Person:Abia John (1)

BIOGRAPHY: Taken from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nungesser/John/index.html

BIOGRAPHY: Abia grew to manhood on the family plantation. Spent spare time in study in order to obtain a good education. Took up surveying and conveyance of property. In his early 20's he was a teacher in West Bradford Township and was paid 8shillings (about $1.92) for each child for a period of three months during winter. He taught reading, writing, andcyphering.Abia married his first cousin. Such marriages were not permitted by the Society of Friends so they had to have the ceremony performed outside of the church by which they redisowned.Supposedly, Martha was much smarter than her husband, although he was quite intelligent.In 1795, Abia's father, Griffith, helped Abia and Martha move from their old home in Chester County, up to Northumberland County. They took two of three children they had at that time and they left their second child Hiram, with his grandparent son his mother's side, Ruben and Lydia John. They picked him up later. Asa, their oldest child was seven and the third child was Emily, age three. They started north on what was a long hard trip at that time. They had a two horse wagon and they followed the Great Road as it was called at that time. This road was surveyed by FrancisYarnell, who was one of the early settlers north of there. His wife was Mary Lincoln. One of the Yarnells at a later date married the daughter of Lydia John, the sixth child of Abia John. This road took them over the Mahony and Locust mountains, on past where the town of Shamokin now stands. They stopped at Yarnell;s Tavern one night. The first night in Northumberland County they stayed at Hotel Fisher. Then traveling on the next morning and by the next afternoon they reached their stopping place at John Adam Golger's place where they rented a room upstairs. They stayed in this room while he built a log house on the timber land that he had bought before. It was on the 8thof May, 1795, when they landed there .There were lots of wild animals roving through the woods all around them and they would howl and screech through the night. That part of the country for a long way north and west was nothing much but timber and Indians. After he had part of his timber land cleared so he could raise some crops, he would take what he could spare over bad mountain roads with a two horse wagon about 70 miles to Reading,Pennsylvania. There he would exchange it for food, cloth and the things that they had to have on their farm. They did not have much to live on and to do with in those early years. He was a man of great determination and with his education that he had and being a surveyor and a conveyancer of transfers, he succeeded and worked up a large business. Governer Snyder of Pennsylvania appointed him as the Justice of the Peace in 1809, which he held until 1830. He was held in high esteem by the Courts and the attorneys of Sunbury. He became an extensive land holder in that part of the county. He took an active part in raising the money for and securing the Center Turnpike Road in 1802. It is said that he had a charge of the western division, being from Paxinos to Sunbury, which is about 13 miles. They were strong Quakers and both were great workers in their Meetings. It is said that Martha had more than common ability. Abia John's family moved from their first home farm that they bought in 1795, to a farm that he bought in 1823. All their children from Elida on down, lived in this place. Their first farm was timber land. This piece was the land that he bought when he moved from Chester County to Northumberland County.

TAKEN FROM: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/northumberland/areahistory/bell0042.txt

ABIA JOHN, the only son who grew to maturity of Griffith John, the farmer, and grandson of Griffith John, the emigrant, was born on the old homestead in Uwchlan township, Chester county, November 26, 1761. He was reared on the farm, but acquired a good business education. On the 8th of March, 1785, he married Martha, daughter of his uncle, Reuben John. In 1795 he moved to Northumberland county and reached Shamokin township on May 5th of the same year. He rented rooms from one of the first settlers and went right in the woods and took up a tract of land. He put up a small log house and commenced clearing off his farm. The country was infested with wild animals, and for some years the nights were made hideous by their screams and howls. The scanty products of his place that he had to spare were hauled over miserable mountain roads to Reading, where they were sold and exchanged for articles of food and clothing. But he was a man of determination and succeeded in life. He was a practical surveyor and conveyancer, and soon acquired a very extensive business. In 1809 Governor Snyder appointed him a justice of the peace, which office he held until 1830, and did a very large business. He was a man of integrity and excellent judgment, and his counsel was regarded as safe to be followed. He was held in high esteem by the court and attorneys at the county seat. He became an extensive land holder, and retired from business in his old days in comfortable circumstances. In religious faith both he and his wife were Quakers. His wife was a woman of more than common ability and under favorable surroundings would have been noted for her intelligence. He left thirteen children, all of whom reached their majority. They were as follows: Asa T.; Hiram; Emily, who married Levi Hughes, and after his death Abisha Thomas; Griffith; Reuben; Lydia, who married John Wolverton, and after his death Amos Yarnall; Sarah; Jesse J.; Elida; Samuel; Jehu; Eliza, and Perry, all of whom are dead excepting the last mentioned. Abia John died, April 27, 1838, and was buried at Catawissa. His wife died, November 10, 1840, and was buried at the same place.

They were cousins and were disowned from the Friends Meeting for marrying.

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