Johann Peter SONES

1755 - 1850  (94 years)

• Name	Johann Peter SONES
  Birth	23 Nov 1755	Berks County, PA
  Gender	Male
  Death	3 Nov 1850	Lycoming County, PA
  Notes	(1) Sullivan County, PA GenWeb Project <http://www.rootsweb.com/~pasulliv/ settlers/settlers18/settlers18.html>: Johann Peter Sones was the first member of this family known to have moved into Northern Pennsylvania. He obtained land in the part of Northumberland County from which Lycoming County was formed in 1795. Many of his descendants came to live in other counties formed from this northern wilderness: Centre County, formed in 1800; Union and Columbia Counties, formed in 1813; and, later, Sullivan County, formed from Lycoming County in 1847. His land acquisitions came in the form of land grants, since he was a Revolutionary War veteran. On March 8, 1793, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded him grant #S783 for 296+ acres on the south side of Muncy Creek, adjoining the lands of Adam Beaver, Daniel and Joseph Hill, and Joseph Litchard. This land was along Sick Run in what is now Lycoming County. On January 18, 1794 and again in 1814, Johann Peter received additional grants of 234 and 75 acres, respectively, both grants adjoining his original land in this area. The 1830 Federal census places "Peter" Sones in Moreland Township, Lycoming County, living with his wife and two chldren, one of each gender. His wife is apparently older than Peter, since she is grouped in the "80-90 years of age" group while he is in the "70-80 years of age" group. In fact, he was 75 in that year. The son is aged between 15 and 20 and the daughter between 10 and 15. Names of dependents were not requested for the Census at that time. [Note by compiler: The 15-to-20-year-old male seems to have then been too young to have been Peter's son, and the 10-to-15-year-old female seems to have then been too young to have been Peter's daughter.] On October 6, 1832, Peter applied for a pension as a Revolutionary War veteran (Record # 23934). Peter asserted that he enlisted in 1776 in the company of Captain Jacob Mouser, under Colonel Lutz as commander of the "Flying Camp". In his own handwriting, he wrote that he "was enlisted at my Father's house in Richmond Township in Berks County in Pennsylvania". The unit formed up at the tavern of Daniel Levan in Maxatawney Township, then marched in turn to Bethlehem, then Easton, in PA; on through Amboy, NJ; and eventually to New York City. After the Battle of Long Island, his unit served under George Washington in New York. Peter became sick just eight days before the end of his enlistment, but was allowed to go home anyhow. He re-enlisted in the fall of 1777 for another six months. He was sent off with a team under a wagon master named Kepner and crossed the Delaware River at Easton, PA. He served there, and also in Amboy and elsewhere. After this enlistment period, he was subsequently drafted and served as a guard of the public stores at Reading, PA. Joseph Litchard and John Beaver of Muncy Creek Township both vouched for Peter's military service, Litchard having known Peter before his enlistment some 56 years in the past. Litchard, it was noted, had lived in Northumberland/Lycoming County for 48 years and Peter had lived near him for 38 of those years (since 1794). As part of his petition for a pension, Peter answered several other questions about himself: He was born in Richmond Township, Berks County, PA, on 23 November, 1755. He based his age on a record in the bible of his father's family, given to him when he had moved to the Lycoming area in 1794. He indeed had lived in Richmond Township when he enlisted and later was drafted into service. He was discharged in writing at Trenton, NJ by Colonel Haller; the paper had subsequently been taken by Sergeant Daniel Stout, presumably when Peter was drafted, and it was never returned nor replaced. He offered as character witnesses Samuel Shoemaker, justice of the peace, and William Cox Ellis, attorney-at-law. The Williamsport (PA) Lycoming Gazette of November 9, 1850, reported the death on November 3 in Moreland Township of Peter Sones, a "soldier of the revolutionary war", at the "advanced age of 97 years, 11 months and 10 days." While off by two years, the intent of the obituary was on the mark. He is buried at Moreland Cemetery, Lycoming County, PA. (2) Sullivan County, PA GenWeb Project <http://www.rootsweb.com/~pasulliv/ settlers/settlers18/settlers18.html>: JOHANN PETER SONES married ELIZABETH ANNA MERKEL, sometimes spelled "Markle", in 1780 in Richmond Twp., Berks Co.; she was the daughter of GEORGE MERKEL, born January 27, 1726 or 1727 and CHRISTINA HILL, daughter of a wealthy miller named JACOB HILL. The MERKEL line goes back at least to the fifteenth century to HEINRICH MERKELEN and his family of merchants and wagon-makers near Lubeck in what is now Germany. The HILL family built a mansion on Moselem Creek in Berks County, PA in 1767 that was still standing in 1999. Their mill was still standing in 1965. ELIZABETH was born August 11, 1757 in Moselem Springs, Berks Co., PA. She died March, 1830 in Lycoming Co., PA. The children of JOHANN SONES and ELIZABETH MERKEL were: [1] MARIA SONES, b. January 8, 1781, Berks County, PA, d. Sept. 1, 1850, Washtenaw County, MI, m. JOSEPH LITCHARD about 1802 in Lycoming COUNTY, PA [2] GEORGE WASHINGTON SONES, b. November 4, 1782, Richmond Twp., Berks Co., PA, d. May 1867, Davidson Twp., Sullivan Co., PA [3] PETER F. SONES, b. August 15, 1785, Richmond Twp., Berks Co., PA, d. August 22, 1855, Lenawee Co., MI [4] DANIEL SONES, b. 1787, Richmond Twp. Berks Co., PA,, d. 1824, Moreland Twp., Lycoming Co., PA, m. MARY SARAH WARNER in 1810 in Lycoming co.; she was b. Feb. 14, 1790, and d. between 1860 and 1870 in Centre County, PA [5] JOHN SONES, b. December 14, 1790, Richmond Twp., Berks Co., PA, d. Nov. 1856, Berks Co., PA; married (1) MARY RITTER (2) DOROTHEA HOOVER JACOB SONES, b. December 14, 1792, Richmond Twp., Berks Co., PA, d. May 19, 1793 at same location [6] ELIZABETH SONES, b. September 12, 1795, Lycoming Co., PA, d. April 8, 1867, Franklin Twp., Lycoming Co., married DANIEL RITTER about 1815 in Lycoming Co., PA [7] CATHERINE SONES, b. July 13, 1800, Lycoming Co., PA, d. September 3, 1866, Lycoming Co., married JACOB HILL about 1820 in Lycoming Co., PA [8] SUSANNA SONES, b. March 13, 1802, Lycoming Co., PA, d. Sept. 9, 1857, Lycoming Co., PA, married JACOB HOUSEKNECHT about 1820 in Lycoming Co., PA. (3) A household headed by Peter SOONS is listed in the 1810 census of Muncy Creek Township, Lycoming County, PA. Listed in Peter's household are 2 free white males between 16 and 26 years of age; 1 free white male over 45 years of age; 2 free white females under 10 years of age; 1 free white female between 10 and 16 years of age; and 1 free white female over 45 years of age. Assuming that Peter is the free white male listed in the 1810 census as then being over 45 years of age, he would have been born sometime before 1765, according to the 1810 census. Assuming that Peter's wife is the free white female listed in the 1810 census as then being between over 45 years of age, she would have been born sometime before 1765, according to the 1810 census. The other persons listed in Peter's household in 1810 seem to have then been too young to have been the children of Peter or his wife. The two free white males who were between 16 and 26 years of age in 1810 were born sometime between 1784 and 1794. The two free white females who were under 10 years of age in 1810 were born sometime between 1800 and 1810. The free white female who was between 10 and 16 years of age in 1810 was born sometime between 1794 and 1800. (4) A household headed by Peter SONES is listed in the 1830 census of Moreland Township, Lycoming County, PA. [Peter is listed in the index to the 1830 census as Peter JONES.] Liste in Peter's household are 1 free white male between 15 and 20 years of age; 1 free white male between 70 and 80 years of age; 1 free white female between 10 and 15 years of age; and 1 free white female between 80 and 90 years of age. Assuming that Peter is the free white male listed in the 1830 census as then being between 70 and 80 years of age, he would have been born sometime between 1750 and 1760, according to the 1830 census. Assuming that Peter's wife is the free white female listed in the 1830 census as then being between 80 and 90 years of age, she would have been born sometime between 1740 and 1750, according to the 1830 census. The other persons listed in Peter's household in 1830 seem to have then been too young to have been the children of Peter or his wife. The free white male who was between 15 and 20 years of age in 1830 was born sometime between 1810 and 1815. The free white female who was between 10 and 15 years of age in 1830 was born sometime between 1815 and 1820. (5) A household headed by Peter SONES is listed in the 1840 census of Moreland Township, Lycoming County, PA. Listed in Peter's household are 1 free white male between 80 and 90 years of age; and 1 free white female between 20 and 30 years of age. Since only one male is listed in Peter's household, he must be the free white male listed in the 1840 census as then being between 80 and 90 years of age. He was born sometime between 1750 and 1760, according to the 1840 census. The other person listed in Peter's household in 1840 seem to have then been too young to have been a wife or child of Peter. The free white female who was between 20 and 30 years of age in 1840 was born sometime between 1810 and 1820. (6) Peter LONES is listed in a household headed by his son, John LONES, in the 1850 census of Moreland Township, Lycoming County, PA. [Peter and John should have been listed in the 1850 census as Peter and John SONES.] Peter is listed in the 1850 census as a person who was then 95 years of age; therefore, according to the 1850 census, he was born in about 1755. According to the 1850 census, Peter was born in Germany. [The compiler believes that both Peter and John were born in PA, not Germany.]
  Person ID	I12467	Frost, Gilchrist and Related Families
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Philip Nicholas SOHNS,   b. 1719, Germany d. Jan 1809, Berks County, PA (Age 90 years)
  Mother	Anna Barbara KERN,   b. 9 Nov 1722, Eggenstein, Baden-W??rttemberg, Germany d. 1 Jan 1809, Berks County, PA (Age 86 years)
  Family ID	F5665	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth Anna MERKEL,   b. 11 Aug 1757, Berks County, PA d. Mar 1830, Lycoming County, PA (Age 72 years)
  Marriage	1780	Berks County, PA
  Children	1. George Washington SONES,   b. 4 Nov 1782, Berks County, PA d. May 1867, Sullivan County, PA (Age 84 years)   2. Daniel SONES,   b. 1787, Berks County, PA d. May 1824, Lycoming County, PA (Age 37 years)
  Family ID	F5664	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024