HOUSE ANCESTRY

FINALLY, A DIRECT LINE TO OUR GERMAN IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR!

HOUSE ANCESTRY IN SUMMARY

Johan Christian Haus.  Fl. 1675 to 1740

            Conrad Haus  b. before 1710 – d. circa 1760 to 1770

                        Joseph C. Haus/House b. c. 1740  d. after 1800

                                    Johan Joseph C. House b. circa 1770 d. circa 1822

                                                Abraham Isaac House b. 1795 d. 1852

                                                            Josiah House b. 1822 d. 1911

The above summary represents a great deal of communication between Ken Johnson, author of “The Bloodied Mohawk”, Bonnie House, and myself, in order to make a firm connection between Abraham Isaac House, ancestor to all of you, and Johan Christian Haus, the immigrant from Germany.  We sought land records from NY County Archives, and Mr. Johnson supplied us with information from his vast supply of records and his knowledge of the House families in the Mohawk Valley in NY.  Specific references are not always available when researching this area, because of the destruction of many church records of birth, marriage and death events.  Nevertheless, intimate knowledge of the area and the individuals living there, the naming and baptismal customs of the people, familiarity with the history, and service and pension records of those who served in the militia created a framework for highly probable family connections.  Even the use of the process of elimination helped decide relationships among individuals.

It is my hope that you will add your own family’s information to this document, and that succeeding generations of your descendants will enjoy and appreciate having it. 

Sylvia Novak, November, 2003                                                                         

HOUSE ANCESTRY

From

Germany, 1709 to Iowa, 1851

All House descendants curious about their ancestry will find answers in the following quotations and summaries I have gathered from materials found through research of various sources. These sources include written histories by H. Jones, Shaver and Duel, Ken Johnson, Jim House, Grace Stubbs-Rice, (these materials dating from the early 1900s to recent times), and data gathered by, or known to, other House members. In addition, census records, documents kept by Historical Societies, County Land records and early maps have helped with discoveries. 

Long suspected by some, it is clear now that the name House was originally Haus, and our ancestors came from Germany in 1710. Why did our Haus ancestors emigrate from Germany? To quote Shaver and Duel (who quote H. Jones):

“In order to find the progenitor of nearly all of the House line who live in or have descended from the Mohawk Valley families we must go back to the period 1708-1709 in Germany.  Henry Z. Jones writes of life in the Valley of the Rhine early in the 1700's.

‘The HAUS family came from the town of WETZLER, ALTEN STAEDEN, DUCHY OF SOLM, GERMANY, not far from the RHINE RIVER. It is obvious from local accounts that families had been living for generations in an area fraught with near constant wars, which made battlefields of villages, towns and indeed the entire area.

Besides being at the mercy of invading armies, most of these Germans were taxed unmercifully by whichever Prince had control of their particular area. By 1709 many of these Palatines (individuals living in an area near the Rhine River) were bled dry by their Lords.

At this time there was a British book circulating throughout Germany that painted a glorious picture of life in the British Colony of New York, a life as rich and rewarding as a hard-working man wanted.  During this same period of time, Queen Ann of England had sent Agents throughout Europe to recruit men and their families to immigrate to the British Colonies.

It wasn't until the devastating and bitterly cold winter of 1708-1709 that JOHAN CHRISTIAN HAUS took up the British Agents’ offer to advance his expenses to immigrate to the New World.”

(Writer’s note) Christian was also called Johan Christian, a common practice as these given names were often coupled together. And as Ken Johnson points out, the name Johan was not always a name but often meant there was an older individual in the family or neighborhood with the same name.)

“Throughout southern Germany, many local Pastors stopped recording baptism, marriage and burial entries, in order to record the destruction caused by the terrible weather that burdened their congregations. 

The Pastor at Berstadt wrote:
In the year (1709) there has been a horrible terrible cold, the like of which is not remembered by the oldest of parishioners who are upwards of 80 years old. As one reads in the newspaper, it spread not only through the entire country, but also through France, Italy, Spain, England, Holland, Saxony and Denmark, where many people and cattle have frozen to death. The mills (grist) in almost all villages around here are also frozen in, so that the people must suffer from hunger. Most of the fruit trees are frozen as well as the grain.”

