John Heaton (1791 - 1868)

Born 6 Jun 1791 in Swanzey, Cheshire, New Hampshire, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 21 Jun 1868 at age 77 in Canton, St. Lawrence, New York, United States

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Biography

John Heaton, son of James Heaton and Susanna Grimes was born on 6 Jun 1791 in Swanzey, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire.^[1]

The Find A Grave memorial page for Susannna Grimes Heaton^[2] states, without giving a source, that “[s]he and [her husband] James Heaton raised their family in Swanzey [Cheshire Co., New Hampshire] and Weybridge, Addison County, Vermont. (The photo of her grave marker is illegible to this profile manager.)

"John Heaton, a young man from Addison, Vt.,"^[3] thought by this profile manager and others to be the John Heaton who was the son of James Heaton and Susanna Grimes, in 1814 contracted to purchase the "home seventy" acres in Canton, St. Lawrence Co., New York by making installment payments. John began to clear the land and built a log cabin. Seven years later, when the last installment was paid, the land in Canton was deeded to him.^[3]

To the village of Canton, "came in those days Isaac Heaton."^[3] Isaac is believed by this profile manager to be a brother of John, and thus another son of James Heaton and Susannah Grimes. See the research notes for the profile for Isaac Heaton.

Arriving in Canton in 1821 was Elhanan Winchester Heaton.^[4] He was a brother of the John Heaton at Canton.^[3] Thus, Elhanan is also thought by this profile manager to be a son of James Heaton and Susannah Grimes. See again the research notes for the profile for Isaac Heaton.

A farm house larger than the initial log cabin would afterwards be built in parts over time by John Heaton. These two homes would be where John's seven known children would be born.^[3]

Over time several additional parcels would be purchased to increase the homestead property by more than 93 total acres.^[3]

John married three times.^[3] (A picture of one of his three wives appears in the "100 Years of An American Farm" article, but the reader is not told which wife it is.)

His seven known children were Wealthy, Alma, Ira Willmarth, John Wright, George Seeley, Andrew jackson, and Corinna Heaton.

John Heaton "was a born gardener." The farm was known for apples, plums, several kinds of berries, grapes, and lots of vegetables.^[3]

In 1834-1835 he was elected Supervisor.^[3]

In 1847 son Ira Willmarth Heaton returned from the Wisconsin Territory to take over the farm. By that time Wealthy and Alma had married the Phelps brothers and had permanently moved to the Wisconsin Territory. John, George, and Corrina were still children living at home. Ira entered into a contract with his father and step-mother Elizabeth whereby, in exchange for the two of them giving Ira absolutely all of their property, Ira took over particular financial obligations, agreed to provide food, drink, clothes and lodging for them for the rest of their lives, and spending money for John, provide his half-siblings John, George, and Corrina food, drink, clothes, and schooling, until they were twenty years old, and provide for a daughter of Elizabeth from a former marriage.^[3]

Ira's parents lived in the small farm house that was built for them.^[3]

John was "best remembered ... dressed in a blue swallow-tailed coat with brass buttons, ... arguing politics with his son or the neighbors, being the only Democrat for quite a distance.^[3]

John died on 21 Jun 1868. Elizabeth continued living in the small farm house until she died about a year and a half longer.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Records Index, 1631 - 1920," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Aug 2022), certified transcript (1906) of birth record, John Heaton, 6 June 1791, Swanzey, New Hampshire, son of Lt. James Heaton and Suzanna Grimes; citing "Birth Certificates, 1631-1920. New Hampshire Department of State. Concord, New Hampshire."
2. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27807561/susanna-heaton: accessed 20 August 2022), memorial page for Susanna Grimes Heaton (16 Dec 1758–3 Dec 1823), Find a Grave Memorial ID 27807561, citing Brick Chapel Cemetery, Canton, St. Lawrence County, New York, USA; Maintained by Scott Robertson (contributor 47342159).
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12} "100 Years of An American Farm: Purchased by John Heaton, A.D. 1821: A reprint of a pamphlet privately printed in 1921 by Lucia E. Heaton and John L. Heaton. Prepared for the Centennial Celebration of the Purchase, Canton, N.Y., June 8, 1821 (Brooklyn Eagle Press, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1921) The St. Lawrence County Historical Association Quarterly L (Winter 2005): 15-23; St. Lawrence County Historical Society (http://www.slcha.org : accessed 9 August 2022).
4. ↑ Christian Ambassador [a Universalist newspaper], New York, New York, 3 March 1866, as transcribed on 12 September 2008 by Karen E. Dau of Rochester, New York (https://nyscu.org/Archives/Universalist%20Memory%20Garden/Universalist%20Memory%20Garden%20HA-HL/Heaton,%20Elhanan%201866.pdf : accessed 13 August 2022)