Wednesday, May 5, 2010

John Mathais Noah 1760 - 1849

John Mathew Noah
Added March 11, 2001
Surnames in CAPITALS indicate my lineage.

This genealogy report was generated using Family Treemaker, and then edited for better display. Several books (noted below) form the basis for this report, as well communication with other Noah cousins. Extensive work on this family has been done by Brenda Walz and the late Eldred A. Johnson. Brenda is the editor and publisher of the "Noah Times", a quarterly newsletter dedicated to families who share the surname Noah. She also published "Noah's Ark: A Genealogy of William H. H. Noah (including his civil war diary)." Eldred published "Life History of Charles Hulet and His Wives Anna Taylor, Margaret Noah, and Mary Lawson Kirkman". More information about sources is available upon request.

Descendants of John Mathew NOAH
Generation No. 1

1. John Mathew1 NOAH was born Sep 29, 1761 in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, and died Apr 01, 1849 in Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio. He married Elizabeth SCHMIDT Mar 29, 1791 in St. Michaelis und Zions Gemeinde, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, daughter of George SCHMIDT and Barbary ?. She was born Dec 25, 1768 in Chester Co, Pennsylvania, and died Oct 22, 1849 in Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio.

Notes for John Mathew NOAH:
"Noah’s Ark": John is earliest known ancestor of the Noah line. He came from Germany to Pennsylvania about 1782. He moved to Garretsville, OH about 1803. John and Elizabeth had eight children.

Noah Times (I:1): John moved to Pennsylvania in 1791. John bought a second parcel of land in Nelson, Portage Co, OH.

Noah Times (II:1): John was educated in Germany and trained to be a tailor there. He immigrated to England (possible Wales). There he bound himself to 8 years of service at a nominal sum to come to America. No immigration record can be found. If he married Elizabeth at the end of his servitude, he must have come to America about 1780-1783. His marriage is assumed to have been in Philadephia, PA. A few sources say he came to America about the time of the Revolutionary War. He did not sign his Oath of Allegiance until August 21, 1802. John and Elizabeth bought 130 acres within 3 to 4 years of their marriage, in Kennet Township, Chester Co, PA.

Noah Times (II:2): On John's Oath, his name is spelled John "Noahe". This is also how it is listed in the Historical Society of Chester Co, PA, files.

Noah Times (III:2): John and Elizabeth moved from Pennsylvania after 1802 to Delaware, and then to Nelson Township, Portage Co, OH, in Oct 1804. They signed their property deed Feb 1805. They may have "squatted" on their land as was a common practice at that time.

Noah Times (IV:3): In 1804, there was a fairly good road from Philadelphia to Lancaster (the western limit of "society"). From Lancaster to Harrisburg, the way was a mere passage through the forests along the Susquehanna River. People travelled by farm wagons. (There were coaches, but they were small and expensive and used by traveling salesmen, etc.) Harrisburg was a layover for many people. Beyond Harrisburg was the mountains with the Conemaugh River making a sort of pass through them. Another way was to go up the Jauinato River to Rays Town, then down the Kiskiminitas Valley to the Alleghency River. All this just to reach Pittsburgh. It took many weeks. From Pittsburgh, travel was by boat down the Ohio River. To reach Portage Co, travelers then went overland following streams to Youngstown and on to Portage. In 1816, John was listed on Hiram Township tax rolls (Nelson was then part of Hiram Township)

Noah Times (V:3) and (V:4): From the History of Portage County, there is information that John Mathew Noah was a founder of the Bethesda First Baptist Church. However, it is further found that he may have also been a trouble maker as he used profane language and hunted on the Lords day. There was also some difficulty between him and a Mrs. Garrett. About ten years later, John and Elizabeth were part of group of church dissenters and were evetually excluded from the church.

"Life History of Charles Hulet", Appendix B: This appendix is a list of Johan and Elisabeth's children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. All information is included here in this database.

