JOHN
JACKSON, 1794-1880, son of Samuel & Betsy [Finch] Jackson, of Peru,
NY.
Compiled
by David Rogers, [great-g-g-g grandson of Samuel & Betsy [Finch] Jackson.]
Very
little information has been collected until recently about the life &
family of John Jackson after he left his father’s home in the town of Chesterfield as a young man. Two helpful statements were known: 1.) the editor of the
Elizabethtown Post & Gazette in the 19 December, 1909 issue, added a postscript to the obituary of
Andrew Jackson, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, -
“Andrew Jackson was a son of the late John Jackson, the Mormon Elder who
operated in Elizabethtown way back in the 40s.
Deceased was a nephew of the late Daniel Jackson.” 2.) The Jackson Family History reports: “Although in “meagre circumstances
they [Daniel & Rhoda Ann [Cady]
Jackson,] took into their home Andrew Jackson, the son of Daniel’s brother
John.” Source – page 4, Jackson
Family History by Daniel Bowen Jackson.
In August, 2006, Louella Burke of Vernal, Utah,
contacted Richard Greenough, a Jackson family
researcher in Oregon,
identifying herself as the great-granddaughter of John Jackson. Through correspondence with Louella and
further research more details have been added to the story of John Jackson’s
life. Much remains to be
discovered.
JOHN4 JACKSON (Samuel3, Theophilus2, Robert1)
was born 29 September, 1794 in a log cabin in the town of Peru,
Clinton County, NY. John Jackson was the fourth child in a
family of eight, born to Samuel Jackson & Elizabeth7 [Betsy]
Finch (Isaac6, John5, Isaac4, Isaac3,
John2, Abraham1).
They had moved to Peru
from New Concord, Columbia Co., NY about 1790 and their new home was but a short distance from what is
now the Blockhouse
Cemetery on Bear
Swamp Road. [Isaac Finch, and most likely, Abigail
[Palmer] Finch, John’s grandparents, are buried in the Blockhouse
Cemetery.] In 1798 the Jacksons’
owned a 54 acre farm, a log house valued at $20.00, & a frame barn 40’ x 30’.
Their property was assessed a value of $624.
There are
no records of John’s school days but it is likely that he
& his older siblings began their education by attending the school
organized and taught by the Rev. Soloman Brown, Baptist Minister & School
Master. Rev. Brown was encouraged
to settle in Peru
by Isaac Finch, John’s grandfather, in order to establish a Baptist church in
that area. The Brown home was especially built to accommodate a
classroom. About 1800 the Jackson
family moved a few miles south to the town of Chesterfield,
Essex County,
near Auger Lake & Butternut Pond.
Samuel
Jackson & two of his three sons,
Daniel & John, took part in the War of 1812. John is listed as a private in
Captain Samuel Whitney’s Company, Chesterfield Company, 37th
Regiment, which participated in the unsuccessful defense of Plattsburgh
during Murray’s
Raid, on July 31 & August 1,
1813. Several of his Finch &
Stranahan cousins are also listed as privates in this company. It is believed that this company of
teenage men also participated in the
Battle of Plattsburgh in September, 1814.
Source -The Elizabethtown
Record Post, April 23, 1925. http://news.nnyln.net/
John
Jackson is noted in the History of Elizabethtown, by George Levi Brown,
as a ‘Mormon Elder’ in the early 1840s in that Essex
County community. From
what is known of John Jackson’s life and travels, it is more likely that he was
active in Elizabethtown a decade or more earlier, i.e. in the late
1820s. Daniel Jackson, brother of John,
and his wife, Rhoda Ann [Cady] Jackson were also reported to have been members
of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, [CJCLDS] although
eventually they renewed their membership in the Baptist
Church. As far as is known, John Jackson continued
as a member of the CJCLDS throughout
his life. What influenced John Jackson
to join the CJCLDS, or when he joined, in unknown.
Laura
Brown, [c 1797-1829], daughter of John Brown,
married John Jackson by 1825,
& perhaps earlier. Laura apparently
died in the Plattsburgh
area, sometime after 6 June, 1827, when her signature is found on
mortgages and deeds relating to the purchase & sale of land. From the land
deeds available in Clinton county it appears
that they were farming in the town of Plattsburgh
from about 1826 – 1828; how much longer they lived in that community
is unknown.
John
Jackson’s last purchase of land in Clinton
County was on 12 July,
1828 when for $350.00 he bought one acre of land from his brother, Daniel
Jackson. This land was situated on the Ausable
River in Keeseville and
appears to have been in the same area where Daniel Jackson ran a distillery in
the mid 1820s. What use John Jackson
made of this property isn’t known.
