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BIOGRAPHIES
 Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.
1896
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CARL A. JETTINGER
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
- Page 558 |
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JESSE J. JOHN.
- In preparing the following history history of the John
family it has been found necessary to trace it back through
several generations to Phillip John, a wealthy resident
of Pembrokeshire, Wales, who left two sons, Griffith and
Daniel Griffith came to the United States in 1709, when yet
a young man, and settled in Goshen, now in Lancaster county, Pa.
According to the record of the Friends' meeting, in what was
then Chester county, Griffith John did, on the 28th of
the seventh month, 1714, take into himself a wife and companion,
one Anna Williams, and to this union there were born four
sons, viz.: Griffith, Reuben, Asa and Robert.
Griffith, the eldest direct American ancestor of this
sketch, was born on 26thof the eighth month, 1729, just two days
before the eighth month, 1729, just two days before the passage
of the act of the general assembly forming Lancaster county out
of Chester county. He was united in wedlock to Rachel
Lloyd, of Goshen, a Welsh lady, and to them were born six
children, viz: Abia, Hannah, Grace, Rachel Mary and
Leah.
Abia, the grandfather of Jesse J. was a
native of Chester county, Pa., and after his marriage he removed
to Shamokin township, Northumberland county, Pa., in the year
1798. He and his wife were the parents of twelve children,
as follows: Asa, Hiram, Griffith, Jesse J., Reuben, Samuel,
Elida, Emily, Lydia, Sarah, Eliza and Perry, the last
named being the only member of this large family still living
(March, 1896). He is a man of many years and much
experience and goodness, a minister in the Friends’ society, and
now living in Shamokin township, Cumberland county, Pa.
Griffith John, the third child of Abia,
was born in Northumberland county, Pa., March 6, 1795. In
1816 he removed to Ross county, Ohio, locating in Chillicothe,
where he at once began teaching school, following this
profession five years. From the money saved from teaching
he purchased a tract of timber land containing twenty acres,
which he cleared and improved. Afterward he purchased
fifty acres more near by, upon which he lived for several years.
While residing in Ross county he devoted himself to teat lung
school, farming and and surveying. Not long after arriving
in Ross county he married Miss Rachel Miller, who was the
daughter of one of the earliest settlers, and in Ross county
this worthy couple lived until the fall of 1832, removing then
to Allen county, Ohio, and locating on 160 acres of land, a part
of which is now occupied by the village of Elida. At that
time this country was almost a dense wilderness, with but few
families residing in the neighborhood— not more than four or
five. The surrounding country was occupied by the Shawnee
tribe of Indians, and also by the Wyandots, the members of both
tribes being quite numerous. Jacob Turkeyfoot,
an Indian brave, was the guide of Mr. John and his
family, in their journey from Ross to Allen county. Upon
settling in the woods in the latter county the John
family had for neighbors the families of John Somerset,
William Nuttle, William Bryan, and
Smith Cremean.
After two or three years had elapsed and other families
had come into the neighborhood. Mr. John
found it necessary to spend a good deal of his time in surveying
land for the newcomers, being, in fact, kept busy most of the
time. Mr. John was a tireless worker, and
added to his first purchase until he became the possessor of
1,640 acres of land in a single body, which is sufficient
evidence of his energy and success.
In 1852 the Ohio and Indiana division of the Pittsburg,
Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad was located so as to run through
the farm of Mr. John. He determined to
profit thereby, and on June 9 of that year entered into a
contract with the management to grade one mile of the road.
He had subscribed stock in the company to the amount of $1,200,
but notwithstanding this, at the completion of his work the
company was indebted to him to the amount of $1,000, for which
he received a mortgage bond on the road. It is worthy of
remark that Mr. John was the only man between
Delphos and Lima that granted the right of way to the company
for the road to pass through his farm, indicating that he was
about the only man, that, in that early day, realized the value
of such a highway to the general public. In the fall of
1852 and spring of 1853 Mr. John laid out and
platted the village of Elida, including in the site some
thirty-one acres of land, but which has been added to
considerably since that time. Such facts as these fully
indicate that he was a man of more than ordinary public spirit.
