John Chapman Jeffries1

#5889, (circa 1770 - 1853)
Father*Francis Jeffries2 (c 1745 - )
Mother*Mary Chapman2 (c 1745 - )

Family 1

Mary Higby b. s 1775, d. c 1808
Children 1.John C Jeffries+2 (s 1800 - )
 2.Ann Jeffries+2 (s 1807 - )

Family 2

Deborah Starkweather b. c 1780, d. 1861
Children 1.Laura Ann Jeffries+1 (c 1814 - 1894)
 2.Mary C Jeffries+15 (c 1816 - )
 3.Amanda Jeffries+16 (c 1818 - 1880)
The primary source for the identity of John C Jeffries of Clermont County, Ohio, is the death certificate of his daughter Mary, which gives her birthplace as Auburn, New York. We believe that the census of 1820 places John in Auburn, and that the 1822 deed record shows that he was in Clermont County by 1822. But what of his family? There are literary and civil records to consider.
1. Tremper and Jeffries Families says he was the son of Francis Jeffries and Mary Chapman, and was born in Haddonfield, Camden Co. NJ, in January 1770. Francis and Mary's other child was James. Mary died early, and Francis married again (name not given), and had three more children: Constantine, Elizabeth and Hannah.
John Chapman married Mary Higby and had John C (who marr. Sophia Wood) and Ann (who marr. --- Girvin). Mary died early, and John Chapman married Deborah Starkweather about 1810 (see also Munsell). John Chapman and Deborah had at least five children: Alma (d. age 19), Laura Ann (b. 1814), Mary Chapman (b. 1816), Amanda (b. 1818), and Francis Judson (b. 1822).
John Chapman Jeffries had a half-brother, Constantine, who after 1822 removed to Cincinnati. Constantine married, first, Elizabeth Facemeir, and second, Ruth Mint.
2. History of Cayuga County (Storke, 1879) has "Christopher and Rev. John Jeffries, from Saratoga Springs, settled in 1799, at Throopsville, where the former kept a hotel for many years, and where he died and is buried. John Jeffries was one of the first ministers in the county." Throopsville is just north of Auburn, New York. In this account, John was a minister known as Elder or Reverend John Jefffries. He served as pastor for several churches, married a daughter of Philip King, and died in the area in 1846.
3. Historical Records of a Hundred and Twenty Years mentions Thomas Jeffries, chosen in 1808 as a vestryman for St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Auburn. This book also mentions the Jeffries' chair shop and factory in Auburn.
4. The History of Auburn (Hall, 1869) also places Thomas Jeffries at St. Peter's Church, but in 1805 rather than 1808, and names Jonathan Jeffries, not Thomas, as one of the new vestryman. There is one mention of Jeffries' chair shop, and a roll of the subscribers to the first Auburn school building fund in 1811. These included, at twenty dollar each, John C Jeffries, Thomas Jeffries and Christopher Jefffries. A total of $4,116 was pledged.
5. Tax records for Aurelius can be viewed at Ancestry.com. In 1801 Christopher Jeffries was assessed $2.39 on a farm valued at $405 and personal property of $173. In 1802, apparently the same farm was in the name of Thomas Jeffries and valued at $405. Thomas was assessed $0.79 on this property and personal estate of $135. That same year assessments were made for personal estate only on John C Jeffries ($0.03), Gilbert Jeffries ($0.05) and John Jeffries ($0.04).
In 1803 there is only John C Jeffries in Aurelius, assessed $0.07 on $30 of personal estate. Gilbert can be found in the Town of Cato, with $57 of real property and $18 of personal property. Thomas is listed in the Mentz (then called Jefferson) rolls with real estate (a farm) valued at $276 and personal property of $82. He owed $0.71. Also in Mentz was John Jeffries, with a farm valued at $100, personal property of $10 and a tax bill of $0.22.
6. Census records for Jeffries in Aurelius, New York, and nearby Cayuga County towns have:
(1) Christopher (in Aurelius 1800, age 26–44; in Mentz 1810, also 26–44; in Mentz 1820, age over 45; Mentz again in 1830, age 50–59; Aurelius in 1840, as "C" age 60–69 ). FindAGrave has a cemetery marker with the life span of 1774–1852 and a narrative naming him as the son of Thomas and Lucy Jeffries. The Town of Mentz was established in 1802 (but named Jefferson for its first six year) from part of Aurelius.
(2) John C of Aurelius (1810, age 26–44, and 1820, age over 45).
(3) Thomas (age over 25 in 1810 and 1820) and another Thomas (age 26-44 in 1820), both in Mentz.
(4) Gardner (Cato 1820, Auburn 1830), George (Mentz 1820, Aurelius 1830), Joseph H (Mentz 1820), Jeremiah (1800 in the Town of Ovid, then Cayuga but today Seneca County).
For more discussion on this family see Dawn Row's web site.3,4,5,6,7 
Birth*circa 1770He was born circa 1770 at New JerseyG; (1850 census has b. PA, 1900 census for dau. Mary C has father b. NJ.)8,9 
Marriage*circa 1795He married Mary Higby circa 1795.2 
Marriage*circa 1810He married Deborah Starkweather, daughter of Samuel Starkweather, circa 1810 at Auburn (prob.), Aurelius Town, Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (Tremper and Jeffries says about 1810; Auburn was not incorporated as a village until 1813, in what was then the Town of Aurelius, now Fleming (from Aurelius in 1823.)1,3 
1820He appeared on the census of 1820 at Aurelius Town, Cayuga Co., New YorkG; (neis. Shields, Crosby, Hoyt.)10 
1822John Chapman Jeffries acquired real estate from Nathaniel Behymer at Town Lot 97, Clermont Co., OhioG, in 1822.11 
1830He and Deborah Starkweather appeared on the census of 1830 at New Richmond, Ohio Twp., Clermont Co., OhioG; (nei. Johnston and Laura Tremper, line 1; Daniel Davis, line 3.)12 
1840He and Deborah Starkweather appeared on the census of 1840 at New Richmond, Ohio Twp., Clermont Co., OhioG; unidentified male in family (neis. John Conner, line 6; Andrew Conner, line 7; John L Tremper, line 20.)13 
29 October 1850He appeared on the census of 29 October 1850 in the household of Amanda Jeffries and John Conner at Ohio Twp., Clermont Co., OhioG, as John C Jeffers, age 80, b. PA; (neis. Johnson and Laura Tremper, fam. 2657; Francis and Margaret Jeffreys, fam. 2673; Freeman Elstun, fam. 2694.)8 
Death*1853He died in 1853 at New Richmond, Ohio Twp., Clermont Co., OhioG.14 

