Jonas Hobart, Revolutionary War Veteran #15
In one of the southeastern cemeteries of McDonough County stands a white
military marker inscribed: “Corpl. Jonas Hobart, 1 N.H. Continentals, Rev.
War.” It marks the grave of a New Hampshire soldier who carried the scars—
and the memory—of the American Revolution to the Illinois frontier.
Jonas Hobart was born in November 1744 in Groton, New Hampshire, the
third of ten children of Shebuel Hobart and Esther Park. In 1770, he married
Elizabeth “Betsy” Kemp. After learning of the death of his younger brother
Isaac was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Jonas resolved to take his place.
At age 32, he enlisted on March 17, 1777, serving as a corporal in the 4th
Company, 1st New Hampshire Regiment of the Continental Army.
That summer, Jonas served under General Philip Schuyler during the
campaign at Fort Ticonderoga. During the fighting—or possibly the retreat—he
was struck by a musket ball that entered his right cheek, knocked out two
teeth, and lodged near his left collarbone. The bullet was removed with a
pocketknife, and both it and one of the teeth have been preserved by a
descendant.
Jonas remained in service until his discharge on January 1, 1781. Decades
later, in 1818, while living in St. Albans, Vermont, he applied for and received a
pension of $96 per year for his service.
Around 1822, seeking better prospects in his later years, Jonas and Betsy
joined family members traveling west by covered wagon. They arrived at
Downings Landing (present-day Beardstown, Illinois) on February 22, 1823.
After a brief stay in Schuyler County—where their granddaughter Ruth Powers
took part in the county’s first recorded marriage—the family settled in
McDonough County. There, Jonas purchased five acres in Eldorado Township.
Corporal Jonas Hobart died on December 15, 1833. Betsy followed a year
later.
Hobart is one of four Revolutionary War soldiers buried in McDonough County.
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this series will highlight each
of these Patriots who carried the legacy of the Revolution into the early days of
the Illinois frontier.
Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County
Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For this story, go to
https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/
