| 22. | Jonas Peterson  (11.John3, 3.John2, 1.Sarah1) was born on 8 Sep 1800 in Hardy Co, Virginia. Notes:
Jonas Peterson, sr., retired farmer, Xenia, was born in Hardy County, Virginia, September 8,1800.
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Jonas' birth has already been recorded. He came to this state with his parents, and shared in all the hardships incident to the wild state of the country. His schooling was neglected to a great extent; in fact, when he first went to school he was so Dutch in his language that his schoolmates could not understand him, so he had to learn English before he could advance at all in his studies. But even after that his education was slow, as the schools were kept np by subscription, and the terms were necessarily short, as the patrons of them were, as a class, poor. He drove team when he was less than fifteen years old to Cincinnati, and hauled flour, etc. When he was thirteen years of age, he and a companion named James Shepherd, were sent out with horses to bring in some sick soldiers. They had very little money with them, and had to go further than they expected, and had to go without food themselves, so as to procure food for their horses. They rode thus more than ninety miles before they got anything to eat at all. It shows considerable energy and endurance in one so young. But a greater feat yet he performed when he killed a mad dog when he was eight years of age. Jonas learned the blacksmith trade by working after night, and became quite an artist in his line. When he was out of iron, he wiopd take the team and go to the iron works and haul long enough to earn a load of iron, and would then come home and work it np. Was married December 16, 1821, to Susanna Coyner (Kiner), by whom he had eleven children: John, married to Elizabeth Peterson, living in this county; David, married to Mary J. Armintrout, moved to Indiana, thence to Illinois, when he died near Champaign City in April, 1871; Parris H., married to Amanda Tresler, lives in Xenia; Martin, married to Catharine Shooke, who died, and fie then married Hannah Evans; Jonas, jr., married to Vina Bush, living near Spring Valley; Christian C., married to Mollie Bush, living with his father; Jane married John Hupman, but died; Hannah, married to John Mallow; Elizabeth, to Phillip Pagett, and Sarah to Silas T. DeWitt, and one died in infancy. With his wife he also got a copy of the Bible printed in German, and published in 1776.
Mr. Peterson and his wife joined the German Reformed Church in Xenia, in 1834. Before the meeting closed, there were thirtyfive accessions, and the next year Jonas welcomed forty-nine more to the church. He has been deacon and elder in the church until his declining health compelled him to give up. He was one of the building committee in 1844, when they erected their first church on Cresar's Creek. The foundations gave away a few years ago and since then they have erected another church building near the site of the old one. The money for the last one was mostly donated by the Petersons, or their connections. He served as ensign, orderly sergeant, and first lieutenant in the second regiment home militia, under Colonel Mallow. He served in all fifteen years. More frequently he served in the captain's place than his own, as the captain, Joel Peterson, was generally tardy. He was horn a Democrat, and never but once did he vote outside of the party, and that was in 1840, when he voted for General Harrison; he repented that, and never repeated the offence. His first vote was east in 1824, for General Jackson, when the House of Representatives put in John Quincy Adams. Mr. Peterson at one time paid taxes on one thousand four hundred acres of land, but he has since sold and divided it around. To pass away the time he now resorts to many pleasant methods, one of which is sewing patches for quilts. Within five years he has sewed patches and put together fifty quilts. He shows them to visitors with pardonable pride. He has eight children living, forty-seven grandchildren, and twentysix great grandchildren. He took quite a lively interest in all things, until October 2, 1878, and then his wife died. She was over seventy-seven years of age at her death, having been born March 26,1801. Mr. Peterson loves to go back over old times, and can interest any one who will listen to him. He is kind at heart, and social in his habits. He is devout in his manner of life, but is ostentatious in nothing.
History of Greene County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest and the State of Ohio
R. S. Dills
Odell & Mayer, 1881 - Greene County (Ohio) - 1018 pages
https://books.google.com/books?id=gS4uAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA879&lpg=PA874&focus=viewport&dq=sarah+mohlerin&output=text#c_top
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1711 - 1787 (76 years)