The following narrative is drawn in part from Jim House’s History of the House Family, which quotes research on the House family done by Shaver and Duel in January of 1933, and taken as well from material written and quoted by Grace Stubbs-Rice’s “House Family of the Mohawk History”. 

Altogether the British agreed to accept some 3,000 to be sent to America. In the spring or early summer of 1709 the first group left. It was to be a long voyage of nearly four weeks to reach Rotterdam where this tired and raged band of Palatines waited for many weeks for passage to London. The Mayor of Rotterdam took pity on them because of the terrible living conditions that the Palatines had to endure and he was able to give them some food and supplies.  Here they lived in what can best be described as a shantytown. When they arrived in London later that summer, they again were without proper shelter or food. It seems that London was not such a large city that it could absorb 3,000 newcomers. At this point many of the Palatines became very discouraged and accepted offers to go to Ireland and work as share croppers, while others decided to return to Germany.

Finally, in Dec 1709 some 845 Palatine families boarded 11 ships for the long and deadly trip across the Atlantic Ocean to New York. But again there would be a very long delay. It was not until April 1710 that a convoy of 11 ships set sail for West Camp, New York Colony. Christian Hauss is listed among the Palatinate refugees who came from England to America with the Rev. Joshua Kocherthal.   And so it was that Johan Christian Haus, a widower with six sons and a daughter, started the long journey in search of a better way of life.  His children were Reinhardt, Conrad, Jost, George,  Hermanus, possibly Elias, and a daughter Anna Elisabeth, ranging in age from about 4 years of age to 14 or 15 years of age. (Another researcher lists the same named children except omits Jost and cites Johan Christian Jr. as one of the sons.)  Ken Johnson located a birth record for Jost Haus, b. 1699 in Germany to Johan Christian Haus.  There are variations among researchers as to the names of the sons from Germany, and children born to his second wife in America. Our information indicates two known children – Peter and Margaretha.

According to the church records of the Rev. Kocherthal: “married Sept. 27, 1710, Christian Hauss, (a widower and carpenter of Alten-Staden, near Wetzler in the duchy of Solms,) and Anna Catherine, widow of the late Johann Becker of Durnberg, near Deitz in the sovereignty of Schomberg.” It was supposed that Christian Haus's first wife as well as Johann Becker died on the voyage over or soon after reaching these shores, as history of that period tells us that sickness and privations took many lives both on the voyage and in the winter following.  Researchers have been unable as yet to find a record of the name of his first wife, the mother of the children he brought to America with him.

Several devoted researchers and genealogists, all without complete success, have attempted positive identification of the generations that followed Johan Christian Haus. Church records were destroyed in the years of battles and destruction between the French, the British, and Indian raids, during a time when the church was the only source of birth, marriage and death records.  But all genealogists agree that the House families in and around the Mohawk Valley began with Johan Christian Haus and his sons. According to several researchers, area churches such as the Stone Arabia Lutheran, German Flats, St. Paul’s Lutheran and St. Johnsville Reformed contained records for births, marriages and deaths and offered services to the surrounding communities.  They supplied evidence for the conclusions contained herein, as well as personal assistance by Ken D. Johnson, Ft. Plank Historian and author of “The Bloodied Mohawk”.

What follows is a list of our paternal ancestors from Johan Christian Haus from Germany to HHouJoseph House in Iowa.

FIRST GENERATION

 Johan Christian Haus was the progenitor of the Haus/House families in the Mohawk Valley in NY  

He probably lived between 1675 and 1740.  He was naturalized on Oct. 11, 1715, in Albany Co.

SECOND GENERATION

Conrad House, b. before 1710, d. abt. 1760-1770, came to America with his father Christian Haus.  He married first Christina and second Margaretha.  He had several children.  Each of his sons was given the middle initial “C”, which stood for their father’s name.  They were (not necessarily in birth order): Peter C., George C., Adam C., Henry C., Conrad C., Joseph C, and also Catherine and Anna; born during 1740 -1760.  Additional information known about Peter and Conrad and Henry is cited below.

Peter C. House, b.1755, married Anna Shaut, daughter of Theodorus Shaut in 1785.  Shaut and House family relationships are discussed below.  His baptismal record cites Conrad and Margaretha as his parents.   He died in 1813 from wounds received at the battle of Sacketts Harbor in 1812.  Two of his brothers were killed at the battle of Oriskany in 1777.  They were:

Conrad C House, who married Catherine, was killed at the battle of Oriskany

Henry C. House was killed at Oriskany, and his children Christina, Elisabeth and Conrad were taken in the 1780 Ft. Plank Massacre.

THIRD GENERATION

Joseph C. House, son of Conrad and Margaretha and our ancestor, probably b. c.1745-50, (he wasn’t yet 20 to qualify as a taxpayer on the 1766 role) served as Corporal in Capt. Joseph House’s Company of the Canajoharie District Regiment of Militia.  (NOTE: Captain House was a cousin of our Corporal. He married Elizabeth Young; both are buried in Geisenburg Cemetery in Minden Twp., Montgomery Co. NY.)  

Cpl. Joseph C. House married Elisabeth ___ and had an unknown number of children, among them were Johan Joseph C. House, our ancestor, and Maria (Mary), both possibly b. early 1770s, Christina b. 1776 and Jacobus (aka James) b.1779.  In the 1780 attack on Fort Plank, the enemy took his wife Elisabeth, and Christina and Jacobus.  Her captors killed Christina during the march to Canada. 

The 1790 census for Canajohari Twp. in Montgomery Co. lists a “Yost Seahouse” (written by an imaginative census taker), and he’s the only Joseph C. House in the record with appropriate age-groups: (male over 16, 3 males under 16, and 2 females).  Christina was dead by 1780, leaving Johan and Jacobus plus one more male, Maria and wife Elisabeth. 

Although no birth or baptismal records were located for Mary or for Johan Joseph C. House, two sponsorships they performed helped identify them as close family members:

1.       Jacobus married Eva and had a son they named Johan Jost House, b.1803, sponsored by Johan Jost C. House, identifying him as probably Jacobus’ brother.

2.       Jacobus and Eva’s daughter Maria Catherine, b. Nov 20,1805, was sponsored by Henry (Heinrich) Forth and Maria House, making her probably Jacobus’ sister. Another piece of evidence for Maria is cited below (being named in a will as daughter of Joseph C. House.)

No record of Joseph C. House’s death or that of his wife has been found.  One could conjecture that the sale in 1799 of property he owned in the Lansing Patent may have represented Joseph House’s half of the land, and he may have died or moved to another property; possibly Lot 26 in the Livingston Patent, as described in the section below about his son Johan. He and Elizabeth may have moved in with one of his children. Battles were being fought – records were destroyed.  One can only guess.

House and Shaut family connections

        In July of 1799, a Montgomery County recorded deed named Joseph C. House (above), wife Elisabeth, plus Theodorus Shaut and wife Maria as co-owners of Lot 12 of the Lansing Patent. This previously unknown connection with the Shauts led to research into that family, which disclosed the marriage of Peter C. House (Joseph C.’s brother) and Anna Shaut, the daughter of Theodorus.  In addition, Peter and Anna House’s son Abraham married Betsy Shaut.  And finally, Theodorus Shaut’s will of 1801 names Mary, daughter of Joseph C. House, as a recipient of one sheep.  Hoping to find another connection, a search of the detailed record of the descendants of Theodorus Shaut revealed no Elizabeth who married Joseph C. House, leaving her maiden name still a mystery.

In 1788, “Teoris Shad”, (a poor spelling of Theo. Shaut) paid taxes on property close to known parcels with names Coapman, Snyder and Countryman in the Waggoner Patent, located between Lansing and Livingston Patents (see map). Joseph House is not listed as a taxpayer. But sometime later he became a partner with T. Shaut, owning Lot 12 in the Lansing Patent.

In the July 1799 transaction cited above, the House and Shaut couples, both of Minden Twp, sold 63 acres, part of lot 12 in Lansing Patent, to Henry Murphy for $310.  Lots in the Lansing Patent were originally 210 acres.  In Nov. of 1799, both couples sell for $775.50 part of lot 12, composed of 109 acres located in the west half of the lot, to Samuel Houht of Bocks Co. PA (still leaving some 38 acres).  Nought (Houht) and Murphy are “side by side” in the 1800 Census, but the only Joseph House listed is not close by. It seems neither Joseph or Theodorus remained on the property. Theodorus Shaut died in 1806.

FOURTH GENERATION

Johan Joseph C. House, son of the Corporal, was so-named because the title Johan identified him as the younger Joseph C. House.  Estimating his birth in the 1770s, he married Elisabeth ___, probably after 1790, because this Joseph House and Elisabeth are not identified in the 1790 Census. Baptismal records from the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, (known as the Geisenburg Church) in Minden Township, Montgomery, New York identify Johan Joseph C. House and wife Elisabeth as parents of three known children. They were: Abraham b. March 24, 1795, bap. Mar 29, 1795; Margaretha  b. Dec. 28, 1796, bap. Feb. 26, 1797; and Elisabeth b. Nov. 4, 1799, bap. Dec. 22, 1799. This family may have remained on his father’s farm in the Lansing Patent.  But if the elder Joseph House moved to another property in 1799, it may have been Lot 26 in the Livingston Patent, where he died a few years later and bequeathed the property to Johan Joseph House. We have no record showing how (Johan) Joseph House acquired part of Lot 26 in Livingston Patent, but he did, according to land records.  Now known as Joseph House, he died before 1823 and his son Abraham became the owner.

FIFTH GENERATION

Abraham Isaac House, son of Joseph C. House and Elisabeth above, was born March 24, 1795.  He married Rachel Putman, b. 1798. Rachel Putman and Abraham House are recorded in the St. Paul’s Lutheran (Geisenberg) Church as sponsors for the baptism of Johan Putman, son of John and Maria (Segar) Putman, on Aug 2, 1818, indicating they married sometime after Aug. 1818 and during 1819. Had they been married, they would have been listed as Abraham House and Frau Rachel.  A search conducted in the Fall of 2003 of various resources, including Putman family experts, has disclosed more information about Putman ancestry. What we know comes from obituaries and biographies written about their children, and more recent ancestral and baptismal information from the website of Bill Putman, historian. When complete, a separate document containing Putman ancestry will be issued.

The younger Joseph C. House and his son Abraham House are listed in the 1820 census in close proximity to each other in Danube (taken from Minden) in what is now Herkimer County.  Newly married Abraham and Rachel and their first child likely made their own home near or on the same property as his father Joseph. It is surely Lot 26 in the Livingston Patent.

The following summary of an Indenture recorded in Herkimer Co. NY land records tell a brief story of lands purchased by Abraham I. House after 1820.

On May 24, 1823 Abraham I. House of Danube Township paid $1000 to pay off a mortgage owed by “Joseph House (now deceased)” for part of Lot 26 in the Livingston Patent, which was formed in 1762, and covered parts of what would later become Montgomery and eventually Herkimer Counties. 

Patents were large sections divided into lots of approximately 100 acres – sometimes 200 – offered for sale or settlement to early settlers. Before 1791 the Livingston Patent covered a large area later designated as Minden Township just south of the Mohawk River. But this part of Minden Township became Danube Township in 1817, so the 100-acre parcel in Lot 26 was identified in this Indenture as being in Danube Township. 

Although Herkimer County was carved from Montgomery County in 1791, the court record described Lot 26 as being in Montgomery County (possibly a transcriber’s mistake, unable to be explained according to the Clerk at Herkimer County Records Office).  The lot’s eastern edge actually bordered Montgomery County, and the western edge stopped at Otsquago Creek, in close proximity to a village named then as Southville.  This creek flowed in a northeasterly direction into the Mohawk River.  A long and narrow lot, it was situated approximately 3 to 4 miles from the Otsego County border, in the southeast corner of Herkimer County.  Also, it was not far from Lot 12 in the Lansing Patent, which had belonged to Abraham’s grandfather. (See maps). The deceased Joseph House cited in the above land transaction is no doubt Abraham’s father, Joseph C. House, who would have been 60-some years old if he had died just before May in 1823.  Apparently Abraham inherited the land and was then required to pay off or assume a mortgage.

 Abraham supported himself and family as a carpenter and farmer, according to the biography of one of his sons.

COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP CHANGES

In April of 1828 the Township of Stark, named after Gen. John Stark of Revolutionary fame, was formed out of the southern part of the Township of Danube. Lot 26 fell within this new Township in the southeast corner of Herkimer County, so thereafter in further records Abraham was identified as being from Stark. To add to the confusion of record keepers, Lot 26, which began in Danube Township, Montgomery County, ended up being in Stark Township, Herkimer County.

FROM SOUTH HILL TO SOUTHVILLE TO STARKVILLE.

