John Howard

     John Howard was born on 6 October 1742.¹ He married Lucy (?) circa 1765 at New York. John Howard married Hannah Ford, daughter of Theodosius Ford and Hannah Burbank, on 21 December 1780 at Liverpool, Queens Co, Nova Scotia.² John Howard married Mariah West, daughter of John West and Phoebe Freeman, on 14 April 1782 at Liverpool, Queens Co, Nova Scotia.³ John Howard married Patience Howard, daughter of Edward Howard Jr and Phoebe Hart, on 28 November 1784 at Pawling, Dutchess Co, New York.⁴ John Howard died on 1 July 1824 at Hampton, Kings Co, New Brunswick, at age 81.^5,4 He was buried on 4 July 1824 at St Paul's Cemetery, Hampton, Kings Co, New Brunswick.⁶
     Mystery surrounds the early life of John Howard. From the War forward we have a fairly good account of what he did and where he went, but before that we have a blank chapter.      Supposedly John Howard was born on 6 October 1742, according to a Bible held by Heather Howard Roy (1998), which is the very Bible originally held by James Telfer for many years. Heather has sent this writer photos of the Bible, and she is one very lucky person to have it in her possession!


     John Howard was taken prisoner (18?) June 1776 and tried on his general character, a consequence for his allegiance to the King. He escaped to the HMS Phoenix and joined the Royal Army, leaving his wife Lucy and seven children behind. Sometime in the Spring the Commissioners of Sequestration seized and sold his personal estate: a farm of over 107 acres and livestock. In the Fall of 1777 or 78 his wife and seven of their eight children were sent to New York with just one set of clothing each. There, they were boarded onto a ship headed for Nova Scotia where he and the eldest son Edward were. They were lost in a hurricane of September 1778 enroute to Halifax. One might speculate that this ship was possibly the ill-fated "Bermuda" which sailed 11 September 1778 from New York to Halifax. Thomas West was said to have been lost at sea on this ship [NEHGR, Vol 126], and since John Howard knew the West family, and married Mariah West, this may be one theory as to which ship his family was on.
     One reference mentions Capt John Howard of the Orange Rangers was born in America, previously a farmer. " He formed the 1st Dutchess County Independent Company and attached this to the NY Volunteers. Muster rolls list him as a Captain in the Corps of New York Volunteers from 10 Nov 1776 to as late as April 1778. By 16 Oct 1777 there were 300 or more men in three companies under Major Alexander Grant. He was active in recruiting and placed an ad in the Royal American Gazette on 2 Jul 1778, offering free clothes, 3£ and other necessities.
In July 1778 Captain John Coffin of the King's Orange Rangers exchanged companies with Captain John Howard. Records show him being recommissioned as Captain of the Rangers 29 July 1778. At the end of the War he retired with half-pay for life, effective 25 October 1783. In April of 1786 John Howard wrote that he had been unable to report the losses of his confiscated land in Charlotte Precinct, New York before the allotted time had expired. He stated his residence to be Nova Scotia from 15 July 1783 until 25 March 1784. After his fourth marriage to Patience Howard in New York, he and his new bride went to New Brunswick where he discovered that his agent had not included his name in the grant of Quaco made in 1784. He then made a new application. Disposition given on 13 March 1786 [American Loyalist Claims, AO13/22/131-137] by Abel Peters and Jonathan Hoag, Jr. says his claim to land is just. They said his wife in 1777 had conveyed horses and a wagon to David Arnold to settle a debt, but they were confiscated by rebels.
     It was not until 1796 that the authorities in Fredericton finally approved the grant. In 1798, Capt. John Howard reported he had given up half his land and had settled four families on it, leaving him about 500 acres out of the original 1200. On 17 February 1810 John requested an additional 2000 acres for the accomodation of his ten children from Martin Hunter, Esquire, President of His Majesty's Council and Commander in Chief of New Brunswick. John Howard was buried on 4 July 1824, three days following his death. His wife Patience survived him and drew an officer's widow's pension until at least 1829. On 16 September 1824 Patience Howard swore before a justice that she had married John Howard 28 November 1784 in Dutchess County, New York. Her brother Edward Howard also swore to the marriage on 11 Feb 1825.^7,8,9,10
     When John Howard arrived in New Brunswick about 1787 or so, he found that his agent, Thomas VanBuskirk hd not included his name on the land grant of Quaco in 1784. He applied for a new grant to include marsh land. The original settlers complained that their cattle would starve if John was given so much marsh land. He was granted land in 1796.
     In 1798, he reported that he had give up half his land, settling four families on it and with two others had erected a sawmill and gristmill.¹¹ The Diary of Simeon Perkins mentions a letter received from Capt John Howard, dated 18 Dec 1788, at St Martins, saying he was doing very well. He had raised 70 bushels wheat, 40 bushels buckwheat, 500 bushels potatoes, 50 bushels turnips, and had five hogs of 800 wt, the last year.¹²