Sunday Serendipity-Jacob Grantier

When I am thinking about my blog post for the next week I try to pick someone that I haven’t researched.  I try to spread out my research to different branches of my family tree.  I may pick someone, look at the information I already have and try to add to it.  Sometimes I am amazed at how I may be looking for information on, as happened this week, Silas Bailey (my maternal 3rd great grandfather) when I instead of finding something directly on him…….another name comes up in my research, such as Jacob Grantier.  So, I guess this week it’s Jacob’s story I am supposed to tell.  In genealogy circles we call this ‘Serendipity’.  A term used to explain the unexpected turn of events that help us in our search for information about our ancestors.

I found Civil War pension information I forgot I had on Silas K. Bailey my maternal 2nd great grand uncle who I believed only lived in upstate NY.  In the paperwork it made a reference to Bradford County, PA where I knew my Alden-Coolbaugh connection came from (See post Using County Histories to Find Information-Timothy Alden).  Hmm….that’s interesting.  Perhaps the Bailey Family also started out in Bradford County as well before moving to upstate NY (basically across the border)….hmmm.  So, in my hunt for Silas Bailey I went back to a great website I’d found online entitled Tri-Counties Genealogy & History by Joyce M. Tice.  It’s an amazing collection of information for Bradford & Tioga Counties in Pennsylvania and Chemung County across the border in New York.  Definitely a find worth bookmarking!
I knew there was a Jacob Grantier who had a son named David that I was descended from but that was all I had.

This is what I found on the Tri-Counties Genealogy and History website that began my search;
Jacob Grantier (Granteer, Granadier), a native of the province of Lorraine, Germany, came to America about two years before the Revolutionary War, locating in Schoharie county, N.Y. Here he joined Morgan's famous riflemen and served until the close of the struggle for Independence. Immediately preceding or during the war he married a Miss Tabor, a German lady. Having sold his property in Schoharie, in 1784-'85, he floated down the Susquehanna to Towanda. He selected a farm, 300 acres, on the South side of Towanda Creek, which he occupied and improved until 1801, when he sold to Reuben Hale and moved up Towanda Creek, purchasing the land on the present site of Canton village. He built a log house, where the Baptist church now stands, and constructed a saw mill on Mill Creek. He afterwards, about 1805, fell through this mill and was killed. His wife survived him some years. Both lie in the old Canton burial grounds. Their children were: John, David, Jacob, Betsy, Lena and Hannah.

• John married Catharine, daughter of Daniel Heverly, the Overton pioneer.
• David married first Elizabeth Warren, second Rhoda Killburn.
• Jacob married Hannah Heverly, sister of his brother John's wife. Betsy married Samuel Rockwell of Canton.
• Mary ("Polly") married Elias, brother of Samuel Rockwell.
• Lena married a Mr. Blackwell of Jersey Shore.
• Hannah married Iram Wilson of Canton.

This information was taken from a book titled:
Pioneer and Patriot Families of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 1770-1800: Including History (1615-1800), Marriages (1776-1850), Soldiers of the Revolution, Ministers, Justices, Original Officers and All Matters Relating to Early Times. By Clement F. Heverly ...Volume 1 of Pioneer and Patriot Families of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 1770-1800: Including History (1615-1800), Marriages (1776-1850), Soldiers of the Revolution, Ministers, Justices, Original Officers and All Matters Relating to Early Times. By Clement F. Heverly, Clement Ferdinand Heverly

I was also able to find the following:

1790 US Federal Census – Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

• Names of Heads of Families –Granatier, Jacob

• Free white Males of sixteen years & upward including heads of Families-2
• Free white Males under sixteen years – 2
• Free white Females including heads of Families – 2

 

U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798  (In July 1798, Congress authorized the first direct tax by the United States government. The records were used to levy taxes on owners of land, dwellings, and slaves in Pennsylvania.)

Name of Owner or Occupant- Granadier, Jacob     Name of Owner Situation- Wysocken       Valuation- 573         Assessment – 150
 
List of the Taxable inhabitants of Luzerne County, PA.  7th day of March, 1800 Wysox Township,  -(PA did not do a Federal census but did make enumerations of inhabitants every seven years for tax purposes and to determine representation in state government. These counts are called the Septennial Censuses.)

Granidier Jacob 

Transcribed:

• Name of Occupants, or –Jacob Granatier
• Name of reputed Owner- Jacob Granatier
• In what County, Township, Parish, Town or City in the Assessment District situated.- Wysocken Township
• Dwelling-Houses and Out-Houses of a Value not exceeding One Hundred Dollars
•     Number of Dwelling-Houses- 1
•     Value, Dollars- 60
• Quantities of Land, Lots, &c. subject to and included in the Valuation- 150 Acres
• Valuations as determined by the Principal Assessors,  including Dwelling Houses
  &c., not exceeding One Hundred Dollars in Value- 573

What I’ve learned;

• A new Surname for my list.
• I see that the first son of Jacob’s was John and I’m noticing that his wife Catherine was a Heverly-perhaps related to the author Clement Heverly of the above mentioned book about Pioneer and Patriot Families?
• I would like to find out more about Morgan’s Famous Riflemen unit during the Revolutionary War
• Perhaps through this connection I can now join the DAR (Daughter’s of the American Revolution)
• Jacob was a prosperous man based on the above Tax lists and owned a good amount of property.

I wonder if Jacob received a Land Grant after his service in the Revolutionary War in PA?  Is that why he moved from NY to PA?

I am anxious to see what else I can find on Jacob and his family.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby