Joel JERVIS/JARVIS was the first child born to Joseph Ireland JERVIS/JARVIS and his wife, Phebe CARLL. He was born on the 24th of October 1790, which happened to be his father’s 26th birthday. Sadly, his mother passed away 13 days later. His father, Joseph, remarried when Joel was 3 ½ to Elizabeth HENDRICKSON. Joseph and Elizabeth were the parents of 9 children. (According to some articles about Elizabeth’s 100th birthday, Joel had 7 half-siblings; however, these articles also say the John B. Jervis, for whom Port Jervis, New York is named, was a half-brother, but that is wrong as John was a 1st cousin twice removed.)
By the time Joseph became a father and then a widow, his mother and mother-in-law had already passed away. Perhaps one of his or Phebe’s siblings took care of his son until he remarried…and I’m just guessing that Joel was raised with his half-siblings.
Joel was born in what was probably Copiague, Suffolk, New York since there was a 37.5 acre Jarvis tract of land on Great Neck Road in Copiague that had been owned by the Jarvis family since 1698 (which stayed in the family until 1926).1
The only other thing I know about Joel before his marriage was that around the age of 22 he “enlisted and drilled for the war of 1812, but never was called into active service.”2
At the age of 25 and on the 29th of November 1815, Joel married Elizabeth SMITH, the only child of Henry Clark SMITH and his wife Jemima TERRY. Elizabeth was also missing a parent as her father had died when she was 10 ½. Her mother remarried to Matthew EDWARDS, who was a widower of Jemima’s double first cousin. Matthew and his first wife, Elizabeth MORRIS, had had several children together. Since I have not yet found the marriage date of Jemima and Matthew, I do not know if Jemima and Matthew had any children together and/or if Elizabeth was raised with step-siblings, or if Elizabeth herself was already married when her mother remarried.
Joel and Elizabeth had eight children together (see below) and Joel passed away on 3 November 1863 and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery in Amityville, Suffolk, New York. He had just reached his 73rd birthday. His widow lived another 31 years.
Joel:
Various newspaper articles have this to say about Joel and his years serving his community:
He was a constable for a number of years when he became the Justice of the Peace for the south side of town [Huntington which included the Babylon town area3] when Samuel Strong got too old to hold that position any longer.4 “Justice of the Peace [was] a position at that time of great importance, as lawyers were few, and the squire usually acted as lawyer and arbitrator…”2 “…Joel being at one and the same time himself a town trustee, justice of the peace, town constable, and Commissioner of Schools.”5 In the end, Joel was an officer of Amityville for about 40 years.6
As Justice of the Peace, he performed marriages and recorded them in a book called Book of marriages solemnized by me, Joel Jarvis, justice of the peace, 1828-1858. The book can be found on a microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (or can be ordered and sent to a local Family History Center): FHL US/CAN Film 17927 Item 1.
And about his personality, while hunting for his obituary (which I still haven’t found), I was able to find an article written about him more than 20 years after his death.4 The article reveals this about Joel’s characteristics and skills:
He had a pleasant way of doing business and his business was always acted with proper decorum. His decisions (as Justice of the Peace, I suppose) were “always about right--not too severe, but generally tempered with mercy, unless it was a case almost beyond hope, when he would let justice have full sway.” He used a long quill and home-made books, but his handwriting was “quite peculiar” and apparently hard to decipher. He was known as an honest, conscientious man.
He wasn’t all business, however. He had an “exuberance of spirit.” He was a gifted story-teller and was known for telling jokes and being witty. He was an acrobat--he would go to the top of a barn and stand on his head on the ridge and dangle his feet in the air. He had the skill of a legerdemainist (legerdemain: “skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks”). He also could blow a stream of fire from his mouth and half way across the room.
Two cases of his that we know about--when a young Walt Whitman came before him as defendant in an assault and when a thief came before him in court and called God as a witness to come down and declare his innocence--will be found in the newspaper articles about Joel.
