The father of Richard Jaqua was a citizen of the state of Connecticut. Soon
after the Revolutionary War the family moved into Columbia County, in the state
of New York, where, on the 9th day of April, 1787, Richard Jaqua was born. Some
time after, the family moved to Canada West, and settled near Brockville.
On the 9th day of October, 1809 Richard Jaqua was married to Elizabeth Wilsee,
a young Canadienne. When the war between England and the United States broke out,
Jaqua was the owner of two hundred acres of land and considerable personal property.
When he was drafted as a soldier to join the British Army, his American pride
was stronger than the laws of Canada, and he at once determined that he would
not take up arms against his native land, and that he would take up his belongings
and make good his escape to his native land at the first opportunity. Soonafter,
the draft, and on the last day of the year 1812, he and nine others crossed the
St. Lawrence, about forty miles below Kingston.
One of these others was his friend, Ezra Brown, who, also, afterwards became one
of the first settlers of Seneca County. Jaqua carried a small feather bed and
bed clothes, and Brown carried the clothing for both. When the party arrived
at the American picket fort, it was late at night. The next morning the whole
party of run-aways were sent, under guard, to Ogdensburgh, in the State of New
York, where Major Forsythe was in command. The examined each man separately,
and being satisfied of the truth of their statements, gave each man a pass.
Jaqua then went over to his native county of Columbia, and the 3rd day of April,
1813, started back for Ogdensburgh. On his way he met his friend Brown at
Morristown, New York. They were both experienced in the the use of small boats
and intimately acquainted with the dangerous places in the channel of the St.
Lawrence. Here they came to the conclusion that they would help other deserters
get over to the American side, and for that purpose procured a craft, by the
means of which they helped a goodly number of the fugitives to get across the
river to the American side.
This sort of employment was exceedingly dangerous, inasmuch as no crafts of any
sort were allowed to touch the Canadian shore; yet these friends followed up this
work during all the summer and fall of 1813. The Canadian authorities became
fully informed of these operations and sent a squad of men to a small island
opposite Gibway Point, with instructions to capture both Jaqua and Brown as they
were passing to and fro.
0ne night, Jaqua, Brown, Patterson, and five others crossed over to Gibway Point
and secreted themselves until morning when Patterson walked along the beach to
attract the attention of the Guard. Immediately, three men were seen putting
out from the island in a punt-boat, and then made for Patterson. These men and
Patterson getting into sharp conversation, Patterson receded from the British
and the shore, and when they were far enough away to be considered safe, Jaqua,
Brown and the other men, who were secreted with them, jumped up, and with
cocked guns and the help of Patterson, took the men prisoners and handed them
over to a militia captain at Rawsee. This captain detailed a guard, consisting
of Sergeant Whipple, Jaqua, Brown, and several others, to take the prisoners
to Sackett's Harbor which they did.
In the Fall of the same year, 1813, the American Army, under General Wilkerson,
was in camp on the American side of the St. Lawrence, a short distance below
Gravelly Point. General Hamlin, with his troops, was stationed at a point on the
same side called French Mills. Hamlin was anxious to have Wilkerson, with his
men, join him, but to bring this about, it would require a long and tedious march
by land, or to embark and sail through the thousand Isles, which all knew, was
a dangerous undertaking.
Hamlin sent two messengers with his orders for Wilkerson, and when they arriv[ed at]
Morristown, where Jaqua and Brown then were, one of the messengers was taken sick
a[nd bec]came unable to proceed further. The other messenger employed Jaqua and
Brown to take [him]to General Wilkerson's headquarters. They took the punt boat
and travelling by night [] only, they reached General Wilkerson's camp in two
weeks, after they left Morristown. a few days thereafter, Brown and Jaqua were
engaged by General Wilkerson to pilot him an[d]his forces down the river with
their punt boat. They passed safely through the Thousand Isles and reached a
point about four miles above Fort Prescott, then crossed the river into Canada.
For about four weeks thereafter, Jaqua and Brown were constantly busy piloting
parties down the river. For fear of trouble from the Canadian authorities, Mr.
Jaqua kept his name and the fact that he was drafted in Canada a profound secret
for all the time he was associated with the movements of the American troops
along the St. Lawrence.