"Life History of Charles Hulet": Records and traditions say Johan was born 29 Sept 1761, Germany. He was "88 years and 6 months" when he died, so some have concluded he was born Oct 1760. Some records list his birth at Frankfort, Germany. Other biographies list it at Dresden, Saxony, Germany. In 1951, a professional genealogist could not find records in Saxony for John Mathias Noah. Others have found the same thing. Accounts indicate he was reared in Dresden and learned the tailor trade there. A card file of the Historical Society of Chester Co, PA, says he came to America Jan 29, 1795 (a date frequently used in naturalization cases...not his actual immigration date). It is believed he first went to Wales before coming to America (a practice used when immigration to America was denied). In Wales, he probably bonded himself to serve 7 or 8 years to pay for his way to America. At the ended of the indenture, the indentured could recieve 50 acres at a nominal rent. On 29 Mar 1791, 'Johann Mathias Noack' m. 'Elisabeth Schmidt' at St. Michaelis und Zions Gemeinde, Philadelphia, PA. Some think Elizabeth may have been the daughter of the family John was indentured to. After his marriage, he settled in Philadelphia, but he was an itinerant tailor, travelling from place to place. Shortly after the christening of his second child, John left Philadelphia. 1800 census-Kennett, Chester Co, PA, with wife and 3(?4) children, and a female over 45. He renounced Great Britain and took his oath on August 21, 1802, (i.e., he was naturalized). Tax records, beginning in 1795 and ending in 1804, showed they lived in Kennett Twp, Chester Co, PA. It appears they went to the area of Brandywine Baptist Church, Delaware Co, PA, as there is a church record there. This is so close to Delaware, that some family members said they were born in Chester Co, Delaware. Three children were born in Kennett Twp. In September 1804, the family received letters of dismission from the Brandywine Church to the Warran Baptist Church, Warran Twp, OH. The area was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The Noahs settled in Hiram Twp, Trumbull CO (later divided up and known as Nelson Twp, Portage Co). According to one account they were the 8th family in Nelson Twp. In 1805, John bought 200 acres of land. In Jul 1808, the first church, called "Bethesda", was organized at the house of Johann Noah. In Ohio, John pursued agricultural interests. Three children were born in Nelson Twp. In 1813, John was in trouble with the church and was suspended from communion. In 1814, he acknowledged his misconducted and was restored to the church. By 1817, he had bought 80 acres more. John was involved in the securing and improving the highways in Portage Co. 1820 census-John, Elizabeth, and 6 children in Nelson Twp, Portage Co, OH. In 1824, there was dissention in the church over doctrine, and John and others were voted out of the church. He became Presbyterian. In 1826, tax records show John owned 261 acres of land. 1830 census-John and Elizabeth, a male over 30, and 1 daughter in Nelson Twp.

Noah Times (XIII:1): "One source says that John Mathew was an orphan in England when he was eight years old." Is Peter Conrad Noah related to John (their lives and families have many parallels)?

Noah: John helped found Garretsville, OH, in 1803/1804. The church that John helped found has later blown up by "Whiskey Apologists". This source has visited the mill that Col. Garret and John Noah built at Garretsville. It contains shops and an ice cream parlor, but also still grinds grain.

GenealogyLibrary.com:
1804 Ohio tax list index: John, (no county listed), pg 19, 5 children.
1806 Ohio tax list index: John, Trumbull Co, 6th Collection Territory, pg 84.
1807 Ohio tax list index: John, Trumbull Co, pg. 41. [later became Portage Co]
1809 Ohio tax list index: John, Portage Co, pg 11.
1810 Ohio tax list index: John, Portage Co, Nelson, pg 19.
1820 Ohio census index: John, Portage Co, Nelson, pg 44. Son Reuben is also listed as a head of household in Portage Co, Nelson. (my NOTE: the other sons must have still been at home.)
1830 Ohio census index: John, Portage Co, Nelson, pg 227. Sons George F., John S., and Reuben are also listed as heads of households. (my NOTE: where is son Joshua? He resided in Portage Co. Was he in the household of his father in 1830?)

Larkin: From "The Noah Family Autobiography" by Minerva Noah Cole: "My grand-father, John Andrew Noah was born Sep 29, 1761 in Saxony, Germany." In 1782, he came to the "New World" and "suffered very much with sea-sickness all the way. He contracted to give $50.00 for his passage over, as soon as he could earn it. He stopped in CHester County Pa. found a place to work for 7 years, for the sum of $50.00. He worked the required time, received his wages and paid for passage." After John married, he and Elizabeth lived in Chester Co until 1804. 5 children were born there. In 1804, the family moved to Nelson, Portage Co, OH, then a "wild heavily timbered county 100 miles west of Pittsburg, Pa". 3 children were born there. The autobiography tells more about the 17 members who were excommunicated from the Baptist church in 1824. There was disagreement over reformed views and on some points of doctrine. "In 1835, the Reformers, Deciples Christians, as they called then, (more properly the Church of Christ), organized a church at Garrettsville ... an my grandparents [John and Elizabeth] went in as charter members..." The next time Minerva tells of her grandfather, it is about his final years. John's mind had failed for several years, and the last 2 years he did not come to the table to eat. Elizabeth fed him in their room, and as if he was a child. "...; he was nearly as helpless and a great deal more troblesome." Elizabeth had to coax him while she dressed him as he often would kick off his pants.

