1. JOHN HOWARD and his brother GIDEON bought land in Bennington in January 1789. GIDEON sold part of this in 1791 at which time he was living in Holland Patent, New York. The next record for these families found to date is the 1792 Oneida tax list for the area of Fort Stanwix (Rome, New York). The Jefferson County history suggests they came via the Black River with others from New England seeking home sites about 1798 and that John G. Howard had 150 acres of land. Perhaps this should have said JOHN and G. HOWARD.
Perhaps we still have not looked in the right place for the census suggests some land (shown in Lot 23 of the Bowen Eddy tract in the 1860's) some two miles to the south of Ellisburg belonged to John his son Johaza and his son Laurel for a period of some eighty years more or less. My mother's notes indicate this land was tied up in court for years and no one had clear title until after the death of some one [unstated] and some lawyers settled the estate after some fashion in the 1830's, even though the Howards had paid for the land ca 1800.
Although the 1800 census indicates John had two sons and five daughters, the only two found on Bennington records are Mehala born 8 October 1784 and Gehazi born 13 October 1786.
He married 24 Dec 1783 at Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont
LAVINAH HARRIS, who is believed to be the daughter of ALEXANDER & DIADEMA HARRIS.
2 i MEHALA HOWARD, b 8 Oct 1784, married 1801 CHRISTOPHER EDMUNDS
3 ii GEHAZI HOWARD
?4 iii HANNAH HOWARD married JOHN OTIS
?5 iv LEVINAH HOWARD married WILLIAM REESEY
3. JOHAZA (GEHAZI) HOWARD was born 8 or 13 Oct 1786 and died 8 Oct 1864. A census record indicates they were permanent residents of Ellisburg, but Johaza was a ship's carpenter and perhaps the family went to various work sites with him, because the obituary of Laurel J. states he was born in Cleveland, NY, and another son, Albert Wayne was born in Leeds, Ontario.
He married before 1820
HANNAH CRONK, who was born 23 Jun 1800 in Herkimer County, NY. She
came to Jefferson County about 1807, and died 6 Aug 1873.
After some eighty years in the general vicinity of Ellisburg, New York, my line of the Howards relocated to Kansas. My grandmother believed the reason Laurel moved to Kansas was in search of a better climate for his asthma. Perhaps that was true but it does not explain to us why the Reynolds, his wife's family, came as well. In any event, the trip is presumed to have been by rail ca 1876/78 and they settled in Jewell County where my great grandfather, John Henry Howard, was born all other children were born in New York but we believe only Alice married there and had a child older than my grandfather. My mother has a copy of a Jewell County land deed 3 July 1890 to Laurel J. Howard signed by Benjamin Harrison.
For some reason the Howards moved further west, ca. 1896 to Graham County in getting ready for this move, their son Merton was killed in an accident and buried near Burr Oak. When Laurel J. died about six years later, his body was taken back and buried next to his son but my mother did not find a marker for them in the short time she visited the Burr Oak Cemetery in 1978. There is a stone for Laurel J. at Lucerne Cemetery where Emily (and other family members) has a stone this is a short distance from the Graham County home but is actually in Sheridan County.
Children, HOWARD:
6 i JOHN C. HOWARD
7 ii EMOGENE HOWARD
8 iii SIMON HARRIS HOWARD married PHILINA CRONK
9 iv ALBERT WAYNE HOWARD married OLIVE CAROLINE NOICE
10 v CHARLES WORTH HOWARD married SARAH E. JOHNSON
11 vi ADELIA K. HOWARD married BENJAMIN F. SWEET
12 vii ROSETTA G. HOWARD ?married CHARLES WILLIAMS
13 viii LAUREL J. HOWARD married EMILY GATES REYNOLDS
14 ix DIANTHA C. HOWARD married (---) FISHER
15 x MARY ANN HOWARD married (1) JOHN D. OTIS;
married (2) ROBERT WILLIAMS
8. SIMON HARRIS HOWARD, (son of JOHAZA (GEHAZI) and HANNAH (CRONK) HOWARD) was born Dec 1822 and died after 1900.
He married c1853
PHILINA CRONK
13 i CHARLES HOWARD
14 ii JOHN HOWARD
15 iii HARVEY J. HOWARD
16 iv ROBERT W. HOWARD
9. ALBERT WAYNE HOWARD, (son of JOHAZA (GEHAZI) and HANNAH (CRONK) HOWARD) was born 17 Aug 1824, Leeds, Ontario Canada and died after 1890.
He married 1849
OLIVE CAROLINE NOICE
17 i CLARENCE HOWARD married ?FRANCIS (GOODENOUGH)
REYNOLDS
18 ii BURDETT HOWARD married ADA GOODENOUGH
19 iii HARRIS HOWARD
20 iv FREDRICK HOWARD
21 v FRANK HOWARD
22 vi EATON HOWARD
23 vii JENNY HOWARD
24 viii JAMES HOWARD
25 ix KITTY HOWARD
10. CHARLES WORTH HOWARD, (son of JOHAZA (GEHAZI) and HANNAH (CRONK) HOWARD) was born 17 Aug 1827 and died 4 Nov 1909. He was buried at Ellisburgh.
He married
SARAH E. JOHNSON, who was born 9 Nov 1828 and died 9 Aug 1888. She
was buried at Ellisburgh with her husband.
26 i EDITH A. HOWARD
27 ii EVA E. HOWARD
28 iii ETTA M. HOWARD married JOHN HAVEN
29 iv MARK C. HOWARD married CORA ELLIS
For further information, contact:
Skip Duett
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