Jacob Waters appeared in Upper Merion, Montgomery County, around 1777 when he joined the militia. His origins and family are unknown.1 He served in the Sixth Battalion, in Captain Lette’s company in 1777 and in 1784 in Captain Arnold Francis’ company.2 Since he was born in 1757, he was a young man during the Revolution.3 He was a blacksmith. In 1783 he was still in Upper Merion, taxed for a modest estate.4

In April of 1783 he married a woman named Ann. Her last name is not known, but she was the niece of Edward Tew (or Tue), who died in Philadelphia in 1788 and named her in his will.5 She might have been the daughter of Samuel Tew of Gloucester County, New Jersey, who was known to have a daughter Ann, but there is a question of how a young woman of Gloucester County would meet a young man from Montgomery County.6

In the 1790 census, Conrad Waters of Upper Merion had two men, one boy and four females living with him. This could be Jacob and Ann and their three oldest children, suggesting that Conrad was Jacob’s father. In 1793 Jacob Waters of Upper Merion bought land in Easttown, Chester County from Henry Ruth.7 In 1795 Jacob and Ann sold land in Easttown to Henry Zook8, and bought land in Honeybrook from Isaac Gibson.9 Honeybrook was about 20 miles west of Easttown. In 1798 they still owned a house in Montgomery County, a two-story stone house with a stone kitchen.10

By 1800 Jacob and Ann were settled in Honeybrook, living close to Benjamin Jones, whose son Benjamin would marry their daughter Sarah.11 Jacob subscribed to a fund for building a stone wall around the graveyard of the Presbyterian church in the forks of the Brandywine.12 They were still in Honeybrook in 1810.13

At some point they moved their family about 350 miles west to Licking County, in central Ohio. Why would they move so far across Pennsylvania and halfway across Ohio? “… In 1840, the population had almost tripled to over 2,700 people. Most residents earned their living from agriculture in Newark’s early years. By the late 1840s, the town was home to three newspaper offices, ten grocery stores, two gristmills, an iron foundry, a wool factory, a bookstore, two hardware stores, as well as several other business establishments. Construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal began just south of Newark at Licking Summit in 1825. The canal led to local prosperity in the 1830’s and 1840’s.”14 As a farmer, Jacob apparently hoped to benefit from that prosperity. Jacob and Ann’s daughter Sarah Waters Jones visited them there with her husband Benjamin, “riding the entire distance from Rockville, Chester county, on horseback.”15

In 1832 Jacob applied for bounty land as a Revolutionary War veteran, submitting a paper with the names of his children and dates of birth for him and his wife Ann.16 Records show that he did receive a pension, paid until his death in 1840.17 He is buried at Brushy Fork Cemetery, Licking County.18 Ann died in 1849, aged 84, a widow, survived by seven of her children.19

Some of the children stayed around Brushy Fork and associated with families in the Church of the Disciple there. “The Brushy Fork Congregation… was organized in the latter part of 1837 with… John Oatman and wife, Andrew Nicholson and wife…first members”.20 Andrew Nicholson was married to Nancy Waters; Nancy’s sister Jane was married to Andrew Oatman, probably related to John Oatman.

Children of Jacob and Ann:

Nathan, b. June 1784, alive in 1849.

Sarah, b. June 1786, d. 1872, m. Benjamin Jones, moved to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Benjamin died there in 1828, leaving Sarah with eight children.21 Children of Benjamin and Sarah: Nancy Ann, Samuel, Caleb, Hannah, Mary Ann, Jacob, Benjamin, Sarah.

Jacob, b. June 1788, d. 1860, m. Mary Trout. Jacob was a farmer in the 1850 census in Crawford County, Ohio. He and Mary had five children. She died in 1877 and is buried with Jacob at Luke Cemetery, Crawford County.22

Nancy, b. July 1790, m. Andrew Nicholson. In the 1820 census Andrew Nicholson lived in Hanover Township, Licking County, Ohio with four people in his household, a farmer.23 They have not been found in later census records.

Joseph, b. July 1792, d. July 1799

Rachel, b. August 1794, d. October 1795

Liddy, b. Dec 1796, no further records

Elizabeth, b. April 1799, m. John Patterson.24 In the 1850 census they were in Hanover Township, Licking County, Ohio.25 John was a farmer, age 60. Their sons Joseph and John were living with them.

Joseph, b. Oct 1802, d. before 1849.

Mary, “Polly”, b. Dec 1804, married a man named Lake.26

Jane, b. 1810, d. 1889, m. Andrew Oatman. In the 1860 census they were living in Mary Ann Township, Licking County, where Andrew was a farmer.27 In 1860 they owned 200 acres of land, managed eight horses, 15 cows, 14 sheep and nine swine, grew corn and produced wool.28 Andrew and Jane were buried at Barnes Cemetery, Licking County.29 Children: Charles, Harriet, Emily, Eliza, Warren, George, Jemima, Nancy.30