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John H HOWELL (b 1800)

Based on the inscription on his gravestone, John H Howell was born in February 1800, though he may have been born as late as 1804 if the ages he reported to census enumertors over the years are considered. John may have been the son of Jonathan Howell and Elizabeth Hallock, though I have nothing more than a Long Island Surnames genealogy to support that possibility and the Find A Grave memorial for Jonathan Howell (b c1770) casts doubt on that linkage.

At some point in his early years, John settled in Brookhaven, Long Island. He married Millicent Benjamin, most likely in the early 1820s. The Long Island Genealogy referenced below suggests that the Edna Jane Howell (born 30 Sep 1821 and died 22 Mar 1841) buried in the Riverhead Cemetery in Riverhead (Suffolk) New York was their child. If that is correct, there is a significant hiatus between Edna's birth and the birth of the balance of their children as reported in the 1850 US Census. I do not feel confident about this attribution.

Ancestry's record of the 1830 Census of Brookhaven Township records four John Howell households, (1) a household of 8 persons, adult male and female age 30-40, (2) a household of 3 persons, adult male and female age 20-30, (3) a household of 10 persons, adult male and female age 20-30, and (4) a household of 2 persons, adult male and female age 60-70.) Household 2 is by far the most likely match. If we were to use the ages reported to the 1870 census enumerator as likely the best guess of their ages, John and Millicent would have been age 28 and 29 respectively. Only the presence of a male age 10-15 would need further explanation.

There are three John Howell household in the 1840 Census of Brookhaven Township, but in 1840 one of these John Howells identifies himself as John H Howell. This is almost certainly the household of our John and Millicent. The two adults would have fit correctly in the age category 30-40 and their three sons, Egbert (age 9), Hiram (age 7) and George (age 5) can account for the three males age 5-10. Only the presence of a female age 10-15 would be unexplained.

By 07 Aug 1850 when the census was enumerated, the household was composed of parents John (age 48), Meliscent (age 48), Egbert (age 19), Hiram (age 17), George (age 14) and Achsah (age 8). John and son Hiram were farming. The farm comprised 110 acres, 100 acres improved. The farm is described is the 1850 US Agricultural Census detailed below. The eldest son, John Egbert, who apparently went by the name Egbert, was a seaman. The two youngest children, Geoge and Achsah, were attending school.

In the census of 1860, the couple's ages seem to have been guessed at. Perhaps son Hiram was the respondent that year. Hiram was still at home, age 27. His sister Achsah, age 19, was also at home. There was as well a Howell girl, Frances, age 1, apparently the daughter of Hiram, and a black female age 5 named Abby Hamer. By the time of the New York census of 1865, only Achsah was still living with her parents. She would soon be married and away as well.

In 1870, the US Census noted not only the township and county but also the post office serving the households listed. The census at last identifies the Howell residence as within East Moriches. Hiram and his family were living in the same dwelling but were counted as a separate household. John and Millicent's ages were reported as age 68 and 69 years. In 1880, the couple was still in East Moriches and had a boarder, a Prussian physician named Julius Koch. John reported that he was retired.

John died on 26 Aug 1884 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Center Moriches, Suffolk County, New York. He was, by the engraving on his gravestone, 84 years and 6 months. His wife Millicent died only five months later in early 1885.

Sources:

1830 US Census, Household of John Howell: Citation: Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1830; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Series: M19; Roll: 103; Page: 159; Family History Library Film: 0017163. Content: One of four households with a head named John Howell. This household is comprised of only 3 members, a single male and single female age 20-29 and a male age 10-15. It seems there is a fair chance that this is the household of John H and Millicent Howell. The male child in the household is unexplained.

1840 US Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1840; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 343; Page: 279; Family History Library Film: 0017207. Content: The 1840 US Census of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York on 01 Jun 1840 shows the household of John H Howell with males (3 age 5-9, 1 age 30-39) and females (1 age 10-14, 1 age 30-39). Four persons engaged in agriculture. Six total persons.

1850 US Census, Household of John Howell (b c1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1850; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 601; Page: 193a. Content: The 1850 US Census of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York on 07 Aug 1850 shows dwelling (73/83) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 48 male, farmer, (real: $4000), born NY, (2) Meliscent Howell, age 48, female, born NY, (3) Egbert Howell, age 19, male, seaman, born NY, (4) Hiram Howell, age 17, male, farmer, born NY, (5) George Howell, age 14, male, born NY, attended school, (6) Achsah Howell, age 8, female, born NY, attended school.

1850 US Agricultural Census, John H Howell (b c1801): Citation: Ancestry.com. U.S., Census Non-Population Schedules, New York, 1850-1880 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Census Year: 1850; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Archive Collection Number: A8; Roll: 8; Page: 681; Line: 41. Content: The 1850 US Agricultural Census of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York on 08 Aug 1850 lists the farm of John H Howell. He has 100 acres of improved land and 10 acres of unimproved land. He assigns the farm a cash value of $4000 (the highest valuation on a page of 40 farms). The farm owned 3 horses, 4 milch cows, 5 other cattle, 10 swine and produced 75 bushels of wheat, 200 bushels of indian corn, 150 bushels of oats, 2 bushels of peas and bens, 50 bushels of irish potatoes, 20 bushels of buckwheat, 250 lbs of butter, 20 tons of hay.

1860 US Census, Household of John Howell (b c1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1860; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Page: 918. Content: The 1860 US Census of Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York, Post Office: East Moriches, on 22 Aug 1860 shows dwelling (1852/1914) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 56, male, farmer, (real: $3000; pers: $300), born New York, (2) Milicent Howell, age 56, female, born New York, (3) Hiram Howell, age 27, male, farmer, born New York, (4) Acsa Howell, age 19, female, born New York, (5) Frances ?P? Howell, age 1, female, (6) Abby Hamer, age 5, female, black, born New York.

1865 New York State Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Content: The 1865 New York State Census of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York (Third Election District) on 12 Jun 1865 shows dwelling (101/115), frame structure valued at $400, with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 57, male, married, farmer, native voter, owner of land, (2) Millicent Howell, age 54, female, wife, 4 children, married, (3) Acsa Howell, age 22, female, child, (4) Abigail Harnan, age 11, black female, servant. [Place of birth has not been marked for any of these entries.]

1870 US Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1870; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Roll: M593_1100; Page: 388A. Content: The 1870 US Census of Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York, Post Office: East Moriches, on 25 Jul 1870 shows dwelling (3/88) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 68, male, farmer, (real: $3000; pers: $800), born New York, citizen, (2) Melissa Howell, age 69, female, born New York. [Son Hiram and family share the dwelling.]

1880 US Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Year: 1880; Census Place: East Moriches, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 934; Page: 103C; Enumeration District: 314. Content: The 1880 US Census of East Moriches, Suffolk County, New York on 10 Jun 1880 shows dwelling (205/214) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, male, age 77, married, retired farmer, born New York, parents born New York, (2) Millicent Howell, female, age 79, wife, married, keeps house, born New York, parents born New York, (3) Julius Koch, male, age 45, married, physician, born Prussia, parents born Prussia.

1884 Church Death Registration for John H Howell: Citation: Ancestry.com. U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Presbyterian Historical Society; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1907; Accession Number: 09 1007 69E 2 Box 2. Content: Records of the Presbyterian Church of the Moriches, Center Moriches, Suffolk County, New York shows that John H Howell was ordained [an elder] on 14 January 1866 and died on 26 Aug 1884.

Find a Grave Memorial 61749834 for Jonathan Howell (b c1770) .

Find a Grave Memorial 9716841 for Elizabeth Hallock (b c1774) .

Find a Grave Memorial 125736793 for Edna Jane Howell (b 1821).

Find a Grave Memorial 129255830 for John H Howell (b 1800) .

Long Island Surnames Fact Sheet for John H Howell (b 1801): Citation: Long Island Surnames Maintained by Long Island Genealogy. Content: The chart, maintained by Cooper, offers two references. (1) For place of birth, A Story of Jonathan and Elizabeth Howell, Donnelly, Thomas H, (Suffolk County Historical Society Register, Vo.XVI, No.4, 1991, pg.93-96). (2) A Genealogy of the Family of Richard Howell of Mattituck, Southold Town, Long Island, New York, to seven generations, Donnelly, Thomas H., Richard Howell, (Heritage Books, Inc., 2000), pg.132, 274.