Mozena, John

John MOZENA
Born - 4 Jul 1747 Mont Le Vignoble, Lorraine, France
Mar. - 4 Mar 1784 Newtown, Fairfield Co., CT
Died - 3 Feb 1830 Monroe Co., OH
Bur. - Feb 1830 Possum Creek, Monroe Co., OH, Ollum Cemetery

Note - Genealogy of John Mozena

PARENTS: Some researchers report that his parents were, Nicolas Mouginot and Elisabeth Longer.

REFERENCE:
Grace (Suter) Schafer compiled a genealogy of John Mozena which was typed and dated 21 Mar 1962. Much of the information on the Mozena family which was included in the Personal Ancestral File (PAF) of Richard E. Henthorn in March 1993 was extracted from this document. The ties between the families in Mrs. Schafer's document were not always clear. Even though the computer aided a great deal through it's capability to search for names there is still a good possibility for error. Therefore, one should trust their own research when conflicts or inconsistencies are discovered.

AKA: Grace Schafer stated that the spelling of the surname has been recorded: Mysener, Msene, Mozeny, Maginet, Maginot, Mozeney and Mozena. J. Francis Mozena says his name was, Jean Mouginet and that his son was Lewis Mouginet (Mozeney).

BIRTH: John Mozena was born somewhere in France in the year 1747. He came to this country during the Revolutionary War with Marquis de Lafayette, who on 31 Jul 1777 was made a Major General by the Congress.

John Mozena fought in the battles of Brandywine Creek in 1777 and at Monmouth on 28 Jun 1778.

After the war ended, he went to Newtown, Connecticut. There he married Hannah Foot, daughter of Elijah Foot who is also listed as a Revolutionary War veteran. The records for the settlement of Elijah Foot's estate show that some of his goods were purchased by a grandson, Dennis Mozena.

He bought two parcels of land in Newtown in 1787 and 1795. In 1800, he sold it and set out for Virginia (what is now West Virginia).

When the U.S. government granted land warrants to the war veterans, John went to Monroe county, Ohio and took a half section of land on a ridge west of Buckhill Bottom which was about 2 miles north of Baresville, OH (since called Hannibal, OH).

Since John was the only Frenchman around this area of Ohio, he was known as, "John the Frenchman." The ridge on which he lived was called, "French Ridge." And, many people still call it French Ridge to this day.

Records in Washington, DC archives show John's family name spelled a number of ways: Mysener, Msene, Mozeny, Magionet, Maginot, Mozeney, and lastly Mozena.

MILITARY: John was listed in the New York Militia.

BIRTH-CHILDREN:
Birth records of 8 of John and Hannah's children were found in a church record at Newtown, Connecticut, page 74.

Dennis, b. 4 Mar 1786
Betsy, b. 6 May 1787
Lewis, b. 31 Dec 1788
Polly, b. 3 Nov 1791
Grandyson, b. 13 Jan 1793
Sally, b. 11 Dec 1795
Phoebe, b. 8 Oct 1796
Aaron, b. 4 Jan 1799

Page 126 deaths - date page was torn, probably after 6 Nov 1801 or 1802,
Grandyson Moigot.

A son, named John, was born in Connecticut.

After John and Hannah moved to Virginia they had a son.

Andrew, b. 5 Apr 1804

There is no other record of Aaron. But, there are records of Hiram, born on the same date. It is assumed that either they were twins or the same person.

John's oldest son, Dennis, married Sally Brown. They lived in Ohio county, WV. They had 2 children.

Mary, b. 4 Aug 1808
Lewis, b. 1809

Sally died when Lewis was a baby. Dennis' father and mother, John and Hannah, cared for his 2 children when Dennis enlisted in the army during the War of 1812. He told his grandson, Fleming Harrison, that his 2 uncles, Jesse and James Harrison and himself were out on the Sandusky Plains and Swamps. After his father, John Mozena, died he and his mother kept house.
(Source: Introduction to "The Mozena Genealogy" by Grace F. Schafer, Hannibal, OH, 21 Mar 1962 - furnished by Linda Henthorn. Note: A copy of this document is probably available in a box of folders at the Monroe County Library.)

REFERENCE: "Monroe County Records" by Catherine Fedorchak, Vol. 3, page 74

REFERENCE: "Genealogy of John Mozena" by Gloria Dawn Good