The obituary of one of Abraham’s sons cited South Hill in Herkimer Co. as his birthplace.  But a search for this town, before knowing about the location of the family property, failed to find a town of that name in Herkimer Co.  Of historic interest is the following statement, taken from a speech given by an historian to the Herkimer Co. Historical Society in 1905, which sheds light on the problem:

 “In the spring of 1788, Johannes Smith built himself a home in the valley of the Otsquago River. He is said to have been the first settler in this part of the Township.  In a few years a thriving village had sprung up in the wilderness and it was called Southville.  When the Township of Stark was formed in 1828, the village name was changed to Starkville.”

 Discovering this bit of history supplies the explanation for the statement in Alexander House’s obituary citing “South Hill” as his birthplace.  This was simply a mistake; there is/was no town named South Hill, but the informants, going by their parents’ pronunciations, were close, or else the recorder misunderstood; it was still Southville in 1824.  Further, on Abraham’s son Jeremiah’s Civil War pension application he wrote Southville as his birthplace.

MORE LAND DEALINGS

Additional records of Indentures involving this land tell a story of descending prosperity for the family and their eventual move to new land.

On May 28, 1829 Abraham House and wife Rachel of Stark Township sold or mortgaged to Joseph J. House of Stark this 100 acres for $1200. (This individual could have been a cousin).  Joseph J. House appears in the 1830 census in Stark on page 234, heading a household similar to Abraham’s, whose family appears in Stark on page 227 in the Herkimer Census.  It was noted in the Indenture that Abraham and Rachel continued to live on this property.  Ken Johnson explains sales back and forth of farmland as frequent and commonplace during that time. Significantly, the Joseph House found in earlier census records that were thought to be our Joseph C. House is notably absent from the 1830 census, verifying the likelihood that he was the Joseph House who died before 1823.

An act of nature, which may have had a devastating affect on the House family, occurred in the month of August 1834, when a cyclone passed over the township from east to west, devastating a strip of country two miles in width. Hundreds of acres of forest were laid low, and buildings, fences, and crops were destroyed. 

On Sept. 28, 1837 Abraham and Rachel of Stark, Herkimer County, again sold or mortgaged Lot 26 for $1500 to Joseph J. House of Cherry Valley Township, Otsego Co., probably to pay for mortgages amounting to approximately $840, as cited in the Indenture.  (This J. J. House presumed to be the same man, as he could easily have moved to Cherry Valley Township, only about twelve miles away).  Further evidence, Joseph J. House’s family is listed in the 1840 Census in Cherry Valley Township, Otsego County and is no longer in Stark. He is probably the son of Conrad and Angelica House.

On Oct. 15, 1840, persons to whom he owed money auctioned off Abraham House’s “goods and property” to satisfy a suit.  Perhaps by now he had lost the property and had become a renter.

Finally on March 18, 1843, his name appeared as one of the defendants in a court action involving a Robert Hall’s will.  (Hall was probably the latest mortgage holder). No doubt, Abraham House could not raise the cash and Van Horne as highest bidder ended up holding his part of Lot 26.  According to Ken Johnson, foreclosing on mortgages was common in land dealings of this period.

THE MOVE TO WISCONSIN

It becomes apparent that, after losing his land, goods and property, Abraham and family needed to look elsewhere for a livelihood and perhaps take advantage of government land grants in the west. Census records indicate that the House family lived in Bradford Township in Rock County Wisconsin in 1850.  Biographical records indicate Josiah came to Wisconsin in 1844.  It would seem likely the entire family would make this trip together, but it’s also possible Josiah went ahead to secure a place for the family. Biographical information indicates the family lived in Wisconsin for several years prior to settling land in Iowa in 1851. The fact that only the sons and daughters of Rachel and Abraham were named in the Wisconsin 1850 census is explained by the likelihood that the parents were in Iowa looking for land for the family.  He signed the papers in November of 1850 for large parcels in Fayette County Iowa.

SIXTH GENERATION

CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM AND RACHEL

Including emphasis on Josiah House and his descendants.

1. HOUSE, DIANA b. June 25, 1820 in NY, wed Egbert D. Doolittle Oct. 13, 1847 in Rock Co., WI, had seven children: Julia 1849, James 1852, Ida 1858, and Adah 1860 (Selba 1848, Wealthy 1853 and Albert 1856 died in childhood).  Diana and Egbert moved to West Union IA in 1852.  Diana died Dec. 23, 1860, eleven months after birthing Adah.  Egbert remarried in 1861, d. Aug. 16, 1863 in St. Louis MO while serving in 38^th Iowa Infantry, Company F.  Second wife Delia raised his remaining four children.