He always took an interest in all things calculated to promote
public enterprises, donating the lots upon which were erected
the churches of the Evangelical Lutheran and of the Methodist
denominations. In educational matters he was always in the
foremost rank. Politically he was a whig until 1840, but
afterward he became a democrat, and as such served his counts as
commissioner for a term, though he always preferred to remain a
private citizen. He, however, was not averse to serving
his party in any way that would tend to promote its interests,
to which end he performed effective work upon the stump and
acted one term as school examiner. His activity continued
until his death, which occurred Feb. 20, 1856. His wife
survived him six years, she dying June 23, 1862, at the age of
fifty-nine years, nine months and ten days. This most
worthy couple reared a family of thirteen children, all of whom
but one grew to mature years. The names of these children
were as follows: Sarah C., Melissa, Emily, Vienna, Ethan,
Jesse J., Tamsey, Abia, Martha, Louisa, Jehu, Paulina,
and Eliza. Four of them are still living, viz:
Ethan, Jesse J., Abia and Martha.
Jesse J. John, the subject of this memoir, was
reared on the farm, surrounded by all the hardships incident to
pioneer life. In respect to education, however, he was
more fortunate than most young men of pioneer days, the
instruction received by him in the public schools having been
supplemented and rounded out by an academical training at Lima,
Ohio. So well equipped was he in this respect that he
began teaching school at the age of nineteen, and for some eight
years followed the profession of pedagogue in the surrounding
district schools. About the time he brought his labors
in this direction to a close he married and settled down in the
village of Elida, taking charge of a portion of his father’s
business in connection with his brother, Abia, they
together operating the store and elevator for a year before
their father’s death. They were then appointed
administrators of the estate, after which they ran the saw-mill
and elevator only for a short time. The estate having been
settled, Mr. John received as a portion of his
interest the elevator, which he then operated for seven or eight
years, since which time he has given his attention principally
to farming, owning at the present time upward of 200 acres of
well improved land.
Politically Mr. John is a republican and was the
first postmaster at Elida, holding that position three years,
occupying at the same time and for fifteen years altogether the
position of freight agent in the office of the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne & Chicago railroad company at Elida. In January,
1847, he became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
since that time has labored faithfully and earnestly for the
cause of religion generally, and for the church of which he is a
member especially. His zeal for his church has been
recognized by his fellow-members by their always keeping him on
its official board. Having been born Jan. 6, 1827, he is
now sixty-eight years of age, but notwithstanding his long and
active career is still hearty and well preserved. On
May 15, 1753, he married Miss Mary Roush, who was born in
Juniata county, Pa., December 17, 1835, and is the laughter of
Jacob M. Roush. Mr. and Mrs. John are the
parents of fourteen children, whose names are as follows:
Griffith, Martha, Lucina and Paulina (twins);
Francis P., Jesse C.; Jehu E.; Charles E.;
Wilbur F.; Eliza O.; Letta A.; Isaac N.;
Abia O., and Mary M. Of these Lucina,
one of the twins, is dead.
It is not easy to say too much in eulogy of such a man
as Mr. John. He is a man of great worth, and has
endeared himself to the people of his county by his life-long
devotion to their interests, and to everything tending to
promote the public good. Though not a prohibitionist in
the political sense of that term, yet, knowing that morality has
a most useful handmaid in temperance, Mr. John has
always devoted himself intelligently to his cause, and his
influence in this direction has been felt far and near.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 336 |
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THOMAS P. JOHNSON
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 338 |
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WILLIAM E. JOHNSTON
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 340 |
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EDWIN JONES
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 344 |
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LLEWELLYN JONES
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 345 |
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OWEN A. JONES
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 343 |
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THOMAS R. JONES
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 342 |
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