Horatio Jones (1763–1836) was a soldier in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

and an early European-American settler in the

Genesee Valley The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hy ...

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. Jones was born in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

on February 7, 1763. As a child he moved to

Bedford County, Pennsylvania Bedford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,577. The county seat is Bedford. History In 1750 Robert MacRay, a Scots-Irish immigrant, opened the first trading post in Raystown (w ...

. At age 16 he joined a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

unit, the "Bedford Rangers." In 1779 the company was ambushed by

Seneca Indians The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west w ...

, and Jones was captured and taken to

Caneadea, New York Caneadea is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,238 at the 2020 census. The name is of Seneca language origin and means "where the heavens rest on earth." The Seneca are the dominant Iroquoian tribe in this we ...

. He was adopted into a Seneca family and became fluent in the language. During the remainder of the war he is said to have been instrumental in helping to rescue others taken prisoner by the Seneca, including Major Moses Van Campen. After the war,

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

appointed Jones agent and interpreter for the Six Nations. In this capacity he served as interpreter at the negotiations for the

Treaty of Canandaigua The Treaty of Canandaigua (or Konondaigua, as spelled in the treaty itself) also known as the Pickering Treaty and the Calico Treaty, is a treaty signed after the American Revolutionary War between the Grand Council of the Six Nations and Preside ...

in 1794 and the

Treaty of Big Tree The Treaty of Big Tree was a formal treaty signed in 1797 between the Seneca Nation and the United States, in which the Seneca relinquished their rights to nearly all of their traditional homeland in New York State—nearly 3.5 million acres. In ...

in 1797. In 1784 Jones married Sarah Whitmoyer (or Whitmore) from

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, also a former Seneca captive. They established a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

Waterloo, New York Waterloo is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 7,338 at the 2020 census. The town and its major community are named after Waterloo, Belgium, where Napoleon was defeated. There is also a village called Water ...

, then called ''Schanves'', where their eldest son, Colonel William W. Jones, was born. In spring 1790 the Joneses moved to the Genesee Valley, settling near Beard's Creek in what is now the town of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

. In 1791, Jones officially purchased the lot of land in Geneseo on which his homestead, Sweet Briar, was constructed.Ontario County Clerk. "Horatio Jones from Eleazer Pomeroy." 28 Dec. 1791. Deeds Liber 2, p. 427. Sarah W. Jones died in 1794, and Horatio Jones married Elizabeth Starr from

Groveland, New York Groveland is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 3,249 at the 2010 census. The town is centrally located in the county, south of Geneseo. History The Sullivan Expedition (1779) reached its farthest extent ...

in 1795. He died in Geneseo 1836. He is buried in Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo. Elizabeth died in 1844 and is buried in Temple Hill Cemetery.

References

External links

* 1763 births 1836 deaths People from Livingston County, New York People from Chester County, Pennsylvania {{NewYork-bio-stub