John William Clonts, Sr.^[1]

1804 - 1879  (75 years)

• Name	John William Clonts
  Suffix	Sr.
  Born	16 Feb 1804	Burke County, North Carolina   [2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	1 Apr 1804	Rowan County, North Carolina   [4]
  	in the Organ Lutheran Church... http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Early_History_of_Organ_Church%2C_Rowan_County%2C_NC Early History of Organ Church, Rowan County, N. C. The proper name of this congregation is " Zion's Church," but there are few persons, even among its members, who are acquainted with its true name. The fact that it was, until recently, the only Lutheran church in North Carolina which was possessed of such an instrument of music, has given it this sobriquet, by which it is generally known and so called in all the records of the Lutheran Church in the State. The old organ?a relic of the past?is still there, but its voice is no longer heard in the worship of the congregation; like the voices of its contemporaries, who are now mouldering in the adjoining graveyard, its spirit of music is fled, and the external remains, encompassing a number of broken and disarranged pipes, are all that is left to remind us of a former age, a former congregation, and of a master whom it once honored. How forcibly, under such circumstances, do the following lines of Moore's Melodies strike the mind! "The harp that once, through Tara's halls, The soul of music shed, Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls, As if that soul were fled." The history of this congregation is gathered from the old German church-book, which is still carefully preserved, and the historic records are made therein by one of the first pastors, Rev. C. A. G. Storch, from which a correct idea may be obtained of the past transactions of the people who worshiped there. The first German settlers of that portion of Rowan County, along Second Creek, came from Pennsylvania, and were members of the Lutheran and German Reformed Churches, but in numbers far too few to erect a church for the sole use of either denomination; hence they concluded to build a temporary house of worship to be owned by themselves jointly, and which was called " The Hickory Church." According to the statement of the late Rev. J. A. Linn, this church occupied the site on which St. Peter's Lutheran Church now stands, and was built by permission on the land of Mr. Pullenwider, who, however, never gave the two congregations a title for this spot of ground, as the church was considered a temporary building only, to be occupied alternately by both these denominations, each of which expected to erect their own house of worship at a later period. The term "Hickory Church" also indicates of what perishable material this house of worship was built, and was in keeping with the original idea. It was soon left unoccupied, and in course of a few years it crumbled into ruins. More than half a century later a want for a church to be built on this same site was again felt, when St. Peter's Lutheran Church was organized, and a more durable building was erected. As was the case with all the first German settlers in North Carolina, who did not bring their pastor with them, so likewise were the Lutheran members of the Hickory Church destitute of the means of grace for some length of time, and as no other hope of obtaining a regularly ordained minister of the Gospel presented itself, the members were resolved to send to Germany for a pastor. In this manner they secured the services of Rev. Adolph Nussmann as their pastor, and Gottfried Arndt as their schoolteacher. The new pastor preached but one year in the Hickory Church to both denominations, after which some dissension arose, and a majority of the Lutherans then resolved to build a church for themselves, and in this manner originated Zion's Church, better known as Organ Church. The members of the German Reformed Church soon followed the example of their Lutheran brethren, and likewise built a new church on another location, which they named Grace Church, but ia more frequently called "The Lower Stone Church," on account of its position lower dowu the stream above mentioned, and built of the same material as Organ Church. Before the building of Organ Church was quite completed, Rev. A. Nussmann left this congregation, and went as pastor to Buffalo Creek Church, in Cabarrus County. The congregation, which now had a church but. no pastor, sent their schoolteacher, Gottfried Arndt, to be ordained to the office of the ministry, in the year 1775. He served them through the trying period of the Revolution, until 1786, when he moved to the Catawba River, residing in Lincoln County, and labored in that field to the close of his life.
  Alt Birth	1805	North Carolina   [5]
  Occupation	Farmer  [6]
  _AKAN	John Glantz
  _CENN	John Clouts  [5]
  _MILT	Veteran, Second Seminole War, 1835-1842
  	Clouts, John, Private, served in Cody's Company of 1st Georgia Mounted Volunteers in Florida War
  Died	19 Jul 1879	Gilmer County, Georgia   [6, 7, 8]
  Buried	Old Cartecay United Methodist Cemetery, Gilmer County, Georgia   [2]
  Person ID	I8920	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	28 Jul 2018

  
  