2. FEMALE b. 1821, d. between 1825-1830  (female under 5 yrs. was listed in 1825 census

but not in the 1830 census.)

3. HOUSE, JOSIAH, our ancestor, b. 17 Apr. 1822 in Herkimer Co, NY, lived Rock Co. WI 1846 to 1851. Moved to West Union IA with family.  Wed Eliza Crandall* in 1855, farmed Sec 35 near West Union in Dover Twp until 1883, moved to Aurora Co., SD, farmed in Firesteel and Pleasant Lake Twps. When widowed, lived remaining years with daughter Mary in Plankinton, d. Jun 24, 1911. Buried in Mizpah Cemetery, Plankinton SD.

*Ancestry of Josiah’s wife ELIZA CRANDALL:

Joseph Crandall, oldest known Crandall ancestor, and Esther Hall wed circa 1770’s, had Henry Francis Crandall, b. 1777 in Westerly, Wash.Co. Rhode Island.  Henry wed Lucy Dennison.  He and Lucy had Daniel Stanton Crandall, b. Aug. 31, 1801 in Brookfield, Madison Co., NY.  Henry died Apr. 19 1859 in West Edmonton NY.  Circa 1826 Daniel wed Polly Webb  (b. May 30 1801 in Villanova NY), had Eliza Matilda Crandall and 8 siblings, b. in NY between 1827 and 1842: namely Polly, Florinda, Daniel, Esther, Betsey, George, David, Eliza (b. 1840) and Louisa. 

JOSIAH AND ELIZA’S CHILDREN WERE ALL BORN IN WEST UNION TWP, IA

Alice Cecilia b. 1857, wed. in 1877 John Burnham 1852-1945. had 3 boys, one girl, Lloyd, Vera

                (Hurry), Melville and Rupert). Lived in Plankinton, Aurora Co. SD (second

                woman settler).  John had a carburetor business with Charlie Learn, and operated a

                grocery store in town.  She was a widow the last 15 yrs. of life, lived in Baxter IA with son,

                d. July 1959, at the age of 102.

Mary Adelia “Mayne” b. 22 Jan 1860, wed circa 1880 Charles Learn (1858-1940).

No children. Farmed in Pleasant Lake Twp south of Plankinton SD, d. 1957. After she and Charlie retired in town and her mother died, they provided a home for her father Josiah, brothers Charles and Frank, and sister Donna.

Sylvia Ellen “Till” b. 22 Sep 1862. Wed 3 Dec. 1879 Joseph B. Havenstrite (1855-1918).

His father owned a farm close to the House farms. Joe and Sylvia had a farm next to his parents until 1883 (year Josiah left for SD) when they moved near Fayette City until 1918, after which she lived with one of her children.  Had Clifford (died early), Donna (Baldwin), Velma (Howell) and Cecil, all lived in Cedar Falls and Waterloo IA.

Edwin E. b. Sep 11 1864, wed Nettie c.1893, adopted Nettie’s sister’s dtr. Ruth (Wells), farmed near

Randalia, and operated a livery in Sumner IA.  Divorced Nettie after 1896. Edwin d. 1946 in Sumner – the only son of Josiah to remain in Iowa.

 Erma Rosella b. June 3 1871.  Wed Sep. 23 1887 William Beach Dodson (1864-1938), lived in Mitchell

                SD until she died, Sep. 30 1934. Had Thelma (Herman) and Thuel.

Bert Frank(lin) b. Sep 28, 1874. Single, d. 1959 in Plankinton SD. Lived with Mary after parents died.

Donna Viola b. 1879. d. 1957. Single. Retarded. Lived. with sister Mary after parents died.

Charles Percy b. June 10 1883. Wed 1st wife 1904 Mary Watson (1884-1967). Wed 2^nd wife 1929

 Mamie Jurgensen (1892-1976). Lived. Plankinton, Reliance and Chamberlain. With

1st. wife had Ruth  (Ingalls), Onalee (Larson), Sylvia Mae (Wolcott), Raymond, Kenneth, Donald, and Letha  (Moore).  With 2nd wife had Alden and Darrel.