On the 14th day of May, 1814, Jaqua enrolled his name as a private in the company
of minute men under Captain Ellis, at Houndsfield, about five miles above
Sackett's Harbor. During his service in that company, one Wolsey was in charge
of a fleet of small boats loaded with stores belonging to the United States,
and vessels then in process of construction. When the company arrived at a
point off Big Sandy Creek, near Sackett's Harbor, they were noticed by the
British Fleet, and Wolsey, to save his fleet, ran it into the mouth of Big
Sandy. The bar at the mouth of the creek prevented the British vessels from
passing in. Thereupon the British immediately embarked in small boats, and
followed Wolsey. The alarm was given to the minute men, who arrived very
soon at the scene, and joining with a company already thereon duty, gave the
British battle and forced them to retreat. The British left ninety-six of
their men dead on the field.
Mr. Jaqua succeeded in having his family brought across the border in the Fall
of 1813, and now joined them. In 1815 he was engaged in hauling timber and
lumber to Sackett's Harbor, where some 74 vessels were being built. He moved
to the Western part of the state of New York, where he lived six years, and
then moved to this county in 1882 and settled in Eden township, where lived
to the time of his death. His friend Brown had preceded him as a pioneer to
this county.
Colonel Jaqua, as he was familiarly called, received neither compensation nor
pension from the Government for all his valuable service, until 1872.
His Property was all confiscated by the British Government in Canada. It was
through the efforts of the Honorable C. Foster, member of Congress from this
district, that the Government recognized the meritorious work of Mr. Jaqua and
granted him a pension, by special act, that tended very materially to gladden
the few remaining years of the Colonel's life.
Co. Jaqua was a little more than six feet high, and well proportioned. He was
blessed with an iron constitution, and great force of character. In his boyhood
days his chance for an education was not very good; but whatever he lacked in
book learning he made up by his sound sense and clear judgement. In stature
and personal appearance, in his movements and tone of voice, he resembled Josiah
Hedges, the Proprietor of Tiffin. He had a noble bearing, an open, frank, but
sincere, countenance, heavy lower jaw, clenched lips, dark eyes, nose not very
large and a little of the Roman shape, and a fine forehead. His very looks would
say: "I'll do as I agree, sir." He took a very active part in public affairs in
Seneca county, and contributed largely to the development of her resources,
having lived here more than half a century. He was social in his nature, a
good husband and father, and, above all, an honest man. He died, without a
struggle, in peace with God and Mankind, on the 26th of September, 1978,
aged ninety-one years, five months and seventeen days. His wife had preceded
him in death on the 7th of May, 1877, aged eighty-six years, seven months and
four days. This venerable couple lived in happy wedlock nearly seventy years,
more than two generations of time. The Colonel was buried with plain, but
impressive ritual of Masonry, having been an honored member of the order during
the greater part of his life.
Requiesce en pace
(document ends here)
Re-typed by Jerry Phares from his photocopy of the original document. The words
"The Fascinating Life of" in the title, actually "Fasinating"[sic] are written
in pen on the original. The words underlined words in paragraph 3 "he would
not take up arms against his native land, ..." are crossed out in pen on the
original. (Possibly as repetitive coupled with the same phrase in the next part
of the same sentence.)This document has no attribution of authorship, nor is
it dated. Mr. Phares first saw this document as a child (in the 1960's) and it was
described to him as "a family historical document" or words to that effect.
The original is typewritten on a very thin onionskin-type paper.
A small corner is missing. (Indicated by **** in the re-type) ...Mr. Phares also states that
the document appears to be written by someone in Seneca County, OH, from the usage "this
county" and "this district".
[Note: In a letter to Dale Brown dated May 29, 1999, Mr. Phares notes that the above
account contains factual errors (these are not enumerated in the letter). At that time,
Mr. Phares did not know who wrote the account nor was he aware of the source of
the writer's information. The document from which the above was transcribed was
in the possession of Mr. Phares's great aunt and was kept with old family papers
and photos in a cedar chest. The original was in the
possession of her son. The unreadable portions of the document (indicated by **** in Mr.
Phares's transcript) were filled in by Dale Brown, based on the account recorded in The History of Seneca
County]
Dale Brown's Family History Page
Author: Dale A. Brown
Last updated: March 23,2001
If you find errors in the information presented here or have comments
that would make the site more useful or user-friendly,
my email address is dbcpa55@hotmail.com.
