The Family of John C. Nafus
John C. Nafus [LJP2-ZQK]was born in 1797 in New York. He was the son of William S. Nafus and Salome Carpenter. By the 1820s, he had moved west, purchasing 80 acres of land in Wyandot County, Ohio, on April 1, 1825. He married Susannah Anna Miller around 1827, likely in New York, before settling in Ohio.
John and Susannah’s early years of marriage were spent in Ohio, where they lived in Wyandot County in 1828 and in Crawford County by 1830. Over the next few years, John bought and sold property, including land in Crawford County and later in McCutchenville, Ohio. In 1840, the family relocated to Lake County, Indiana. John continued to acquire land, purchasing another 80 acres in Indiana in 1841 and filing additional land entry papers in 1844.
Susannah passed away on March 4, 1844, in Lowell, Lake County, Indiana. At the time of her death, she and John were the parents of three known children:
Children of John and Susanna Nafus
- Sarah Jane Nafus, born January 28, 1828, in Ohio, later married James Wilbern Jennings on April 22, 1849, in Grayson County, Texas. The couple had several children, including Andrew Palestine Jennings Sr., born in 1859 in Burnet County, Texas. Sarah and James lived in Texas for the remainder of their lives, settling first in Burnet County and later in Williamson County. Sarah died on January 17, 1892, in Leander, Texas, and was buried in Bagdad Cemetery. James survived her by more than a decade, dying in Leander on November 6, 1905.
- An unnamed male child, born before 1830, appears in the family records but remains unidentified.
- George M. Nafus, born around 1830 in Ohio, is recorded in the 1850 census as residing in Grayson County, Texas, alongside his father and half-siblings.
After Susannah’s death, John remarried. On May 20, 1846, he wed Rosannah Chandler in Porter County, Indiana. By 1850, the family had moved once again, this time to Grayson County, Texas, where they are found in the federal census. John spent his later years in Texas, where he eventually passed away, although the exact date of his death remains unknown.
Throughout his life, John C. Nafus was a pioneer settler, moving steadily westward from New York to Ohio, Indiana, and ultimately Texas. His legacy continued through his children, particularly Sarah Jane, whose descendants carried on the family name in Texas.
The above narrative was written by ChatGPT based on the following genealogy report generated by RootsMagic.
RootsMagic Narrative Report
John C. Nafus was born in 1797 in New York.
He purchased land being 80 acres in section 3 of township 1 South of Range 14 East of the 1st Prime Meridian on 1 Apr 1825 in Wyandot County, Ohio. [1]
He married Susannah Anna Miller about 1827 in New York. [2]
He lived in Wyandot County, Ohio in 1828. [3]
John lived in Crawford County, Ohio in 1830. [4]
He sold land on 16 Apr 1836 in Crawford County, Ohio. [5]
He purchased on 16 Jun 1836 in McCutchenville, Crawford, Ohio, United States. [6]
John lived in Lake, Indiana, United States in 1840. [7]
He purchased land being 80 acres in section 29 of township 33 in range 8 west on 16 Feb 1841 in Indiana, United States. [8]
He filed land entry papers land being the East half of the NE quarter of section 29 in township 33 north of range 8 west of 2nd PM on 1 Aug 1844 in Lake, Indiana, United States. [9]
He married Rosannah Chandler on 20 May 1846 in Porter, Indiana, United States. [10–13]
John lived in Grayson, Texas, United States in 1850. [14]
He died in Grayson, Texas, United States.
Susannah Anna Miller
She married John C. Nafus about 1827 in New York. [2]
Susannah Anna Miller [2] died on 4 Mar 1844 in Lowell, Lake, Indiana, United States. [2] John C. Nafus and Susannah Anna Miller had the following children:
11. Sarah Jane Nafus was born on 28 Jan 1828 in Ohio. [2,15]
Sarah Jane Nafus and James Wilbern Jennings were married on 22 Apr 1849 in Grayson, Texas, United States. [22–24]
She lived in Grayson, Texas, United States in 1850. [16]
She was the mother of Andrew Palestine Jennings Sr. who was born on 20 Aug 1859 in Burnet, Burnet, Texas, United States. [17–18]
Sarah lived in Burnet, Texas, United States in 1860. [19]
She lived in Burnet, Texas, United States in 1870. [20]
She lived in Williamson, Texas, United States in 1880. [21]
Sarah died on 17 Jan 1892 at the age of 63 in Leander, Williamson, Texas, United States. [15]
She was buried in 1892 at Bagdad Cemetery in Leander, Williamson, Texas, United States. [15]
James Wilbern Jennings was born on 22 Dec 1825 in Lafayette, Missouri, United States. [15]
He lived in Grayson, Texas, United States in 1850. [16]
James lived in Burnet, Texas, United States in 1860. [19]
He lived in Burnet, Texas, United States in 1870. [20]
He lived in Williamson, Texas, United States in 1880. [21]
James died on 6 Nov 1905 at the age of 79 in Leander, Williamson, Texas, United States. [15]
He was buried in Nov 1905 in Leander, Williamson, Texas, United States. [15]
12. _____ Nafus was born before 1830.
13. Geo M Nafus was born about 1830 in Ohio. [2]
He lived in Grayson, Texas, United States in 1850. [25]
Rosannah Chandler was born on 16 Oct 1807 in Indiana.
She married John C. Nafus on 20 May 1846 in Porter, Indiana, United States. [10–13]
She lived in Grayson, Texas, United States in 1850. [14]
ENDNOTES:
1. United States Bureau of Land Management, “General Land Office Records,” database with images, BLM.Gov (: viewed online 14 March 2025), John C Nafus.
2. “Cox Family Tree”, online tree, Debra Cox, My Heritage (https://www.myheritage.com/profile-381154391-1500203/john-c-nafus : viewed online 14 March 2025), ” John C Nafus
3. Commemorative Historical and Biographical Record of Wood County, Ohio: Its Past and Present (Chicago: J H Beers & Co, 1897), 1151-1152; Digital image, Archive.org, http://www.archive.org viewed online 6 March 2025.
4. 1830 U.S. Census, Crawford County, Ohio, population schedule, Tymochtee, Crawford County, ohio, page 163, Image 7 of 10, John C Naffus; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 13 March 2025)
5. Ohio, Wyandott County. Deed Records, 1826-1886. Film #7209590. John C Nafus, 16 April 1836; Vol. A: page 365-366; 221 and 222 of 352, digitized images, FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online 14 March 2025.
6. Ohio, Wyandott County. Deed Records, 1826-1886. Film #7209590. John C Nafus, 16 Jun 1836; Vol. A: page 422; 225 of 352, digitized images, FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org : viewed online 14 March 2025.
7. 1840 U.S. Census, Lake County, Indiana, population schedule, Lake County, Indiana, page 172, Image 5 of 23, John C Nafus; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 14 March 2025)
8. “Land Records (BLM Tract Books)”, digitized images, FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org: viewed onilne, 14 March 2025; Film #7111259. John C Nafus, 18 Feb 1841; Indiana, 26; Image 422 581 images.
9. Bureau of Land Management, “General Land Office Records,” database with images John C Navus.
10. “Indiana, Compiled Marriage Index, 1802-1892,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : Dodd, Jordan. Indiana Marriages 1802-1892, Porter County, Indiana, viewed online (6 July 2023), John C Nephis.
11. “Indiana, Compiled Marriage Index, 1802-1892,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : Dodd, Jordan. Indiana Marriages 1802-1892, [Location], [Book]; [Page]viewed online (6 July 2023), John C. Nephis.
12. “Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001,” database, Ancestry, (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 6 July 2023), JOhn C Nephis.
13. “Indiana, Marriage Index, 1800-1941,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : County Court Records at Williamsport, IN, Porter County, Indiana, viewed online (6 July 2023), John C Nephis.
14. 1850 U.S. Census, Grayson County, Texas, population schedule, Grayson County, Texas, page 692, Image 20 and 21 of 46, family 115, Jn C Nafus; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 13 March 2025)
15. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 24 March 2025), memorial for Sarah Jane Nafus Jennings (1828-1892), Find a Grave Memorial no. 16570052, created by John Christeson / maintained by Bagdad Cemetery Assn, citing Bagdad Cemetery, Leander, Williamson County, Texas; accompanying photograph by John Christeson, Sarah Jane Nafus Jennings.
16. 1850 U.S. Census, Grayson County, Texas, population schedule, Grayson County, Texas, page 714, family 758, Jas M Jennings.
17. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 24 March 2025), memorial for Andrew Palestine Jennings (1859-1918), Find a Grave Memorial no. 16570170,
18. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982, Andrew Palestine Jenninges, 7 March 1918; database on-line, Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com : viewed online 2 April 2025).
19. 1860 U.S. Census, Burnet County, Texas, population schedule, Burnet County, Texas, page 23, Image 23 of 60, family 154, Jas W Jennings; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 31 March 2025)
20. 1870 U.S. Census, Burnet County, Texas, population schedule, Burnet County, Texas, page 51, Image 7 of 22, family 376, J W Jennings; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 2 April 2025)
21. 1880 U.S. Census, Williamson County, Texas, population schedule, Williamson County, Texas, ED 157, page 30, Image 29 of 30, family 251, James W Jennings; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 2 April 2025)
22. “Texas, Select County Marriage Index, 1837-1965,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 28 March 2025), Sarah Jane Neffers.
23. “Texas, Marriage Index, 1824-2017,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : Grayson County, Texas, viewed online (28 March 2025), Sarah J Nessers.
24. “Texas, Select County Marriage Index, 1837-1965,” database Sarah Jane Neffers.
25. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 24 March 2025), memorial for Roy John Hartman (1881-1962), Find a Grave Memorial no. 92969194,