Monday, April 12, 2010

Havens Jr., Jesse

Jesse HAVENS Jr.
Born - 23 Jun 1781 Sqawn Bay, NJ
Died - 2 Dec 1862 Delhi, Denver Co., IA
Bur. - Dec 1862 Hudson, Mc Lean Co., IL, West Hudson Cemetery

Note - Jesse Havens, Jr.

Marri: Batch #: 8333502, Sheet #: 97, Source Call #: 1395677
Marri: Batch #: A456599, Source Call #: 456599

The IGI gives his first name as, "Jesse" and the wife's last name as "Hinthorn"
the date of marriage, 19 Sep 1805 at Newark, Licking, OH.

Another source reports finding the marriage: Page 404, Fairfield Co., OH.
Jesse Heavenns to Rebecca Henthorn 17 Sep 1805.

Henthorn/Bell gives the marriage date as: 1 Sep 1805.

BIRTH-DEATH:
Date of birth, 23 Jun 1781 and date of death, 2 Dec 1864 from the grave
stone at Hudson, IL, just north of Bloomington, IL on Illinois Route 39.


BIOGRAPHY:
Jesse Havens was born June 23, 1781, near the mouth of Sqawn River in New
Jersey. His father came from Wales when quite young. He was a sea captain and
was shipwrecked and lost his life on the ocean by shipwreck. Jesse Havens came
to Virginia, when only a boy and lived with a brother-in-law, named Newman.
There he went bear-hunting and killed a great number. Mr. Newman made bear
hunting a business and Jesse Havens went out with a company of hunters under
Newman and stayed for three months at a time without seeing any human beings,
except members of the company. Jesse Havens was an excellent marksman, and as
the bear were thick, had every chance to exercise his skill. He sometimes took
the dogs and went out hunting himself and occasionally had some unexpected
adventures. At one time, while alone watching a deer-lick, he heard an animal
approaching, which proved to be a panther. It ran up a tree and seemed also to
be on the watch for deer. Jesse took careful aim at it, fired and ran for
home. The hunters returned with him to the spot and found the panther dead.

At one time he had a dangerous adventure with a bear. He shot a bear which had
been treed and it fell wounded, and hugged the dog, which had treed it. When
Jesse came up, the bear and dog went rolling down a hill, but Jesse succeeded
in killing the bear with his knife and tomahawk. He considered this a narrow
escape.

He went in 1801 to where Newark, Ohio, now is, and built several log cabins for
a company which settled there. He married and moved eight miles north of that
place and cleared out a small farm and ran a shop in which he made furniture,
chairs, etc.

Jesse Havens enlisted in the war of 1812 and was at the desperate defense made
by Major Croghan and his band of one hundred and sixty men, of Fort Stephenson
on the Lower Sandusky.

In the fall of 1829 Jesse Havens came to Illinois. He came first to Big Grove,
near where Urbana now is, and from there went in search of a house and found
one on the North Fork of the Sangamon, south of where Leroy now is. When he
moved his family there, which was in December, 1829, the sleet troubled him
very much, and he was obliged to walk many miles to obtain corn for food.

He left the Sangamon and came to Buckles' Grove and from there he came to where
Hudson now is, in January 1830. There he bought some claims, made improvements
and went to farming, as did all the settlers in that section.

In 1850 Jesse Havens sold out and went to Iowa, but after a few years returned
to Havens' Grove. Here he lived two years with his son Hiram and then went
back to Iowa, where he remained until the time of his death, which occurred
December 2, 1862. Just previous to his death, he requested his son William to
bury him in Havens' Grove, and this request was carried out. He was at the
time of his death, eighty-one years, five months, and nine days old.

He was married to Rebecca Hinthorn in Licking County, Ohio. He had eleven
children, all of who lived to become men and women. They are:


  • Mrs. Elizabeth Platt, wife of Hezekiah Platt, died in Northern Iowa.
  • Mrs. Anna Smith, wife of John Smith, lives at Havens' Grove
  • Mrs. Dorcas Wheeler, wife of Benjamin Wheeler, lives at Havens' Grove
  • Mrs. Margaret Trimmer, wife of David Trimmer, died at Havens' Grove
  • John Havens lives at Ford County, Illinois, not far from Paxton.
  • Hiram Havens lives at Havens' Grove.
  • Jesse D. Havens lives in Lincoln, Illinois, on the Chicago & Alton Railroad.
  • Rev. James Havens lives in Wisconsin. He is a Methodist minister and belongs to the Wisconsin Conference.
  • Rev. Enoch Stephen Havens also is a Methodist minister belonging to the Wisconsin Conference.
  • Ired M. Havens died at Kappa, January 8, 1852, aged twenty-six years, seven months and twenty-one days. He is buried at Havens' Grove.
  • W.W. Havens lives in Northern Iowa.

Jesse Havens was six feet in height, had heavy hair and eyebrows, and was very muscular. He was a good man and quite successful in life. He gave the name to Havens' Grove. He was one of the first Commissioners elected in McLean County after its organization.
(Source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois, Dr. E. Duis, 1874, p. 629-631)


RESIDENCES: In January 1830, Jesse Havens and family settled in what has since been called Haven's Grove.
(Source: excerpt from "Good Old Times In McLean County" page 8. - Rex King)

PUBLIC_SERVICE: The business of McLean County was transacted by a board of three commissioners. The first meeting of the Commissioners' Court was held May 16, 1831. The members present were Jonathan Cheney, Timothy B. Hoblit and Jesse Havens.
(Source: excerpt from "Good Old Times In McLean County" page 10 - Rex King)

LAND: Land Grants: Illinois Land Grant Records, document #472, #473, #572, #573, #3777, and #3778, show Jesse received land grants for 5 tracts of 80 acres, and one tract of 40 acres. The first two on 1 Oct 1833, the second two on 16 Sep 1835, and the last two on 1 Apr 1837
(Furnished by Rex King)

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