Laura
& John were the parents of Andrew
Jackson, born 1826, in Clinton
County. After Laura’s
death, Andrew was brought up by Daniel & Rhoda Ann Jackson in Elizabethtown
and he moved to Wisconsin
about 1849, at approximately the same
time as other members of the Jackson
& Knox families. A member of Daniel Jackson’s family in Elizabethtown, appears to be the age of Andrew Jackson in
the census of 1830 and 1840.
After Laura’s death, John Jackson moved to Canada West, in or
near what is now London, Ontario,
Canada, where
his sister, Sarah, and her husband George Morrell were living. There he married (2) Nancy Sawtle / Sawtell,
on July 23rd, 1833, with George Morell, his brother-in-law, and
Thomas Sawtle [Nancy’s
brother], as witnesses. [George Morrell died on 29 March, 1834,
leaving his wife and six children. It
is quite possible that John Jackson
lived with and assisted his sister during some of his time in the London
area.]
Nancy was the daughter of Thomas and Rhoda (Downey)
Sawtell, originally from Sidney,
Maine. The Sawtell family moved to
Niagara Co., NY, between 1815 and 1825,
but prior to 1825. They then
moved on to London,
Ontario for several years and eventually settled in Lapeer Co., Michigan. [Source – Michael Dolsen Sawtell
Family Researcher.]
Thomas Sawtell, Nancy’s
brother, settled in LaPeer
County, Michigan and is
found there in the census of 1850.
John & Nancy became the
parents of Julia Ann, born in June 11,
1836 and William LaFayette, born 20
July, 1838. Both children were born in Canada. No information has been found about Nancy’s
death and burial; her death appears to have been c 1840, just before her husband relocated to an area near Nauvoo,
Illinois.
John Jackson went to Lapeer,
Michigan for a short time, presumably after Nancy
died. It was probably in Lapeer where
he met with her brothers, Levi, b 1807, & John, b 1811. From available records it appears that John
Jackson was the first of this family to move to Nauvoo,
Illinois, arriving there by
1840. Levi & John Sawtell arrived
later, perhaps in 1841 or 1842. John
Sawtell married Mrs Jemima Johnson at Nauvoo,
Ill. on 24 August, 1842 and
continued to live in IIllinois. Levi
Sawtell returned to Michigan, & lived in Flint
for a number of years before settling permanently in Lapeer near other relatives.
By 1840 John Jackson was living in Hancock County,
Illinois where many members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of the
Latter Day Saints assembled from about
1840 to 1845. John Jackson
was part of that movement and as a Proxy had several deceased members of his immediate family
baptized. The Annotated Records
of Baptisms for the Dead 1840 – 1845,
Nauvoo – Hancock county Illinois, Books A56 & A87, record the
baptisms in Nauvoo, of Abigail Finch, Isaac Finch, Laura Jackson, and Samuel Jackson in 1841.
The baptisms of John Brown, Nancy Jackson, Olive Jackson, [presumed to
have been the wife of Samuel Jackson, Jr.],
and Abigail Stranahan, [wife of James H. Stranahan, town of Chesterfield,
Essex Co., NY.] followed on 25 September, 1842 in
Book C10A. The baptismal records reveal the relationship of John
Jackson to each of his relatives, named
above. Of particular interest to the writer were the baptisms of Abigail &
Isaac Finch, followed by statements that “John Jackson was the Grandson of
Abigail Finch;” & “John Jackson was the Grandson of Isaac Finch.” This document establishes that Betsy [Finch] Jackson, mother of John, was the
daughter of Isaac Finch & Abigail
[Palmer] Finch.
Baptisms were also carried out
for: Nancy Jackson, - “John Jackson was the husband of Nancy Jackson”: Laura Jackson - “John Jackson was the
Husband of Laura Jackson:” and John
Brown: – “John Jackson was the Son-in-law of John Brown.”
John
Jackson was still living in the town of LaHarp, Hancock
County, Illinois on 14 September, 1844, when he named his brother, Daniel Jackson,
of Elizabethtown, NY as his “true & lawful attorney” for the sale of the final piece of property he owned in Clinton
county, NY. This land was sold
for $60.00 on 7 February, 1845. On that date, John was still of the town of LeHarp,
Hancock County, Illinois. It is not known what, if any contact there may have been between John
Jackson and his brothers & sisters in Wisconsin
& New York
after 1844. None is recorded, but must
have existed as family members in Vernal, Utah,
in 2007 are knowledgeable of other Jackson
family distant cousins in the Western US.