  Father	Christian Clontz,   b. (~1770), (North Carolina) ,   d. 25 Aug 1841, Burke County, North Carolina
  Mother	Margaret "Peggy" Neal,   b. (~1770), (North Carolina)
  Married	6 Aug 1791	Rowan County, North Carolina   [9]
  Family ID	F3837	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	unnamed spouse,   b. 1820-1825,   d. (Gilmer County, Georgia)
  Married	(North Carolina)
  Residence	1860	Gilmer County, Georgia   [5]
  Children	1. FNU Clonts,   b. 1835-1840, (Gilmer County, Georgia)
  Last Modified	23 Nov 2019
  Family ID	F4263	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Irena Dunn,   b. 1820-1830, (Wilkes County) Georgia ,   d. 8 Mar 1848, Cartegay, Gilmer County, Georgia  (Age 18 years)
  Married	14 Oct 1838	Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia   [10]
  Children	1. Elizabeth A(nn) "Bettie" Clonts,   b. 1840, (Gilmer County) Georgia   2. Munro Clonts,   b. June 1842, Gilmer County, Georgia   3. Lucinda "Lucy" Clonts,   b. 20 Jun 1843, (Gilmer County) Georgia ,   d. 9 Oct 1923, DeKalb County, Tennessee  (Age 80 years)   4. Julia Ann Clonts,   b. 14 Jan 1845, (Gilmer County) Georgia ,   d. 18 Oct 1928, DeKalb County, Tennessee  (Age 83 years)
  Last Modified	23 Nov 2019
  Family ID	F3235	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 3	Mahala Caroline Hembree,   b. 3 Nov 1829, Rutherford County, North Carolina ,   d. 24 Jul 1909, Santa Louca, Gilmer County, Georgia  (Age 79 years)
  Married	6 Mar 1850	McMinn County, Tennessee   [3, 7, 11]
  Children	1. Letta Ann "Lettie" Clonts,   b. 15 Jun 1851, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia ,   d. 14 Jan 1918, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee  (Age 66 years)   2. Margaret Clementine "Clementine" Clonts,   b. 17 Nov 1852, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia ,   d. 6 Apr 1920, Rome, Floyd County, Georgia  (Age 67 years)   3. John William Clonts, Jr.,   b. 25 Sep 1854, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia ,   d. 1925, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia  (Age 70 years)   4. James Michael Asbury "Mike" Clonts,   b. 18 Jun 1857, Gilmer County, Georgia ,   d. 17 Sep 1939, Gilmer County, Georgia  (Age 82 years)   5. Sarah Jane "Jane" Clonts,   b. 17 Nov 1859, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia ,   d. 5 Dec 1925, Isabella, Polk County, Tennessee  (Age 66 years)   6. Samuel A(sbury) Clonts,   b. 25 Mar 1864, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia   7. Mary Elizabeth Clonts,   b. 0Feb 1868, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia
  Last Modified	23 Nov 2019
  Family ID	F3245	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Gilmer County, Georgia Census: 1840 1850 1860 1870 Jacob x Samuel x x Asbury x Michael A. x John x* x x * Listed as 20-30 years old, 1 female child under 5 and 1 female 15-20. and next: Lourena Smith, age 1, appears in household of John Clonts, 1860, Gilmer Co.,GA and next: I've concluded that JOHN CLONTS was a brother to SAMUEL CLONTS. Based on family lore that (1) Samuel came to North Georgia with a brother (2) biographical similarities, i.e., birth-dates, birth-states, and (3) traditional family names given their offspring (4) Norman Clontz' family group records and (5) Loie Clontz Christie's identification of George's children in a letter written to Mr. R.H. Clontz, October 23, 1972. and next: Per Helen Casada, "He (John) is buried at Old Cartecay Cemetery which is in a pasture. There are 10 or 11 marked graves. No other CLONTZ. However, on each side of John's grave is a grave marked only with a field stone." Conclusion: John was married when he came to Georgia in circa 1833 based on diary entries of William Thomas Prestwood. WTP alludes to John's wife and notes that John moved... There are marriage records for John to Irene Dunn, in 1838, and testimony of Mahala Hembree that she married a man named, John Clonts, in 1851, in Gilmer County, Georgia. Therefore, John is married three times. and next: The two children, Momoc & John, listed in the 1870 census with his second wife, Mahala, seem unlikely to be his children or even Mahala's because (1) why would John have two children named "John" and (2) given Mahala's age, it doesn't seem biologically possible for her to have had these two. Of course, the forename, Momoc, is intriguing. Is it Indian? Could he have been of Mahala's family since she claims Indian heritage? Or are Momoc and John simply neighborhood children who happened to have been in John's household when the census-taker was on his rounds? Testimonial evidence given by Mahala in her 1908 petition for land and money in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma), identifies her children beginning with Margaret - her oldest. No mention was made of Momoc or the first John which further supports the thesis that