4. HOUSE, JEREMIAH ISAAC b. Apr. 23, 1823, lived with family in Herkimer Co NY,

Rock Co. WI and Fayette Co. IA. Wed Aug 24 1851 in Rock Co. to Nancy Cobb  (1833-1919), farmed in Sec. 2, West Union Twp, Fayette Co. IA 1851 – 1916. Had eight children between 1852 and 1872: Leonard, Emma (Webb), Clarissa (Barringer), George W., Walter W., Jerry (d. age 17), Jessie (Gabner), and Nettie (d. age 5).   Served 3 yrs. in 38^th Iowa Infantry; oldest man in West Union when he died Mar 29, 1916. According to his biography he sold his farm in 1884 and purchased a dairy farm in Sect. 36.  He and family members are buried in West Union Cemetery, West Union, IA

5. HOUSE, ALEXANDER b. Aug. 12, 1824 in Herkimer Co NY.  Lived in WI and IA.

In 1852 wed Sarah Sturgis, had Orin T., Abe C., Frank E., and William.  Sarah died in 1859. He then wed Augusta Dorcas Pendleton (1836-1910). Augusta had previously wed John Lovell in Clermont, 1853, and had Oscar K. Lovell b. 1857, MN.  The 1860 Census for Dover Twp. lists Alexander and Augusta with her son Oscar, plus Sarah’s four boys.  Alexander and Augusta had Rose, Alexzine (Alexess), Amos, Anna, James and Elmer, born between 1860 and 1876.  The 1900 Census places Alexander and Augusta and son Elmer, 24, on a farm with James, 29, both single.  Alexander also served 3 yrs. in the 38^th Iowa Infantry.  He died May 15, 1910, buried in Grandview Cemetery in Fayette IA with family members. 

6. HOUSE, male b. c.1827, d. after 1830. (Because a male under 5 listed in ‘30 census but no male between 10 and 15 listed in ‘40 census.)         

7. HOUSE, ELIZA b. 19 Feb 1828, wed George Michael, said to be of Red Oak, Neb., on July 3,

1849 in Elk Twp., Walworth Co., WI. Children: William b. IL 1849, Abram b. WI 1851, Izora b. IA 1853, Charles b. IA 1855, Clarence b. IA 1858, Emma b. IA 1860, (these four born in Fayette Co.), Eliza and George, twins b. Marshall Co., IA 1863, Lena b. Marshall Co. 1866.  George died Nov. 4, 1899 and Eliza died May 19, 1903, both in Jewell Co., Kansas. 

8. HOUSE, SARAH b. c. 1829/30.  Wed Daniel Earle, dealer in cattle and horses in Lorena,

McClellan Co., TX.  1870 Census lists Daniel, 63, farmer and Stock Raiser, Sarah 40, Randy 15, David 13, Ina 11 (at school), Emilie 6 and Alpha 2, plus James Doolittle 17, laborer (Sarah’s nephew).

9. HOUSE, ABRAHAM JACKSON b. Sept. 1, 1831 in Herkimer Co. NY.  Lived. NY, WI, and West Union Twp., Sect. 2.  In 1859 wed Esther Schaffer (1840-1921), had nine children: Hannibal Houston. Mabel  (Sturch), Benny B. (Perkins), Grant, Louis C. (aka Colfax?), Laura (Roberts), Orville, Guy L., and Minnie (Archer).  Died Oct. 14, 1914.

10. HOUSE, LOVINA b. Mar.10, 1833 in Herkimer Co., NY.  Accompanied family to WI and IA.

Wed in 1857 in West Union: Jacob Bender George of Bremer Co. Iowa, b. 1831in PA.

 Children: Clark b. 12 Feb. 1859 in Fayette Co. By 1861were in Marshall Co., IA (as was her sister Eliza) and had Vivia Leona b.2nd Dec.1861, Bezaliel Thair b. 29 Apr 1865, and Valetta b. 19 Nov. 1868, d. 22 June 1869.  Lovina died less than 3 months later.  Jacob George m. Annie Fleming 1870, had a child they named Lovina. . Annie also died early.

11. HOUSE, female b. c. 1836 (the female under 5 in 1840 census) d. before 1850.

            ABRAHAM SETTLED 320 ACRES IN FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA

Land Warrants identify the land in West Union and Dover Townships that the House family settled.  In November of 1850, Abraham (the father) was in Iowa at the Fayette County Land Office in Dubuque to register two 160-acre parcels of land (each made up of four 40-acre quarters), under Warrant numbers 71693 and 70737.  One parcel filled most of Section 35 in Dover Township, lying about 4 miles northeast of the village of West Union. The other parcel was in the northeast quarter of Section 2, West Union Township, just south of the land described above and about 3 miles from West Union village.   Recent photographs of this land emphasize its beauty.  It is still being farmed; corn and beans are the biggest crops.

The Archivist at Fayette County’s Genealogy Center describes that area in 1850 as undeveloped and sparsely populated.  Roads were needed.  There were no cemeteries, few churches, no courts or Judge system. By 1851, local citizens formed a Board of Commissioners and elected a sheriff. In April, West Union was voted the County Seat, and by July the people also organized a society for protection against horse thieves and petty larceny.  Minutes from this meeting identify Abram (sic) I. House as a member.

SOME EVIDENCE OF RACHEL HOUSE IN IOWA

Recent examination of biographical collections of Fayette County discloses a story, among a collection of human-interest incidents, about Abraham Jackson House, titled “Lost Child”, written c. 1851.  Apparently Abraham, then 19, walked into the woods and didn’t return that night.  Neighbors and citizens of West Union formed a search party the next day, and eventually found him walking down the road – much to the relief of everyone.  The story reads  “Abraham House, living with his parents on Section 2, strayed into the woods” etc. etc.  This is the first evidence of any kind that Rachel was alive and living on the Iowa farm.

Abraham and his sons first built log cabins for themselves.  The rigors of prairie life may have been too much for him; he died there one year later in 1852 at the age of 57 years.  No cemeteries existed, and there were no death records kept until several years later, so the assumption is he was buried on the farm. Census records of 1860 helped track the whereabouts of the children, but there was no evidence of the widow Rachel living with any of them. 

AFTER ABRAHAM DIED

Over the course of almost 20 years, much of this land was sold or transferred to other individuals or to family members. When Abraham died in 1852, we do know that Josiah, the oldest, became administrator of his father’s estate.  Perhaps all of the House land reverted to him, to be parceled out to the other heirs. Early directories and biographical records held in Fayette County Historical Society office in West Union supplied the following information:

Josiah House held 120 acres in Section 35 of Dover Township.  He stayed in West Union Twp. about 20 years, and then moved to Clermont for another 10 years.  Finally, he spent just a few years in Fayette (Village or County?), and then left for South Dakota in 1883.  One wonders what motivated Josiah to go to SD, unless it was to be near his sisters, the Burnhams and Learns.

Abraham J. House listed as a farmer, according to a Directory of Fayette County, and later farmed in Section 2 of West Union Township. 

Jeremiah and Alexander House both farmed in Section 2 of West Union Township; Jeremiah later moved to Section 36 in Dover Township and purchased a dairy farm there.

Diana and husband Egbert Doolittle “settled on a farm 3 miles northeast of West Union in 1852”, according to biographical data.  This location was in Section 35, Dover Twp.

Eliza and husband George Michael lived in Fayette Co. c.1853-1860, moved to Marshall Co. in ‘60s, and finally settled in Jewell Co., Kansas.

Sarah and husband Daniel Earle moved to McClellan County, Texas and raised cattle.

Lovina and husband Jacob Bender George lived in West Union c.1857-1860/61, then in Marshall County. 

In summary, all the House family, (with exception of Sarah) farmed in Sections 2 and 35 in Dover and West Union Townships for several years, until Josiah’s family and Eliza’s family moved out of state

This thirteen-page document focuses on Haus/House beginnings from Germany and New York to Iowa and South Dakota. Emphasis is on discoveries of land ownership by the House ancestors and their children, and includes details in the lives of the children and their descendants.  While this third update is thought to be the final one, should new information be discovered, an addendum page will be distributed to all House family members and descendants.  Putman Ancestry may be forthcoming.

Sylvia Novak – 2003

 763 S. Calle del Regalo   Green Valley AZ 85614   sylkensk@comcast.net

Errata: Correct Franklin Albert House, son of Josiah House, to read: 

Bert Frank(lin) b. Sep 28, 1874 (per a birth certificate issued by SDHD in 1954.)