Jeremiah F. York, I (1794 - 1876)

Jeremiah F. York, I
(1794 - 1876)

Jeremiah F. York, I was born 20 December 1794 in Saratoga County, New York State.  He was possibly a son of Stephen York and Amy Franklin, and it is likely his middle name was Franklin, as that name is quite prolific among his descendants.  It is also likely that he was born in Ballston, in Saratoga County, where Stephen York resided, but there is currently no evidence to prove it.  It is possible that the family moved to Ontario, Canada while Jeremiah was a child or young man.

The earliest information I definitely can find is a mention of Jeremiah in the records of the Canadian/British military for the War of 1812, which states that Jeremiah had been found a deserter from the 3rd Regiment of the Lincoln Militia in 1814 (into which he had most likely been "pressed" - forcibly drafted).  I do know from his Petition for a Veteran's Pension that Jeremiah enlisted with Captain Justus P. Spencer's Company of the New York militia, which was a division of Colonel Steven's Regiment of the New York Infantry, at Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York on 10 January 1814.  This was just days after the British burned and destroyed the City of Buffalo, New York.  Another deserter from the Lincoln Militia, Stephen Van Rennselaer York, also joined Captain Spencer's Company after escaping across the Canadian - U.S. border, and participated in the Battle of Fort Erie.  Stephen and Jeremiah are very likely brothers.  Private Jeremiah York served from 12 January 1814 through 14 April 1814, including two weeks at Black Rock (now part of the City of Buffalo, Erie County) which was then in Niagara County, New York. There his duties included being a picket guard.  Later he served at Williamsville, Niagara County (now Erie County), New York, guarding public stores thither from Buffalo.  For his service to his country, he received a pension of $8 a month, which commenced 14 February 1871, at the age of 76.

It was probably during Jeremiah's service that he made the acquaintance of an older soldier, Daniel Swears, III.  Perhaps they had already met; Daniel was also a former New Yorker and Canadian settler who had to flee back across the border to the United States to escape being pressed into the British Army.  When Jeremiah returned to Ontario County, he married Daniel's daughter, Rhoda Sweers [note spelling variation of last name] on 12 March 1815 in the Town of Gorham.  To this union were born at least six children - the first, Daniel Franklin. York, was born in neighboring Yates County, New York around 1817.  Further information on each individual child is listed at the bottom of this page.

Jeremiah's service in the military had also probably brought to his attention the countryside of what was then Niagara County (now Erie County), New York.  He and Rhoda moved west and settled in the Town of Clarence; the household of "Jre. F. York" is listed in the 1820 Federal Census of that town, and shows a male child age of 0 - 9 (probably son Daniel); a female child  age 10 - 15 (possibly either Ruth Sweers, a younger sister of Rhoda; or Abigail York, a possible younger sister of Jeremiah); a male, age 25 - 44 (Jeremiah) and a female, age 16 - 25 (Rhoda).  One household member (Jeremiah) was "engaged in agriculture" (a farmer).  Rhoda's parents and brothers, Manley and Daniel Sweers, IV, also lived in the Town of Clarence for some time, before moving on to what is now Atlas Township, Genesee County, Michigan in the 1830's.  While they lived in Clarence, Jeremiah served as a Constable, Collector and Deputy Sheriff for eleven years, and was described as a "prominent man" in his township.

Jeremiah is erroneously enumerated as "J.F. Fork" on the 1830 Federal Census, where he appears in the Town of Erie [now part of Newstead], Erie County, New York, not far from the households of his in-laws, Daniel Swears, III and Daniel Sweers (Junior), IV, and his (probable) brother Stephen York.  In 1840, he is again found next door to Stephen York, in the Town of Clarence.  In 1850, when for the first time, all members of households were listed by name, he appears with his wife Rhoda and their 16-year-old daughter, Elinor "Ellen" York in the Town of Clarence.  His son and daughter-in-law, John H. York and Anna Crothers, were living on their farm in the Town of Newstead, Erie County when the census was taken that September.  However, within a month, they had moved to be near the Sweers relatives in Atlas Township, Genesee County, Michigan.  The 1860 Federal Census shows Jeremiah and Rhoda living in the Town of Newstead; it is my theory that they were living on John and Anna's old farm; perhaps they had purchased it.

By 1870, Jeremiah and Rhoda had moved to Atlas Township themselves, near the village of Goodrich, settling on Kipp's Road across from Rhoda's brothers' farms on land originally purchased from the government by Stephen York, who apparently never lived on it.  Jeremiah and Rhoda passed away within two weeks of each other, she dying first on 23 October 1876 and he on 5 November 1876.  Their death records are frustratingly devoid of details; neither the place (other than "Genesee County"), nor cause of death, nor names of parents are recorded for either one.  One can only assume they possibly died on their home farm in Atlas Township.  They were both buried in the Sweers Family Burial Ground, located in section 26 of the township, on what was then Rhoda's brother Manley's farm.

Children:

Daniel Franklin York was born c. 1817, in Yates  County, New York; he was a farmer.  He married Caroline Krull (b. c. 1821).  Their six known children were Chloe York (Lentz) (b. c. 1840); Emma (Mrs. William Skinner) (b. c. 1842); Myron York (1844 - 1911); Harrison York (1846 - 1886); Monira York (who married her cousin, Horace A. Crull, below) (b. c. 1849).  Daniel died before 1870, and was buried in the Danser (Wyckoff) Cemetery, Clarence.

Eliza Ann York was born c. 1820, in (the Town of Clarence, Erie County?) New York.  She was married 11 July 1845 to George Aylsworth (b. c. 1819), a farmer, in Clarence.  They had five children: Horace Aylsworth (b. c. 1842); Marian Eliza Aylsworth (b. 1862); Emeline Aylsworth (b. 1850); George Franklin Aylsworth (b. 1853); and Anson Wolcott Aylsworth (b. 1856).  George and Eliza separated and/or divorced, and he remarried.  No further information is known about Eliza.

John H. York - my ancestor; read his off-site biography here, then click your "Back" button to return to this site

Esther York, twin to John, was born 27 December 1823 in (the Town of Clarence?), Erie County, New York.  Her first husband was Solomon Crull (1816 - 1844), with whom she had four children: Rhoda A. Crull (b. 1840); Henry H. Crull, a twin (1842 - 1862); Horace A. Crull, a twin (b. 1842), who married his cousin Monira York (above); and Solomon Delos Crull (1845 - 1921).  Esther then married Alfred Jacob Teachout (1806 -  1872), a widower with six children.  Together, they had seven more: Elias Lysander "Zan" Teachout (1847 - 1928); Lydia D. Teachout (Mrs. George M. Kimball) (b. 1850); Daniel F. Teachout (1852 - 1932); Esther O. Teachout (1854 - 1855); Terry Y. Teachout (1856 - 1857); Terry Lincoln "Link" Teachout (1860 - 1921); and John Hiram Teachout (1862 - 1947).  In 1870, Esther and Alfred moved to Ovid Township, Branch County, Michigan.  She apparently married once more, to a Mr. Burns, before her death on 11 January 1893.  She was buried in West Ovid Cemetery, Branch County.

Mary York was born c. 1825 in New York.  She married Dr. Ambrose "Terry" Bates (b. c. 1823) and had one known child: Louisa M. Bates (c. 1844 - 1935).  By 1880, Mary and Terry were living in DeWitt, Clinton County, Michigan.  No more information is known.

Ruth York was probably born between 1825 and 1830 in New York.  She married  a Mr. Humphrey.  No other information available.

An unknown daughter was probably born between 1825 and 1830, according to the 1830 Federal Census.  She probably died young, as she is not enumerated in the 1840 or subsequent federal censuses.  Another theory is that she was Elenor York (below).

Elenor "Ellen" M. York was born c. 1834 in New York (or perhaps earlier, as indicated by "an unknown daughter" above).  She was first married to a Mr. Rhubottom and was living in Michigan by 1872.  They had two children: Lenora Rhubottom (b. c. 1872) and Charles Rhubottom (b. c. 1874).  Apparently widowed, she married Orsemus P. Bates (b. c. 1836), brother of her brother-in-law, Terry BatesThey had at least one son, Perry Bates (b. c. 1879).  Ellen and Orsemus were living in Ovid Township, Branch County, Michigan in 1880.  No further information known.

More about my ancestor, Jeremiah F. York, I, can be found in the AnceStories of his possible parents, Stephen York and Amy Franklin, his wife Rhoda Sweers, and their son John H. York.

Miriam Robbins Midkiff
created: 18 June 2003
updated: 18 February 2005

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