After the
murders of Joseph & Hyrum Smith in 1844 in Illinois
and the burning of 200 homes and farm
buildings owned by members of the CJCLDS outside Nauvoo, in
September, 1845, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day
Saints moved west. The first group to leave from
Nauvoo began their journey on February
4, 1846. The first group reached the Missouri
River on June 14, 1846 taking more than four months for the trip. “About
17,000 Mormons fled in wagons between March and October 1846 from attacks of
mobs who were confused and enraged by the growing power, prosperity and
peculiarities of the Mormon people, especially at Nauvoo.” It is assumed that John Jackson was one of
these. Some established a settlement called Kanesville, now Council
Bluffs, Iowa, on the east side of
the Missouri River. Others moved across the
river into the area of present-day (north) Omaha,
Nebraska, building a camp called
Winter Quarters.
In 1847 the 1000 mile treks westward to the Salt
Lake City area began.
John Jackson & his family participated in this move in 1849 as members of the last wagon train to leave that year. One source records that the Benson “train”
included 182 people and 63 wagons. Records
of the Latter Day Saints record that
“John [Jackson] (55), his son (13), & daughter (11), traveled
from Kanesville, Iowa,
overland to Salt Lake City,
Utah, leaving July 15th and arriving October
25-29, 1849.” Two groups traveled
together. John Jackson’s trail captain was
Ezra Taft Benson. A second group was
led by George A. Smith.
Brief
items from several letters give
snapshots of the journey:
July 4. “Left Kanesville today with
our teams along with several others, travelled about six miles & encamped
with Elder Benson’s company on the Prairies.
Tarried until the Sabbath following when we moved about four miles
further, toward the Missouri river, to embrace our turn in being ferried over
the same, which we accomplished on Wednesday the 11th”……
“On Saturday, the 14th
inst., about noon, the last wagons left Winter Quarters, and began to bend
their way westward over the boundless plains that lie between us and the Valley
of the Great Salt Lake. Slowly and majestically they moved along,
displaying a column of upwards of 300 wagons, cattle, sheep, hogs, horses,
mules, chickens, turkies, geese, doves, goats & c. & c., besides lots
of men, women & children…. provisioned for nine months from the time of
starting. They were led by Messrs.
George A. Smith & Ezra T. Benson….” The Last Train – Frontier Guardian, 25
July, 1849, page 2.
July
31. “Camp travelled about 21 miles,
over sandy & miry roads, dust flying some part of the way, so as to nearly
blind ones eyes. Several wagons were
mired. One axletree and guide broken….”
Source - William I. Appleby, Autobiography & Journal.
“We now proceeded on our Journey to Salt
Lake. We had a few stampedes on the road, one on
Elk Horn, but no damages until we arrived at Willow Springs east of
Sweetwater. Here we encountered a severe
snow storm, freezing 17 head of cattle and 1 horse in 1 night. Snow fell nearly to the top of our wagon
covers and we had to dig our way out… “
“We started on July 15th. During the long journey across the plains we
encountered many hardships. Among them
were a great stampede of buffalo and a terrible snowstorm,…. We reached Salt Lake
Valley October 29th. Several
of the Brethren came to meet us with ox teams at Emigration
Canyon, among them
President Brigham Young…” Source – Gunnell, Francis Wilson, Autobiography…
“Our
statistics are [as] follows, as near as we can ascertain at present: - 129
Wagons, 4 Ponies, 74 Chickens, 2 Marriages, 467 Souls, 514 Oxen, 22 Cats, 2
Births, 125 Men, 243 Cows, 26 Dogs, No Deaths, 23 Horses, 70 Loose Cattle, 21 Ducks,
157 Guns, 1 Mule, 100 Sheep, 4 Turkies, 38 Pistols, 12 Pigs, 2 Doves,…” Source – letter by George A. Smith and
William Appleby, 12 August, 1849.
John Jackson & his family lived in Utah for about 10 years after their arrival in the west.
In the Federal census of 1850 his family is found on page 39, in Great Salt Lake County, Utah. Jackson family oral history reports that John Jackson was active in the church of the Latter Day Saints at Kaysville.