neither child was the off-spring of John and Mahala. Further research suggests that "Momoc" should read "Monroe"...John R. Clonts. and next: 1910 DeKalb County Census cites John's birth state as South Carolina. Julia cites Georgia for her mother's birth state and South Carolina for her father. and next: John R. Clonts, Hacienda Heights, CA, has found evidence that progenitor John was a veteran of the Florida-Indian Wars. While in the Carlsbad, CA library he found the following: "Index to Volunteer Soldiers in Indian Wars and Disturbances 1815-1858 Vol: 1 A -K; Clouts, John, Pvt, serv in Cody's Co. of 1st Ga Mtd Vols in Fl War Index to Indian wars Pension Files in 1892-1926, p. 290; Clouts, John, wid Mahala C., WC727 Ga 10 Sept 1892, Fl War Srv" and next: Mahala, his wife, describes John as 5' 11", light-colored hair, blue eyes, fair complexion and could not write... end of notes _____ Birthday cited as 16 Feb 1804 per Organ Lutheran Baptismal Records as well as "Leon(h) Klotz" as sponsor...DAH end of comment Birth: Sep., 1803 North Carolina, USA Death: Jul. 19, 1879 Gilmer County Georgia, USA John Clonts & Irena Dunn married Oct 14, 1838, Gilmer Co, GA, by Lewis D. Ellington; Bk 1, Pg 10. In 1840 census, John Clonts, his wife (her age of 15-20 indicates Irena was born 1820-1825), and daughter (age -5) are found next door to John Dunn, presumed to be Irena's father. A couple of houses away were Bethel Quillian & Lewis D. Ellington. Like John Dunn, the Quillian & Ellington families were listed in 1834 census for Gilmer Co; all three surnames have historically been connected to Cartecay UMC. One source indicated that John Clonts came to Gilmer Co with his first wife & a 10-year old daughter; nothing more is known about them. Irena Dunn Clonts reportedly died on Mar 8, 1848 and was buried in the Cartecay UMC Cemetery. No legible tombstone has been found for Irena. Neither John Clonts nor John Dunn are listed in 1850 census for Gilmer Co. They may have moved to McMinn Co, TN where John Clonts reportedly married his third wife, Mahala Caroline Embree/Hembree on Mar 6, 1850. John & Mahala Clonts are back in the Cartecay District of Gimer Co in 1860 census. Census data for 1860 & 1870 shows them living in the Boardtown District of Gilmer Co. Census data indicates following children for John Clonts; the first four were probably Irena's chldren: 1. Elizabeth, b 1840 - married Jones Smith in 1858; however she & daughter Lourena Smith, age 1, are listed with John & Mahala Clonts in 1860. 2. Lucinda, b 1842 - reportedly married 3 different men named Cantrell & moved to DeKalb Co, TN 3. Julia Ann, b 1845 - reportedly married a Cantrell & moved to DeKalb Co, TN 4. Monroe, b 1848 - no additional info 5. John, b 1850 - in same census is another son named John W., age 6; so this one may be in error. 6. Letty A., b 1851 - reportedly married a Cantrell in 1870 & moved to DeKalb Co, TN 7. Margarett P., b 1852 (listed as Clementine in 1870 census) 8. John W., b 1854 - married Hannah Wright in 1874; they are buried at Mt Vernon Baptist in Gilmer Co, GA 9. James M. A., b 1857 - married Lucy Ann Wright (sister to Hannah) in 1879; they are buried at Salem Baptist in Gilmer Co, GA 10. Sarah J., b 1860 - married Joseph I. Teem in 1879 11. Samuel A., b 1864 - no addnl info 12. Mary E., b 1868 - no addnl info After death of John Clonts in 1879, Mahala filed for a pension in 1892 based on his military service. She was awarded $8.00 per month; upon her death, the government was presented with an itemized bill in the amount of $25.00 for her burial. Mahala reportedly died on July 24, 1909, and was buried at Salem Baptist in Gilmer Co, GA. No legible stone was found at Salem for Mahala. end of commentary [8]

  
  

• Sources

  [S6169] Clontz,Norman Dale;Family Group Records,Pedigree & his notes,, 55 (Reliability: 3). [S12704] "John Clonts", Cemetery Profile Biography, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=clonts&GSfn=john&GSbyre. [S6864] "Indian Wars From 1832 to 1842, Widow's Pension". Document provided by John R. (Reliability: 3). [S9726] "Baptism Records of Organ Lutheran Church, Rowan Co., NC 1788-1882", transcribed by Adelaide & Eugenia Lore, Concord, N. [S12945] "John Clouts", "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1. [S6864] "Indian Wars From 1832 to 1842, Widow's Pension". Document provided by John R. [S11150] "The Abraham Hembree Data Project", Revision - February 2004, by Larry Petrisky, (larry_petrisky@hotmail.com), edited by. [S11151] "John Clonts", Cemetery Profile Biography, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=clonts&GSfn=john&GSbyre. [S13750] Rowan County Marriages:1753-1868, p. 226 (Reliability: 3). [S39667] Gilmer County Marriage Book (Reliability: 3). [S12875] "Sarah Jane Clonts", Death Record, "Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysear.