Jonas Carle

There's a man buried in a now defunct cemetery just north of Baton Rouge who was involved in cattle rustling, rampant looting and general skirmishing while ostensibly gathering military intelligence in and around New York City during the American Revolutionary War.  He served as a Lieutenant in a brigade famous for being especially adept at guerrilla warfare.  They roamed the countryside of New York wreaking havoc.  But we can't attribute his actions to American patriotic fervor.  This man was fighting for King and Country.  His service was in a British provincial unit.  He was a New York born Loyalist.  He is 5th great grandfather, Jonas Carle.

Jonas was born in 1761 in Dutchess County, New York.  The family referred to the area as the Fishkill mountains. The town of Fishkill is still there, but the mountains around there are generally known as the Hudson Highlands today.  Jonas was born and lived within those mountains somewhere near the town of Fishkill.

Jonas began his military service about 50 miles downriver, at Morrisania, New York.  He signed on with Colonel James DeLancey- known derisively by Patriot neighbors as the "Outlaw of the Bronx."  Jonas later wrote in a land petition that he served under DeLancey from 1777 "until the peace" (about 5 years service).   The brigade was known as DeLancey's Cowboys.  This is partly because many of the unit consisted of mounted dragoons but mainly because they spent a lot of time rounding up cattle for the victualing of the British army stationed in  New York City.  Cattle from Patriot farmers were outright stolen, while Loyalist farmers received what compensation was available. You can see what the cowboys of Jonas' unit probably looked like HERE.

Jonas' claims indicate he served as one of DeLancey's lieutenants.  Not much is known about his specific actions during the war but we know the brigade  generally remained in and around Westchester County which is where most of them were born.  The following is taken from James DeLancey's resignation letter and gives a good overview of what they were up to...

The Memorial of James DeLANCEY of West Chester County Esquire.

Most humbly showeth,

That your Memorialist has, from the very Commencement of the present Controversy between Great Britain & America, evinced the most zealous & unequivocal Attachment to his Sovereign & the British Constitution, & since the Year 1777, has commanded the Militia & loyal Refugees in the County to which he belongs- a Corps consisting of five hundred Men, who, as well as your Memorialist, have served without either Pay or Cloathing.

That by Means of their Service, the Enemy has been constantly kept at such a Distance from King’s-Bridge, as to render that Post perfectly secure, & to keep up a Communication with the Country People for the Supply of the Magazines & Markets at New York.

That the Enemy have been repelled in every Attempt to destroy the People under your Memorialist’s Command, & that in the many Engagements which he has had with them your Memorialist has been so fortunate as to capture a Number of Prisoners sufficient not only for the Exchange of his own Men, but also for the Release of above five hundred British Prisoners.

That your Memorialist has in the Course of his Services, repeatedly received the Thanks of the Commander in Chief & of those General Officers under whom he has had the Honor to serve.

That he has always endeavoured to maintain the strictest & most exemplary Discipline in his Corps, & has gone in that Respect much beyond what has ever been practised in other Bodies constituted in a similar manner.

That your Memorialist has at all Times exerted the most anxious & unwearied Attention to preserve the Property of the Inhabitants in the Country & afford them every Protection, by which means he is well convinced that he has acquired & maintained the firm & general Attachment at least of such of them as were loyally disposed-...

At the close of the war, like many Loyalists, Jonas sought refuge in Canada.  From New York City, it would appear he and his father traveled by boat to St. John, Nova Scotia (now New Brunswick) and remained there a couple years.  By that time he was about 24 years old. 

It's possible Jonas had married.  An article by Dr. Esther Clark Wright appearing in a New Brunswick newspaper sometime in the 1970's was titled "Pioneer Families of New Brunswick."  The article relates the following...

Among the Loyalists who came to New Brunswick in 1783 were three men of the name Carle, Jonas, Robert and Thomas...   ...Jonas and Robert may have been brothers of Thomas, but there is no record of their relationship.  

Jonas received a grant of Lot 827 in Parrtown, on Bulkeley Street, and also of lot 12 on the east side of the Long Reach.  Jonas Carle seems to have become involved in transactions connected with Lot 12; while the St. John River was still part of Sunbury County, Nova Scotia, he bound himself to Gershom Fairchild for £250 to convey Lot 12 to the latter; in May, 1785 he and his wife, Amey, conveyed half of Lot 12 to John and Jacob "Britney" for £18, 15s; in August, 1785, Amey Carle asked for Provisions stating that she had been two years here, that her husband has "Been gone from her near six months past and she was left destitute of Friends."  There is no further light on the fate of Jonas and Amey Carle.

This was the first I had heard of a possible first wife of Jonas Carle.  I also found it curious that there was no mention of James Carle, Jonas' father, in the article.  There were some 15,000 loyalists that evacuated the fledgling USA for New Brunswick between 1783 and 1785.  It is conceivable there were a couple "Jonas Carle's" among the Loyalist settlers.

The timeline is important here.  Amey's petition implies that she came to New Brunswick around August of 1783 and that her husband Jonas left New Brunswick in March or April of 1785 (been gone six months past).  Begs the question, how did Jonas bargain over Lot 12 in May of 1785 when he was "gone" two months prior?

But the land petitions of his father, James, seem to corroborate the newspaper article's claim about Jonas having a wife named Amey.  The following petition mentions the lots described in the article and the transactions with the Fairchild family...

RS108 Land Petitions James Carle 1785

To His Excellency Thomas Carleton Esquire Captain General and Governor in Chief of the Province of New Brunswick

yea yea yea

The Petition of James Carle

Humbly Showeth

That your Excellency's Petitioner having had a tract of land assigned him lying on the little Kennebecasis No. 56 it being at a great distance from water Carriage and having a large family made an exchange with his son Jonas Carle, for farm No. 33 on the Great Kennebecasis which farm is said to be within the limits of Sir Andrew Snape Hammond's grant, and which farm your petitioner's son Jonas Carle obtained from Alexander Fairchild by giving said Fairchild a farm which he drew on long ____ ____ ___ with Thirty Dollars for the same-

That your petitioner is in possession of the farm No.33 on the great Kennebecasis and  has built thereon and cleared ___ ____ ____ tract of land.  Your petitioner therefore humbly requests that your Excellency would be pleased to make a grant to your petitioner for said farm No.33, if it should be given up by Sir Andrew S. Hammond for the benefit of the ____, as your petitioner is the first Occupant and put all his little substance in building and _____ the land, on said farm, and as in Duty Bound petitioner will Ever Pray.

James Carol (signature)

City of St. John 1st June 1785

This petition spells out the father son relationship between James and Jonas. I have not found a land record that names both Jonas and Amey.  The sale mentioned in the article to John and Jacob Britney would be a good one to find.

We know Jonas did leave Nova Scotia after a couple years.  I suspect he chased Gershom Fairchild back into New York when he realized Gershom had swindled him.  When he made the return trip to his old home in New York, he found his old neighbors less than charitable.  He was promptly arrested and thrown in prison. This may explain why Amey was left destitute.  Jonas couldn't get back to her.  The ordeal is described in another of the land petitions he wrote after later (again) fleeing to Canada.  In Jonas' words...

I was taken up by the people in the State of New York and put into a dungeon and there close confined for nine months & afterwards stripped of every thing, being glad to escape with life to this place, owing to being thus plundered, being so reduced in circumstances, your Petitioner has been obliged to remain here.

"This place" was Upper Canada.  The Niagara region of Ontario.  I find it strange that there is no mention of his family or wife in Nova Scotia in the documents that are associated with his time in Upper Canada.  Why did he  go to Upper Canada instead of going back to Nova Scotia where his wife was waiting?  He says he was reduced in circumstances.  I think the charitable answer is he couldn't afford to get back to Nova Scotia.  Otherwise it sounds like he abandoned his first family.  It's possible Amey had passed away while Jonas was in jail.  I've found no other evidence for Amey and have no way of knowing for sure what happened to her.

With officer status Jonas qualified for a fair amount of property.  Now in Upper Canada, he filed again for land grants.  The land petitions give us the best evidence for his life and actions during and after the war.  The following petition confirms his officer status...

An image of one of Jonas' petitions for a land grant.

The text of the petition reads as follows...

To His Excellency John Graves Simcoe Esq.  Lieut. Governor of the Province of Upper Canada Commanding His Majestys Forces therin    In Council    The Petition of Jonas Carle Humbly Showeth    That your Petitioner is desirous of settling the lands allowed to him by His Majesty for his services as an officer in Col DeLancy's late Provincial Corps--  Therefore Prays that he may have two hundred acres-  and your Petitioner as in duty bound will ever Pray- Jonas Carl    

Newark 18 Oct 1794   

Granted__

The document indicates it originated in Newark.  This was the prior name of the town of Niagara On The Lake, Ontario.

Jonas settled near 20 Mile Creek in an area known as Caistor on the Niagara Peninsula, Upper Canada Province.  This settlement is about 28 miles west of Niagara Falls.  By 1788 (the actual date, I am not sure), he had married another American-born Loyalist, Rachel Johnson, whose father, Jeremiah, also served the crown in his majesty's loyalist forces.  Unfortunately, Jeremiah Johnson (a 6th great grandfather) did not survive the war.  A Heir and Devisee Report stated that he was "...killed by the Americans in the late war."  Jeremiah had married in the Dutch Reformed Church of New York to Phoebe Brown.  Rachel was their first child, born in 1766.

Rachel had several siblings. One younger brother named Henry married Dolly Merritt.  The Merritt family, before the war, were neighbors of Jonas Carle in the Fishkill mountains of Dutchess County, New York.  They would have likely known of Jonas' first wife, Amey.  This was a large family, some of whom, like Jonas, had served under DeLancey but most had served under John Butler in "Butler's Rangers."  After the war, the Merritt's settled near Jonas on 20 Mile Creek but in spite of Jonas being an early settler in the area and likely because they outnumbered him, the settlement became known as Merritt Settlement.  Rachel's mother, the widow Phoebe Brown Johnson, followed her daughter to the Merritt settlement and eventually married John Wrong of Barbados.  Phoebe's grave can be found at the Merritt Settlement Cemetery near Smithville at Grimsby Township, Lincoln County, Ontario.

One of the Merritt's left a diary of sorts that mentions Jonas Carle.  Special thanks to Gail Woodruff of the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada for relaying this info to me.  The diary's author was a grandson of Henry Johnson and Dolly Merritt Johnson.  It quotes his mother, Eunice Johnson Sharp,  

Mother says her grandfather, Joseph Merritt, came from Fish Kill Mtns., NY, settled at 20 Mile Creek (later Merritt’s Settlement) because Uncle Jonas Carl (Carol) was settled in Caistor nearby.  Carrol had an illegitimate son living down about where Port Robinson is now.  Mother thinks his name was “Archie”.  Mother says Carrol was a fine looking man.

It's possible, Archie was born before Jonas' marriage to Rachel.  I have not found any evidence for Archie as of yet and do not know when he was born.  Illegitimate son aside, Jonas and Rachel had at least seven known children. They include Sarah, Eliza Ann, Phoebe, John, Judith, Eunice and Henry.  All of these children were born in Upper Canada Province on the Niagara Peninsula.

Jonas was successful with his land petitions.  He was awarded at least 2 grants.  One was located along the Niagara River about 8 miles upstream (south) of the falls.  I'm a little doubtful he ever lived there as the Merritt family identified his home as the old Josiah Nelson Farm.  It seems most of Jonas' activity was around the area of Caistor.

Another local diary records that Jonas was part owner of a sawmill on 20 Mile Creek. He had half ownership of the sawmill.  The agreement with his partner required Jonas to build the saw mill 42' x 26' with two saws, 2 water wheels, 2 carriages and a log way 25 feet long for 80 pounds New York currency, 1 barrel of 208 lbs pork and 3 cwt. flour.  Jonas was to haul all lumber, furnish all boards, planks, blacksmith's work and do all the digging.  The mill was to be completed by November 7, 1793.  With this we learn that Jonas' trade was likely builder/ craftsman.

1798 is the date of the last Canadian document we have for Jonas Carle but his youngest child, Henry, claims in his 1850 and 1860 US federal census listings that he was born in Canada in 1799.  So it follows that some time after 1799 Jonas left Canada as all subsequent documents show him south of the border.

In 1805, Jonas, Rachel and their children show up in the Louisiana Territory.  Jonas removed his family from their Canadian home, ventured down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers via flatboat and bought at least 3 properties in the newly acquired lands of the Louisiana Purchase.  He acquired 640 acres right on the north bank of the Missouri River about 5 miles east of what is Jefferson City, Missouri today.  The property is in Township 44 North, Range 10 West from the 5th principal meridian. 

As a point of reference, in May of 1805, when Jonas owned this property, Lewis and Clark and the Crew of Discovery passed right by in their keelboat and canoes working their way up the Missouri River on the first leg of their famous expedition to the Pacific and back. They would have certainly laid eyes on Jonas’ land adjacent the river and, who knows, maybe even Jonas himself. However, it is my suspicion that Jonas’ purchase of this particular property was purely speculative and he may not have spent much time there if at all. 

The other  two properties he is credited with in the upper Louisiana Territory were found on Lake St. Marie in the New Madrid district.  I have been unable to verify their exact location. That lake disappeared as a result of the massive earthquake of 1811.  The surveys for the properties indicate they were about 13 and 22 miles north of New Madrid, respectively and about 1,000 arpents in total.  I imagine this is where the family was living- if not in the settlement of New Madrid itself. 

Jonas' name appears among the signatures listed in an 1805 document known as the "Gov. Wilkinson Memorial."  This listing was taken from people living in and around St. Louis, St. Genevieve, New Madrid, St. Charles, St. Ferdinand and Cape Girardeau. This memorial Jonas signed was actually a collection of letters signed by residents in support of Governor James Wilkinson who in 1803 had been appointed Governor of the Louisiana Territory above the 33rd parallel.  Wilkinson had been amassing a fair amount of bad press.   In hindsight we know that bad press was not undeserved.  Meriwether Lewis would eventually replace Wilkinson as Governor when President Jefferson could no longer ignore the possible acts of treason that tarred Wilkinson and his government.

By February of 1810, The Carle family had moved again.  Jonas is found in the Spanish West Florida Records where one document indicates he purchased two parcels of land in the town of Baton Rouge.  Jonas bought lots 6 and 7 of block 19 from Barthelemy Beauregard for five hundred pesos.  Beauregard was administering the estate of his father, Elias Beauregard who had passed away the previous year.  

Elias is well known for having developed the grand Baroque urban plan designed to be the heart of the fledgling city of Baton Rouge.  Born in Louisiana of French origin, Elias rose to some prominence in the Spanish militia.  For a time he was Commandant of the fort at Walnut Hills, where Vicksburg is today.  His brother, Michael, was the grandfather of General P.G.T. Beauregard who is known for having served the Confederate States during the Civil War.  

Elias had the elaborate urban development designed by French born Architect, Arsene LaCarriere LaTour, in 1799.  LaTour would soon most notably become the architect of Andrew Jackson's defenses at the Battle of New Orleans. 

"Beauregard Town," though not fully implemented as originally drawn, is the second oldest neighborhood in Baton Rouge-- after Spanish Town.  Now, it's an historic district found on the National Historic Register. Most of the street names there today still reflect those of  LaTour's original plan.

This image shows about a quarter of the original plan drawn by LaTour.  I have highlighted various properties owned by Jonas Carle.

Jonas' various properties in "Beauregard Town," Baton Rouge ca. 1810-18

The lots on blocks 34 and 23 were sold to Jonas' son-in-law, Isaac Townsend in 1818 for six hundred dollars.

In 1811, another land sale document shows Jonas agreeing to build a house as payment for additional property.  This document is interesting to me because of the descriptive instructions for the construction of the home...

...The present sale and conveyance is made for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar in hand paid, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, and for the further consideration of the materials and workmanship of one house to be furnished and performed by the said Jonas Carl at the time & place & of the form and description following that is to say the house to be thirty six feet long, eighteen feet wide and of one story ten feet in height with a gallery back twelve feet wide the whole length of the house, and a convenient room on each end of the said gallery, the joist of both floors to be nine inches in width, the house to be weather-boarded on all sides with cypress plank of a proper thickness, and covered with cypress shingles eighteen inches long- the flooring plank, not to exceed eight inches in width.

The frame and all wooden materials to be furnished by said Carl, and to be sound and of good quality;  the openings to be not less than sixteen that is to say five windows of twenty four lights each, four of eighteen lights each, and seven doors the said openings to be made, by said Carl and also the sashes window shutters and doors - the whole work of said house to be done in a plain workmanlike manner, and completed on or before the fifteenth day of September next after the date hereof, and on such lot in the town of Baton Rouge as the said Edith & Richard or their agent or attorney may designate.  The said Carl not to be delayed for the foundation or any of the iron materials to be furnished by the said Edith and Richard.

The description sounds a lot like the typical planter's cabin going up all over the south at that time.  There are a number of examples still around.  The following photograph is one in Baton Rouge and it is about the same size as described, though the gallery, as is typical, appears on the "front" instead of the back...

I'm curious about the phrase, "one story ten feet."  I assume that means there is a first floor and then an upper floor extending another 10 feet.  The description goes on to say "the joists of both floors to be 9 inches in width."   It seems fairly evident that the house Jonas was contracted to build was two stories.  This document makes it appear that Jonas continued to make a living through construction in the Baton Rouge area not unlike his work on the Niagara peninsula.

As a side note, it is interesting that all of the documents referring to Jonas in Canada, include an "e" at the end of "Carle."  Sometimes the early documents spell it Carol or Carroll.  When he moves south and especially  after 1800 or so, the "e" is dropped.  It is also evident none of his children utilized the "e."

The aforementioned children of Jonas and Rachel Carl all made the trip to Baton Rouge.  The connection from Jonas to myself is as follows...  Jonas and Rachel's daughter,  Phoebe married Isaac Townsend in 1813.  Their daughter, Eliza Ann Townsend married David Young.  Their daughter, Patience Elizabeth Young married Charles Brashear Sherburne.  Their daughter, Eliza Ann Sherburne married Nathaniel William Sentell and they became the parents of my paternal grandmother, Annie Lou Sentell.  

The United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada (UELAC) offers a certificate for those that can prove lineage from one of the original Loyalist settlers.  I am working on that certificate for Jonas.  Somewhat similar to the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), the UELAC consists of chapters.  These chapters are scattered all over Canada.  I chose to join the Colonel John Butler (Niagara) Branch because that's the area where Jonas' grant lands were situated and where he started his family.  As already mentioned, Jonas had friends and in-laws who were members of Butler's Rangers.  

Also like SAR, there is an application process.  At SAR, I had the work of my mom to piggyback on.  Here, I'm starting from scratch.  As far as I can tell, no one has ever attempted a UELAC certificate for Jonas Carle.  That plus the unbroken line of female ancestors between my father and my Loyalist 5th great grandfather has made proving the lineal descent from him very difficult. Female ancestors, require proof of their birth parents, but also their change of name (marriage).  I'm told by the extremely helpful, Wendy Broda (Col. Butler branch genealogist), each application must survive the scrutiny of the Dominion Genealogists who examine the facts and every bit of evidence presented while holding fast to a rigid set of genealogical guidelines.  This makes the process difficult but, I hope, ultimately rewarding. 

The most difficult part, in my case, has been finding documentation for the early generations.  I need to prove Phoebe Carl was Jonas' daughter. Phoebe was most likely born in Upper Canada (Niagara region of Ontario today) in 1796.  Only the church was keeping records at that time in Upper Canada.  I enlisted a librarian at Niagara on the Lake Public Library to access a microfiche of the records of St. Marks Anglican Church.  St. Mark's is a beautiful old church situated in the town of Niagara on the Lake.  By 1792, the Minister of St. Mark's began recording baptisms, marriages, and burials.  I understand he would have been the only record keeper for most of Upper Canada when Phoebe was born.  I was hopeful to find a record of Phoebe's baptism. 

Among the inscriptions found in Rev. Robert Addison's records is the burial notice of Rebecca Haines Johnson Field.  Rebecca is my 7th great grandmother and grandmother to Jonas' wife, Rachel Johnson Carl.  Rebecca was buried in St. Mark's Cemetery at Niagara on the Lake in 1798, two years after Phoebe's birth.  It was Rebecca's son, Jeremiah Johnson, who was noted as "killed by the Americans" during the Revolution.  Rebecca's first husband was Jeremiah Johnson Sr.  He passed and Rebecca then married another Loyalist named George Field. George, being one of Butler’s Rangers, moved to the Niagara District post war to claim grant land. George and Rebecca are buried in the picturesque cemetery at St. Mark's.  I understand there is no surviving grave marker for them.  All the same, any future visit to Niagara will now include a visit to the graveyard at St. Mark's.

Unfortunately, none of the Carle family were found in Rev. Addison's records.  By 1805, the Carle family had moved south, so it looks like I will have to rely on whatever records I can find in Missouri and Louisiana.

Not long after the move to the Baton Rouge area, war broke out again between England and the United States. I wonder what was Jonas' mindset during the war of 1812?  Was he still loyal to the crown?  Had he settled in Spanish West Florida like many other Loyalists to avoid confrontation with Patriots only to find it quickly overrun by American immigrants?  He would have been very aware of the actions occurring in nearby New Orleans during the early days of 1815.  His new son-in-law fought for the Louisiana Militia under Andrew Jackson.  Was that a problem or just part of his new life in the United States?  Not sure I'll ever know.

The 1820 US census places Jonas and family still in the Parish of East Baton Rouge.  This is the last document I have for Jonas.  He passed away in 1829.  Several researchers at Ancestry.com show that Jonas is buried at Netterville Cemetery in Zachary, Louisiana but so far, I have found no documentation for that. 

Rachel, lived another 13 years.  She is listed among the Charter members of the first Protestant Church in Baton Rouge.  Virginia Lobdell Jennings in her book, "The Plains and the People" writes, 

On May 27, 1827, the first Protestant church in the town of Baton Rouge was organized with fifteen members. Mrs. Rachel Carle, Mr. Albert G. Penny, Mrs. Elizabeth Stannard and Mrs. Elizabeth Lilley from Buhler's Plains were among the charter members.

 This was First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge.  The Church would eventually spin off a satellite "Plains Presbyterian Church" where many of Rachel's descendants would attend (including her daughter Phoebe).

UPDATE:  On a recent trip through the Plains, I found Jonas' gravestone.  It is located in a wood behind the Annison House in Zachary.  The Annision house was reportedly built in 1811-- the oldest structure in Zachary.  I wonder if Jonas may have built it?  I found his headstone somewhat by accident.  I was told the woods contained the "fallen over" grave stone of Gen. Isaac Townsend, Jonas' son-in-law.  The woods provided zero evidence of a grave yard. The whole area was absolutely inundated with wickedly thorny underbrush. Finally, the smallest corner of a stone appeared up through the leaves. Brushing away the debris, I read the initials J C.  It didn’t occur to me that it was a foot stone until additional probing around the area revealed the obvious headstone.  I found Jonas.  There were other pieces of markers nearby some with bits of text but none were discernible.  I never found Isaac.  

The headstone reads, "Sacred to the Memory of Mr. Jonas Carl.  Died May 1829 Aged 68.  Amen"  It was under about 5" of leaves and 2" of dirt.  The foot stone that originally caught my eye reads, "JC. S-Johns. Ps-Amen."  There is also a graphic on the footstone that looks like a caterpillar.  Very curious.  I can only speculate as to what these things mean (other than Jonas' obvious initials).

The month of Jonas' death is really the only new information I gleaned from the discovery of these stones.  The years of his birth and death are corroborated but were already public knowledge.  I have a suspicion that "S-Johns"  written on the foot stone may actually be "St. Johns" and could possibly refer to St. John, New Brunswick as a birthplace.  If so, it could be an attempt to disguise the fact that he was a New York born Tory during the war.  Jonas did spend a couple years in St. John while starting a new life after the Revolution.  Someone living in the Baton Rouge area in the 1820's who was a Canadian by birth may be more palatable to his neighbors than an American-born Tory.  ...but that's entirely my own speculation.

Headstone

Detail

Footstone

The Annison House was written up in a couple news outlets in 2010 when it was opened for the public after a round of renovation.  A July 23, 2010 story from WAFB Baton Rouge said the following about the structure:

The Annison Plantation home in Zachary has stood on this 1799 Spanish land grant for 199 years. Benjamin Hook, second owner of the property, built the home in 1811. It went through a succession of families until E.D. Annison bought it in 1891. That family lived here until Ethel Annison donated the home to the city in 2002. Since then the Zachary Historic Village has been restoring it.

The article mentions Benjamin Hook as the builder of the house and second owner of the property.  His name appears on the original land plat for the property that contains the house and the cemetery where Jonas is buried.  It seems likely that Jonas was the original owner of the property--  especially since he is buried there and Benjamin Hook was his son-in-law.  

Benjamin Hook's 1822 will names Eunice Carl Hook as his beloved wife and total beneficiary along with any unborn child.  Eunice was a daughter of Jonas and Rachel, born in Upper Canada.  After Eunice's subsequent marriage to Joseph Young and the issue of additional heirs, the settlement of Hook's estate went to the Louisiana Supreme Court where it was finally settled many years later.  Eunice outlived Young as well and married thirdly, George P. Lilley.  She had children by all three husbands and her grave can be found in the Young Family Cemetery at the Plains.

A quick glance underneath the Annison house on my recent visit, revealed mostly modern milled lumber and flooring, but closer inspection showed that some older heavy primary structural members remain.  Those solid members have a hand-hewn finish and are of the size you would expect of an antebellum structure.  This house may indeed date from 1811.  I read that the intent of the Zachary Historic District is to eventually remove the non-original dormer from the front of the house.  I would love to see that happen as well as the reintroduction of a wood shake roof.  I find it likely that Jonas built this house either for himself or for his son-in-law, Benjamin Hook.

The search continues for proof of Jonas' daughters and grand daughters and great-grand daughters births and marriages.  I hope to one day achieve that certificate to commemorate his Loyalist service during the Revolution.