More About John Mathew NOAH:
Name 2: Johan Mathias NOAH
Name 3: Johann Mathias NOACK
Name 4: John Mathias NOAH
Name 5: John NOAHE
Date born 2: Oct 20, 1760, Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Burial: Park Cemetary, Garretsville, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Census 1: 1800, Kennett, Chester Co, Pennsylvania
Census 2: 1820, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Census 3: 1830, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Immigrated: Abt. 1782, from GER to PA
Nat/Citizenship: Aug 21, 1802, West Chester, Chester Co, Pennsylvania
Property 1: 1805, Trumbull Co, Ohio
Property 2: 1817, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Tax List 1: 1816, Hiram Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Tax List 2: 1795, West Chester, Chester Co, Pennsylvania
Tax List 3: 1804, West Chester, Chester Co, Pennsylvania
Tax List 4: 1806, 6th Collection Territory, Trumbull Co, Ohio
Tax List 5: 1807, Trumball Co, Ohio
Tax List 6: 1809, Portage Co, Ohio
Tax List 7: 1810, Portage Co, Ohio
Tax List 8: 1826, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio

Notes for Elizabeth SCHMIDT:
"Noah’s Ark": A Quaker woman who was never known to utter a cross word.

Noah Times (I:1): Her birth information is from the William H. H. Noah family bible.

Noah Times (II:1): Elizabeth was a Quaker. No Oath of Allegiance can be found. She may have been born in Germany or in Pennsylvania. Her father may have been George Schmidt or Smith. Her mother then would have been Barbary. Jacob Smith then was a brother. There may have also been another sister (who had no children).

"Life History of Charles Hulet": There is disagreement on the place. Some believe she came from Germany, others believe she was born in PA. She may have come from Germany with her future husband. Another account says she was reared in a Quaker family in Philadelphia; however, she doesn't appear in any Quaker records.

Larkin: From "The Noah Family Autobiography" by Minerva Noah Cole: "The next we hear of him [John], on March 29, 1791, he led Miss Elizabeth Smith to the "Hymenial Alter", a nobel, fine cultured lady born December 25, 1768 and reared in Chester County Pa." Minerva tells about her parents going back to visit Ohio and staying 2 1/2 months longer than expected as Elizabeth had a stroke of palsy and only lived 2 weeks more. Elizabeth thought it was provendence that her son was there and she was ready and willing to die. She knew it was her last illness and she asked to be buried in the underwear that she had made before her marriage, in which she had been "buried" in baptism in and married in. She also wished to be buried in her wedding shoes (they were called Prunell shoes). She was glad she had been "spared to care and wait upon" her husband until his death. She never let anyone else care for him, if she was able to do it herself.

More About Elizabeth SCHMIDT:
Name 2: Elizabeth SMYTH
Name 3: Elizabeth SMITH
Date born 2: Dec 25, 1765, Chester Co, Pennsylvania
Date born 3: Feb 07, 1768, Germany or Pennsylvania
Died 2: Oct 21, 1849, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Burial: Park Cemetary, Garretsville, Nelson Twp, Portage Co, Ohio
Cause of Death: stroke of palsy

Marriage Notes for John NOAH and Elizabeth SCHMIDT:
Noah Times (III:1): The Salt Lake City Mormon Library shows John Mathias Noack m. Elizabeth Schmidt on November 29, 1791 at the St. Michael and Zion Reformed Church of Philadelphia, PA. This marriage date difers slightly from the William H. H. Noah family bible.

Noah Times (V:4): Marriage records of the St. Michaelis und Zions Gemeinde in Philadelphia shows marraige for Johann Mathias Noack and Elisabeth Schmidt on Marz 29 1791. (Marz=March; Gemeinde=Parish in German) making the date in the William H. H. Noah family bible correct.

More About John NOAH and Elizabeth SCHMIDT:
Marriage 2: Nov 29, 1791, St. Michael and Zion Reformed Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Children of John NOAH and Elizabeth SCHMIDT are:
+ 2 i. Reuben Haynes2 Noah, born Jan 09, 1792 in Philadelphia, Chester Co, Pennsylvania; died Jun 02, 1860 in Gallatin, Daviess Co, Missouri.
+ 3 ii. Margaret Haynes Noah, born Apr 19, 1794 in Chester Co, Pennsylvania; died May 15, 1851 in Springville, Utah Co, Utah.
+ 4 iii. George Fox NOAH, born Jan 03, 1796 in Kennet Twp, Chester Co, Pennsylvania; died Nov 17, 1876 in Daviess Co, Missouri.
+ 5 iv. John Storey Noah, born Oct 20, 1799 in Kennett Twp, Chester Co, Pennsylvania; died 1855 in Mentor, Lake Co, Ohio.
+ 6 v. Elizabeth Wistar Noah, born Mar 21, 1802 in Kennet Twp, Chester Co, Pennsylvania; died Aug 22, 1834 in Ohio.
+ 7 vi. Hannah Mary Noah, born Mar 04, 1805 in Nelson, Portage Co, Ohio; died Jun 03, 1893 in Shellbyville, Shelby Co, Illinois.
+ 8 vii. Joshua Vaughn Noah, born Jun 19, 1808 in Nelson, Portage Co, Ohio; died Feb 17, 1901 in Sidney, Montcalm Co, Michigan.
+ 9 viii. Huldah Atwater Noah, born Jul 27, 1811 in Nelson, Portage Co, Ohio; died Jun 06, 1907 in Hamilton, Missouri.


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