The dates during which he served in that location are unknown. His son, William LaFayette Jackson, married Ellen Mary Wilson, of Ogden, on 23 July, 1864. She was born 25 August, 1849, the daughter of Thomas Wilson and Ellen Neilson. They had a family of nine. The first three were born in Ogden Valley, [Huntsville], Utah. About 1871, William & family moved from Utah to Southern Idaho, to the Marshvalley / Downey area where they farmed for many years and where the rest of their children were born.
Julia Ann
Jackson married Lawrence Baldwin, c
1858, place unknown. All 5 of
Julia Ann & Loammi Baldwin’s family
were born in California. Their first child, Collin W. Baldwin was one
year of age by June 13, 1860, the date of the 1860 census. On 23 March, 1860, Loammi. G. Baldwin, “of
the county of San
Joaquin,”
purchased a farm from George S. Baldwin & Sarah, his wife, for
$2000.00. Their farm consisted of two
blocks of land; one, of 241.09 acres,
which was owned outright; the other was an “undivided third interest” in 120 acres of land. [Vol.
10, pages 288, 289, 290] On 24 April,
1860, Loammi G Baldwin sold this one-third interest in the 120 acres to
Alexander Burkell for $800. [Vol. 10, pages 355, 356] On 30 September, 1867,
Loammi & Julia Ann Baldwin sold the remaining part of their farm to David
A. Learned for the sum of $6000. [Vol. 17, pages 527, 528] It is supposed that
this is about the time the Baldwin
family moved to San Andreas, Calavers
County, California
where Loammi Baldwin, farmer, and his family are found in the August, 1870
census. Loammi died 22 April, 1872, in Stockton
and his funeral was held in the First
Baptist Church
in that city. Julia Ann & most of
her family continued to live in the Stockton
area for the remainder of their lives.
Despite
several searches, John Jackson’s name has not been found in the 1860 and 1870 US
census. About John's later years—we
know that he was in Salt Lake City in the early
1870s for "temple work" at the Endowment House (a temporary sort of
temple while the Salt
Lake Temple
was under construction). The IGI citation for his temple work there is
clear. His sealings were recorded in Record Book H covering 30 Oct 1871 to 5 June 1873
according the International Genealogical Index (IGI) citation. In 1880 John Jackson was living with his daughter,
by then a widow, and her family. It is
as yet unknown when John Jackson moved from Utah
to California. One can speculate that he moved to California
to assist his daughter after her husband died in 1872 but no documentation of
this has been found.
Julia Ann
Baldwin, widow, her family, and John Jackson, farmer, are recorded in the California
census in 1880 as residents of Stockton, San
Joaquin County, California. Julia Ann Baldwin died Nov 13, 1897, age 61 &
is buried in the Stockton Rural
Cemetery, Stockton,
San Joaquin County, CA
beside her husband. John Jackson
is buried nearby. John Jackson’s tombstone is inscribed “born September 29, 1794, died October 7,
1880 - Native of Clinton Co., NY.
- Soldier In War of 1812.”
JOHN JACKSON’S FAMILY
Andrew
Jackson, born in Clinton County,
NY in 1826 and attended school in Pine Grove,
& grew up with Daniel Jackson’s family on their farm on the lower slopes of
Hurricane Mountain,
near Elizabethtown, Essex
County. He went west, as did all of this Jackson
family, to Wisconsin in 1849, first to
Beloit, then after living at Kilbourn,
Milwaukee, and Sparta, he moved
to Eau Claire in 1859, where he spent
the rest of his life. He owned &
operated a jewelry store, and a farm,
and his special interest was trotting
horses. In 1860 he married
Miss Marietta Blood, born 1829, daughter of Amasa Blood, of Essex
County, New York. They were the parents of four children, Charles, b 1864, died 1870;
Minnie C., b December 12,
1866, died March 16, 1888, buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Eau Claire; Arthur, b 1873 who married Clara Scott
Mosher on 31 January, 1894; and Amelia, whose dates are unknown. Maryette Blood
died at Eau Claire, Wisconsin,
in 1878, and was buried in the Forest Hill
Cemetery, Eau
Claire. Later that year he married Hannah E. Blood (cousin of Maryette) at Eau
Claire, Wisconsin, on 2
December, 1888. Andrew Jackson died in
Eau Claire on 11 November, 1909 and is buried in
Forest Hill
Cemetery.
Julia Ann [Jackson]
Baldwin was born June 11, 1836 in
London, Ontario,
Canada; she died of Meningitis on Nov 13, 1897, in Stockton,
California. Julia Ann married c 1858, Lawrence Baldwin,
also known as S. G. Baldwin, and Loammi. He was a native of Wayland,
Massachusetts, where he was born
November 1, 1822; he died 22 April, 1872. Loammi had previously married Julia Ann Swaggard, date unknown. They were the parents of Nebraska Ann who was born while traveling
from Illinois
to CA in a wagon train. Julia Ann
Swaggard Baldwin, died in Rough and
Ready, Yuba
County, California on
11 Sept 1856. Her grave has not been found.
Loammi’s second family, all born in California, included Collin W., b
1859; Julia, b 1861; Lucie E., b 1864; George C., b 1868; and Mary E., b 1871. In the 1860 census, the Baldwin family were
living in Castoria Township, San
Joaquin County, California and members included Loammi G. Baldwin, 33, born
Massachusetts, his wife, Julia A, age
24, and a son, Collin W, age 1. Ten
years later they were living in San Andreas, Calaveras County, Ca. with their
four children, i.e. Collin W., age 10; Julia A., age 8, Lucy E., age 6; and
George C., age 2. Several members of
this family are buried at the Stockton
Rural Cemetery. These
include Julia Ann; her husband,
Loammi; her father, John Jackson;
George C Baldwin, & Collin Baldwin.
Alice E Baldwin and Mary Gardner, wife & mother-in-law respectively
of George Baldwin are also buried in the Stockton
Rural Cemetery.
Children:
a. Collin W. Baldwin was born in 1859, probably in Stockton, California, and died in the same city on 9 December, 1932. He did not marry.
b. Julia Ann Baldwin was born c 1862; she married a) Frank K. Lewis on 25 December, 1884 in San Joaquin Co., Ca.; b) she is referred to as the late Julia A. Brown in the death notice of her brother, George C. Baldwin in 1928. Frank K. Lewis in 1884 & 1888 was listed as a drayman living at 272 Stanislaus St., Stockton. It appears that this couple moved from the Stockton area and no other Information on dates of death or family, if any, has been found.
c. Lucy E. Baldwin, born April, 1861, married John L. Poynor on 20 February, 1887 in San Joaquin Co., Ca. John died, near Escalon, Ca on 20 September, 1936 and is interred at Park View Cemetery. Lucy died in Stockton on 4 November, 1945. Their children, as listed in Lucy’s death announcement, were Henry Poyner, Stockton; Mrs Julia Lamey, San Francisco; Nell Yates, of Stockton; and Edna Poynor. Other information is unknown.
d. George C Baldwin, was born 1 April, 1868 in Calaveras Co., Ca.; died in Avena, 6 December, 1928. He married Alice Gardiner, born 20 Dec., 1871. She died on 16 August, 1923, and is buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery. No children.
e. Mary E. Baldwin, known as Mamie, was born 1 October, 1870, in Calaveras Co. and died, near Ceres, Stanislaus Co, Ca., on 4 May, 1945. Mamie E. married James B Poyner on 9 October, 1895 in San Joaquin Co. James Poynor died in Stockton on 18 September, 1927 and is buried with his wife in the Park View Cemetery. Children listed in John’s death announcement were Leroy B., Douglas and Ethel Poynor, Mrs. Elma Harrison, Mrs Ila Esterbrook, and Mrs. Althea Mondon.
William LaFayette Jackson, born 20 July, 1838, in London, Ontario, Canada, married Ellen Mary Wilson on 23 July, 1864 of Ogden, Utah. She was born 25 August, 1849, the daughter of Thomas Wilson and Ellen Neilson. William Jackson’s family lived in Ogden Valley (Huntsville), Utah until about 1872 when his family moved to southern Idaho, Marshvalley / Downey, Idaho where they farmed in Oneida County and are located in the census of 1880. William Jackson’s family returned to Vernal, Utah in the fall of 1894 where William died on October 12, 1915. He is buried in the Vernal Cemetery close to other family members. Mary Ellen died on 10 May, 1924, in San Diego, California. Children:
a. William Lafayette Jr., b 7/4/1866 in Huntsville, Utah; died Marsh Valley, Idaho 2/2/1891;
b. Charles, b 3/29/1868 in Huntsville, Utah; d 12/6/1910; Vernal, Utah.
c. Samuel, b 8/30/1870 in Huntsville/Ogden, Utah; d: 1/1/1901, Vernal, Utah. Unmarried.
d. Alvira Ellen, b 3/29/1873 in Marshvalley, Idaho; d: 1/2/1942 in Idaho.
e. Charlotte, b 10/16/1875 in Marshvalley, Idaho; d: 12/31/1961 in Redmond, Oregon; died in California, 1962.
f. John, b 4/30/1878 in Marshvalley, Idaho; d: 5/30/1954 in Eugene, Oregon.
g. Mary Emma, b 4/24/1882 in Marshvalley, Idaho; d 7/21/1960, Moses Lake, Wa.
h. Daniel Levi, b 10/11/1884 in Marshvalley, Idaho; died 2/15/1972 in Vernal, Utah.
Married Ellen Sessions, b 24 Feb. 1889; died17 Aug. 1964; 9 children.
i. Julia Elizabeth,b 9/20/1889 in Marshvalley,Id.; died in San Diego, Ca. 5/23/1963.
Married Patrick J. Slattery.
It is possible, but unproven, that John Jackson was also the father of John S Jackson, born 20 October, 1823 in Rochester, NY. John S. Jackson moved to Wisconsin from New York State about 1846 and lived most of his life near Eau Claire where he farmed. The Death Certificate of John S. Jackson identifies John Jackson as his father and Harriet Tyler as his mother. The Death Certificates list each parent as having an “unknown” birthplace. Daniel Bowen Jackson, author of an informal Jackson Family Genealogy, identifies John Jackson, son of Samuel, as the father of John S. Jackson. This information, one assumes, came from Jackson family sources. On the other hand, John was a very common first name in many Jackson families. No other linkage with the family of John Jackson of Peru, NY has been found. Information on this family follows in hopes that perhaps someone will be able to shed light on the origins of this family.]
John S. Jackson, was born on 20 October, 1823 in Rochester, NY; he died 20 Nov. 1910, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. John S Jackson was a pioneer, nicknamed “Strawberry” Jackson, a berry farmer and nurseryman who moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1846 and homesteaded in Eau Claire County in 1855. His wife was Caroline E., [Morgan?] 1826 – 1911. Children: Fedelia, b 1848; Eveline, b 1849; William A., b 1850; Mary E., b 1853; Clarence, b 1857; Herbert J. b 1859; Carrie, b 1862; Emma, b 1863; Erva, b 1865; Erwin A., b 1865. All members of this family were born in Wisconsin.
Conclusion: John Jackson led an interesting life. He no doubt helped his father clear their pioneer farm in Chesterfield. He participated in the War of 1812 as did many, many others in Northern NY. He was probably one of the first converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Clinton/Essex County area and shared his faith there as a Mormon Elder. He demonstrated his faith by following the builders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints through turbulent times in Nauvoo and Kanesville and by wagon train to Salt Lake City. He was the first of the Jackson family who is known to have crossed the Plains to Utah & California.
There is still much to be learned about the life of John Jackson who did not leave written records or other accounts of his life, his family or his travels. It would be appreciated if readers or others who have additional information and who identify corrections to the information presented in this article would send their comments to David Rogers e-mail address: dirogers@eastlink.ca
Acknowledgements & Thanks –
To Louella Burke of Vernal, Utah, granddaughter of William LaFayette Jackson, who has made available & shared much of the information presented in this article about John Jackson & Nancy Sawtell’s family.
To Richard Greenough, genealogist, of Portland, Oregon, who has contributed a great deal of time and expertise in search of John Jackson’s life & family.
JOHN JACKSON’S NAUVOO RECORDS
[These records were
dated 1841 and September 25th 1842 in Nauvoo, Hancock
County, Illinois where
John Jackson lived from approximately 1840 – 1849. Following that date he moved west to Utah
& California where he died in 1880 in Stockton. The “Baptism” records include other members
of the Jackson
family who were deceased at the time of the Baptism. See below:]
“Proxy: JOHN JACKSON
Gender: Male
Surname: Jackson
Given name: John
Birth date: 29 September 1793 (1794, 1795)
Birth
place: Peru,
Clinton, New
York
Father: Jackson, Samuel
Mother: Finch, Elizabeth
Spouse: Laura
Spouse: Brown, Nancy
Comments: John was a member of the Sixteenth Quorum of
the Seventy in 1845.
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the Dead; Family Search, Ancestral File.]
Deceased: John Brown
Gender: Male
Surname: Brown
Given name: John
Proxy’s relationship to deceased: John Jackson was
the Son-in-law of
John Brown.
Date of proxy baptism: September
25 1842 (Evening)
Officiators: Graham
Coltrin, Leonard Soby
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book C10A
Deceased: ABIGAIL FINCH
Gender: Female
Surname: Finch
Given name: Abigail
Proxy’s
relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the Grandson of
Abigail
Finch.
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book A56.
Deceased: Isaac Finch
Gender: Male
Surname: Finch
Given name: Isaac
Proxy’s
relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the Grandson of
Isaac Finch.
Date of Proxy baptism: 1841
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the Dead, Book A56.
Deceased: LAURA JACKSON
Gender: Female
Surname: Jackson
Given name: *Laura
Spouse: Jackson, John
Laura Brown, daughter of John, married John Jackson before 1826 and she
apparently died in Plattsburgh
about 1829 or 1830. It appears that Laura & John were the parents of Andrew
Jackson, born 1826 and brought up by Daniel & Rhoda Ann Jackson in Elizabethtown.
It is also possible that John was the father of John S Jackson, born c 1823 who
moved to Wisconsin about 1846 and lived most
of his life in Eau Claire
where he farmed. John S. Jackson’s Death Certificate recorded that his mother
was Harriet Tyler and his father was John Jackson. After Laura’s death, John
Jackson moved to London,
Ontario where he married Nancy
Sawtle or Sawtell. George Morell, his brother-in-law, was a witness to this
ceremony. John Jackson & Nancy Sawtell
were the parents of two children, William LaFayette Jackson and Julia
Ann Jackson. Both were born in Canada. Nancy died before 1840/1841 and about that
time John Jackson moved to Hancock Co., Illinois
where members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints had gathered. From there he
and his two children moved to Utah,
travelling by wagon train in the summer & early fall of 1849 in a company
headed by Ezra Taft Benson.
Proxy’s relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the Husband of Laura Jackson.
Date of Proxy baptism: 1841
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book A87
Deceased: NANCY JACKSON
Gender: Female
Surname: Jackson
Given name: Nancy
Maiden
name: Brown
Spouse: Jackson, John
Proxy’s relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the Husband of Nancy Jackson.
Date of proxy baptism: 25
September 1842 (Evening)
Officiators: Graham
Coltrin, Leonard Soby
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book C10A.
Deceased: OLIVE JACKSON
Gender: Female
Surname: Jackson
Given name: Olive
Proxy’s relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the Brother-in-law of Olive Jackson. [Olive apparently was the
wife of Samuel Jackson Jr. her background is unknown.]
Date of Proxy baptism: 25
September 1842 (Evening)
Officiators: Graham
Coltrin, Leonard Soby
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book C10A
Deceased: SAMUEL JACKSON
Gender: Male
Surname: Jackson
Given name: Samuel
Proxy’s relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the son of Samuel Jackson.
Date of proxy baptism: 1841
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book A87.
Deceased: ABIGAIL STRANAHAN
Gender: Female
Surname: Stranahan
Given name: Abigail
Proxy’s relationship to deceased: John
Jackson was the Brother of Abigail Stranahan.
[wife of James H. Stranaha: They
lived in the town of Chesterfield,
Essex Co., NY.]
Date of Proxy baptism: 25
September, 1842 (Evening)
Officiators: Graham
Coltrin, Leonard Soby
Source: Nauvoo Baptismal Records of the
Dead, Book C10A.”
1. Relates to the life & family of Caroline Jackson, another daughter of John Jackson who has been identified.
She is Caroline Finch, see information below.
2. The National Archives has a Land Bounty Application from John Jackson which gives some details on his ecord in the War of 1812.
I think these items may be of interest to this family and others.
If you have any questions, please contact me at dirogers@eastlink.ca;
Thank you for your help. Sincerely, David Rogers.
Caroline Jackson married Martin Finch (William7, Joshua6, Isaac5, Isaac6, Isaac3, John2, Abraham1) born 21 June, 1810 in Jay, Essex County, NY.
Caroline was born c November, 1822 in Chesterfield, Essex Co. New York, the daughter of JOHN JACKSON & LAURA BROWN.
It appears that after her mother's death, Caroline was brought up by the family of James H. and Abigail [Jackson] Stranahan of Chesterfield, NY.
Abigail [Jackson] Stranahan was the oldest sister of John Jackson.
Caroline died 07 Apr 1899 in Keeseville, Essex Co., New York and is buried beside her husband in the Evergreen Cemetery, Keeseville, NY.
Her husband, Martin Finch, became a prominent lawyer and citizen of the town of Keeseville, Essex County, NY.
Martin was educated at Williams College in Massachusetts, and the bar of N.Y.State in 1842.
He entered the law office of Thomas A. Tomlinson at Keeseville as a student and later was taken in as a partner.
