Taunuskreis, Germany to Dutchess County, New York, before 30 June, 1710, in the British-sponsored Great Palatine Experiment of 1709-1710. Johann Andreas (John Andrew) Wiederwachs fathered nineteen children by his two wives, Anna Barbara Loscher and Anna Edeli. Alexander, the second child of Johann Andreas and Anna Edeli Wiederwachs, married Jannetje/Jane Van Bremen, probable daughter of Thomas VanBremen and Jannetje Oudtwater. Family records for Alexander and Jane's generation are very thin, but thanks to a well-kept family bible in Andrew's line, we do know that he was the eldest of their four known children. Andrew Weatherwax married Alida/Olive VanDerCook, daughter of Henry VanDerCook and Anna Francisco, and fathered thirteen children by her, of which 10 reached adulthood. Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax was their youngest son. An elder male child of this family was previously given the name of Henry, but he died at the age of 7.

According to Michigan tax rolls, Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax appears to have settled in Constantine Twp., St. Joseph County by the spring of 1842. It has been discovered that a number of HVCW's siblings also chose to settle in the St. Joseph - Cass Co. area. His eldest brother, Alexander A. Weatherwax, and two of Alex's sons, Jasial and ANdrew Weatherwax (by Ruth Sterns) are both buried in Morrison Cemetery, as are another brother, John Weatherwax, and John's wife, Charity Maria Dayton. Two of HVCW's sisters also settled in the area with their husbands: Sally Weatherwax Francisco (Mrs. Levi, Jr.) is buried in Peek Cemetery and Olive Weatherwax Jackson (Mrs. Joseph) is buried in the Sand Hill Cemetery, which is located just over the county line in Newberg Township, Cass County. (Descendents of this latter couple through their daughters, Sarah Jackson LeMunyon and Catherine Eliza Jackson Perkins settled extensively in the St. Joseph/Cass Co. area.) It is also known that Jane Ann and Olive Miller, daughters of Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax's eldest sister, Anna Weatherwax Miller (Mrs. Henry) emigrated from New York to Clayton, Lenawee Co., Michigan about 1848. Additionally, two maternal aunts of this family (sisters of Olive VanDerCook Weatherwax) are buried in St. Joseph Co. They are Cornelia VanDerCook Garrison (Mrs. John), who is buried in Peek Cemetery and Sarah VanDerCook Morrison (Mrs. Andrew), who is buried in Constantine Cemetery. Since both of these women were daughters of Revolutionary War soldier Sgt. Henry VanDerCook, both graves were marked as such by the Abiel Fellows Chapter, NSDAR on 24 August, 1991.

A goodly portion of section number 7 of Constantine Township, a wooded tract bordering on the Cass County line, was sold by Andrew Weatherwax of the Town of Glenville, County of Schenectady, State of New York on 8 June, 1842 (for the sum of $500.00) to Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax of the Town of Constantine, County of St. Joseph, State of Michigan. St. Joseph County land records show that Andrew Weatherwax had purchased the land two years previously from Cotton Foss of St. Joseph Co., Indiana for the sum of $325.00. Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax also appears on the St. Joseph Co. tax rolls for 1842. He owned and operated a sawmill on a pond that is located on a branch of Mill Creek that runs through the property. He describes himself as a sawyer and farmer on the subscriber list for the 1857 Geil & Jones Map of St. Joseph County.

Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax married Mary Etta Wing 1 April, 1840 at Cass Co., MI. Mary Etta was born 28 March, 1822 to Josiah Wing and Elizabeth Eddy. Their first daughter, Cornelia Jane Weatherwax, was born 10 March, 1841 and died 10 October, 1841. The same year that Henry VDC Weatherwax appears in the land records for St. Joseph Co., second daughter Sarah Ann (Sally) Weatherwax was born. She later married Martin S. Curtis; both are buried in the Sand Hill Cemetery. Sally Ann Curtis died 25 October, 1924 in Cass County at the age of 82 years and 11 days. The family bible states that she was born 8 September, 1842. A third daughter, Mary Elizabeth Weatherwax, was born 3 May, 1844. She later married 1. David Plummer, 2. Myron Quay and 3. Chauncey Smith. Mary Elizabeth Weatherwax Smith died 13 December, 1928 and lies buried in Sand Hill Cemetery. Mary Etta Wing Weatherwax died 24 July, 1853, probably at Constantine Twp., St. Joseph Co., MI. Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax married again on 19 June, 1864 in Porter Township, Cass Co, Eliza Jane EDDY, who was born in 1833 in New York, a daughter of Eli and Lydia (Lane) Eddy and the divorced wife of William B. Eddy, a son of Jasper Eddy and his first wife, Polly Pine. Henry Andrew Weatherwax, son of Henry VanDerCook and Eliza Jane (Eddy) Weatherwax, was born on 7 January, 1865 at Corey, St. Joseph County, Michigan. Henry Andrew was just barely two years old when his father died on 31 January, 1867.

Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax lies buried in Morrison Cemetery. At the time of the ensuing intestate proceedings, the Probate Court of St. Joseph County appointed William W. Johnson as guardian for the toddler Henry. According to one of Henry Andrew's granddaughters, after Eliza Jane Weatherwax died on 20 June, 1872, Johnson and his wife took in seven year old Henry Andrew Weatherwax and raised him with their family. It is interesting to note that several male members of the Johnson family have been sextons of the Morrison Cemetery where both Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax and his son, Henry Andrew, lie buried. The current caretaker is a great-great-grandson of William W. Johnson, who also lies buried there.

Sources

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVD-LRJK : 26 July 2019), Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax, 1867; Burial, Fabius, St. Joseph, Michigan, United States of America, Morrison Cemetery; citing record ID 10278069, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 14 October 2020), memorial page for Henry VanDerCook Weatherwax (15 Oct 1812–31 Jan 1867), Find a Grave Memorial no. 10278069, citing Morrison Cemetery, Fabius, St. Joseph County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by Lynnsdaughter (contributor 46774021) . https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10278069/henry-vandercook-weatherwax#source