Citations

  1. [S368] Frank Munsell and Thomas P. Hughes, compilers, American Ancestry, twelve volumes (Albany, NY: Joel Munsell's Sons, 1887-1899), XI:61.
  2. [S208] Richard Hayman Tremper, A History of the Tremper and Jeffries Families (privately published, 1971), p. 21.
  3. [S208] Richard Hayman Tremper, History of the Tremper and Jeffries Families, pp. 19–24. This brief genealogy gives no sources.
  4. [S957] Elliot G. Storke, History of Cayuga County, New York (Syracuse, N. Y.: D. Mason & Co., 1879), pp. 313, 319, 335 and passim.
  5. [S2038] Joel H. Monroe, Historical Records of a Hundred and Twenty Years — Auburn, N. Y. (Geneva N. Y.: W. F. Humphrey, printer, 1913), pp. 79, 111, 114.
  6. [S2037] Henry Hall, The History of Auburn (Auburn, N. Y.: Dennis Bro's & Co., 1869), pp. 99–103, 122.
  7. [S2036] Dawn Roe: Search for roots uncovers mystery, online http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/…. Hereinafter cited as Dawn Roe.
  8. [S20] 1850 U.S. Federal Census. John (49), b. PA, steamboat captain, real estate value $2000; Amanda (32), b. NY.
  9. [S5] 1900 U.S. Federal Census. Mary C (84), wid., b. NY Mar 1816, father b. NJ, mother b. CT, 11 children, 5 living.
  10. [S115] 1820 U.S. Federal Census. John C (45+); F (45+) [Deborah]; F (26-44) [poss. one of John's sisters]; f (10-14) [poss. Ann], 3 f (<10) [Laura Ann, Mary C, Amanda].
  11. [S2035] Clermont County, OH Deeds (1800 - 1879), transcript, online http://www.johntippet.com/Clermont.htm, Nathaniel Behymer to John C Jeffries, Vol. 20, p. 381. Land in Town Lot 97. Citing Clermont Co. OH Deeds (1800-1879) 1822. [FamilySearch Deed book, 1800-1877, with index, 1800-1879, Film 333145, Deeds v. U19, V20 1820-1823, not available online]
  12. [S116] 1830 U.S. Federal Census. John C (60-69); F (50-59) [Deborah]; M (20-29 [____], m (15-19) [____], m (5-9) [____]; 2 f (10-14) [Mary C, Amanda].
  13. [S54] 1840 U.S. Federal Census. John C (70-79); F (50-59) [Deborah]; m (15-19) [ ].
  14. [S1628] FindAGrave.com, online findagrave.com, image of Conner family plot and small ground markers. John Chapman 1769-1853; Deborah, wife of J C Jeffries, 1780-1861. Narrative: John Chapman Jeffries, son of Francis and Mary Chapman Jeffries, b. NJ 1769, d. Clermont Co. OH 1853; Deborah Starkweather, dau. of Samuel Starkweather, b. New London Co. CT 7 Feb 1780, d. New Richmond, Clermont Co., 30 May 1861. Greenmound Cemetery, New Richmond, Clermont Co. OH. Memorials 78347304 and 78347518, created by and photos added by gibrel, maintained by S. Mac.
  15. [S520] VWH, Mary C Jeffries marr. Andrew Conner in 1833 and Amanda Jeffries marr. John Conner in 1837. In the 1840 census for New Richmond, sheet 227, John Conner is on line 6, Andrew Conner is on line 7 and John C Jeffries, age 70-79, father of the two sisters, is named on line 8. John C Jeffries and his wife Deborah are living with John and Amanda Conner in 1850, family 2687, and Andrew and Mary Conner are family 2665. Also, Mary C and Amanda were both b. NY.
  16. [S520] VWH.