He was also associated in the practice of law with Ira S.Smith and later with F. A. Rowe at Keeseville.
Mr. Finch was supervisor of the town of Chesterfield from 1847 up to the time of his death on 21 Dec., 1890, with the exception of two terms.
He served Essex County as member of the Assembly in 1862 and 1863, as district attorney from 1864 to 1867 in addition to various lesser offices….
He retired form active business about 1889. Source - Carol Earnshaw by e-mail, December 24, 2009.
He was for many years a member of the Keeseville Congregational Church.
Caroline & Martin had a family of five:
i. ELLA9 FINCH, b. 1844, Keeseville Essex Co. New York; d. of consumption, 09 Apr 1872, Chicago, Cook Co. Illinois.
She married ALBERT MARTIN FORBES 1867, son of ALBERT FORBES and HANNAH FINCH. He was born 20 Jun 1840 in Willsborgh Essex Co. New York,
and died 02 Apr 1902 in 650 West Monroe St. Chicago, Cook Co. Illinois. One daughter, CARRIE E. FORBES was born 1868 in Chicago, Cook Co. Illinois.
She married MORRIS BLACK. He died 07 Apr 1899 in English Channel, England. According to the April 7, 1899 Plattsburg Sentinel
-"Mr. and Mrs. Morris Black, of England, were two of the passengers who were on the ill-fated steamer that went down in the English Channellast week."
ii. ALICE "ABBY" FINCH, b. Aug 1846, Chesterfield Essex Co. New York; d. 24 Oct 1926, Essex Co. New York; m. FRED E. STAFFORD; b. Brooklyn, New York.
iii. HENRY OLDER FINCH, b. 07 Jun 1848, Keesville Essex Co. New York; d. 27 Aug 1879, Guilford, New Haven Co., Conn. Rev.
Finch was a graduate of the University of Vermont and had for somewhat more than a year been acting as pastor of the first Congregational church of Guilford,Conn.,
when he drowned.
iv. JULIA FINCH, b. 1858, Keeseville, Essex Co., New York; d. bef. 1870, Keeseville, Essex Co., New York.
v. CARRIE FINCH, b. 15 May 1862, Keeseville, Essex Co. New York; d. 12 Aug 1919, Keeseville, Essex Co. New York. Not married. Birthplace Keeseville,
Cause of Death epithelium. Father - Martin Finch born Jay, N.Y. Mother Caroline Jackson born Chesterfield. Place of burial, Evergreen Cemetery, Keeseville,
NY.Death Certificate filed 8/12/1919 Source of information about Caroline Jackson and her family - Carol Earnshaw, by e-mail, December 24, 2009.
JOHN JACKSON'S WAR RECORD. John Jackson is listed as a private in Capt. Wadham's Company for which he received a bounty land grant of 160 acres in Minnesota
- which was given up and later sold to Lars Enderson on August 1, 1866
Records Below - Received from National Archives, Washington, Bounty Land Application, dated 27 Oct. 1855. John Jackson No. 228719
War of 1812 S. O? 24.479
S. C. 15395 Service - Pri, Cap't Lyman Wadham's Co, N. Y. Militia.
Territory of Utah ss
Great Salt lake county
On this 27th day of october one thousand eight hundred and fifty five; personally appeared before me Elias Smith, Probate Judge duly authorised to
administer oaths within and for the county and Territory aforesaid John Jackson aged 61 years, a resident of Davis County, who being duly sworn according to law,
declares that he is the identical John Jackson who was a (Substitute,) private in Capt. Wadham's company of Essex county drafted Militia of the state of new York,
Commanded by Col. Clark, in the war with Great Britain, declared by the United States on the 18th day of June, 1812; that he was drafted in the forepart of the fall
of 1813 for the term of three months, and continued in actual service in said war for the term of fourteen days and was hononorably discharged at Plattsburgh on
or about the first of December 1813. Had no written discharge. He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land to which he may be entitled
under the act approved march 3, 1855. He also declares that he has not received a warrant for bounty land under this or any other act of Congress, nor made any
other application therefore.
[signed] John Jackson.
We, Elnathan Eldredge and Louis R. Chaffin, Residents of Great Salt Lake city in the Territory of Utah, upon our oaths, declare that the foregoing declaration
was signed and acknowledged by John Jackson in our presence, and that we believe, from the appearance and statements of the applicant, that he is the identical
person he represents himself to be.
[signed] Elnathan Eldredge
Louis R. Chaffin