Elizabeth:
Since Elizabeth lived to be 100th, there were many articles written about her birthday celebration and then her death six months later. This is what we learn about her from the many articles:
Her disposition was sunny (“as sunny as that of most women at 50”).7 She was know for her “luxuriant tresses,” which trait was passed on to her descendants.8 “Mrs. Jervis is still a handsome old lady. Her form is straight, and her hair abundant and there is always a trace of color in her cheeks.”9
She never experienced any kind of illness throughout her long life.8 She “followed the old custom of taking a little wine when she felt like it”2 plus she always ate lean meat having discarded the fat, and she always drank strong green tea. Her long life was “due to the inheritance of a good constitution, and her careful, temperate living, helped by a calm, contented disposition.”9
She was born in 1794 when George Washington was the President and she considered him the best president, though “of modern Presidents her ideas were Jackson and Cleveland in that order.”9 She was a Jeffersonian Democrat and liked to talk politics.10 When she died in 1895, the United States was on its 24th president, President Grover Cleveland, who was in his second term as President, so she had lived during the first 24 presidencies of the US.
Till she was about 98, she regularly read six weekly papers and was “a great reader.”2 Besides reading, she also knitted and sewed.11 (which I guess isn’t really surprising)
Depending on which article is being looked at, she was born in Brooklyn, Sayville, or Blue Point. It was often mentioned that her father, Henry Clark Smith was from Sayville. One article also mentioned that her maternal grandfather, Jeremiah TERRY, was from Sayville, as well. Sayville and Blue Point are only 3 ½ miles apart. I doubt she was born in Brooklyn. [I need to order her death certificate!]
A problem with the articles on her deals with her ancestry. Her father was Henry Clark SMITH, and depending on the newspaper, Henry was a son or a grandson of Colonel William Smith, governor of Tangiers. We know Henry wasn’t a son. It is possible that he was a grandson as there are a few descendants whose whereabouts where unknown. I do not know who the parents of Henry Clark SMITH are.
Is my Henry, who is supposed to be a direct descendant of Col. William "Tangiers" Smith from the missing branch named below:
“Next in order of Col. Henry’s [son of Col. William] progeny came William Henry (III) who was called "Young Clerk" Smith, …
William Henry Smith (III), "Young Clerk Smith" was born in 1708 and became the proprietor of St. George's Manor. He was Suffolk County Clerk, and Judge of the Common Pleas. His wife was Margaret Lloyd of Lloyd's Neck. Little is known of their sons, who went off to New York, Boston and Halifax. as Tories.”12
…so William Henry “Young Clerk” Smith might have had a child or a grandchild named Henry Clark Smith, don’t you think?…can I prove it?… Henry Clark Smith was born in 1766...so “Young Clerk Smith” would have been 58, which is possible to have him be the father (making my Henry Col. William’s great-grandson) … but it would be more likely if there was another generation in between the two…
There is a “rebuttal” to the article quoted above. Part of which states:
“Thompson gives the children of William Henry (Young Clerk) Smith and Margaret (Lloyd) Smith as William Henry, William, Gilbert, Paschal Nelson (above), Oliver, Rebecca, Anna, and Catherine. Mrs. Hanson adds Shepard and Margaret; both died young.” http://longislandgenealogy.com/tangier/Tangier.html
I don’t know if that is helpful, but one of those might be the father to my Henry.
To see the articles about Elizabeth's 100th birthday, click HERE.
The family pedigree chart (another post will go more in depth with the descendants of Joel and Elizabeth):
Joel JERVIS (aka Joel JARVIS) (son of Joseph Ireland JERVIS and Phebe CARLL)
b. 24 Oct 1790 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York
m. Elizabeth SMITH on 29 Nov 1815 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York
d. 3 Nov 1863 and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery in Amityville, Suffolk, New York
Elizabeth SMITH (daughter of Henry Clark SMITH and Jemima TERRY)
b. 20 July 1794 Blue Point, Suffolk, New York
d. 22 January 1895 Amityville, Suffolk, New York
1-Phebe Maria JERVIS (13 Aug 1816-10 Oct 1907) m. Thomas William VAN BUREN, Brooklyn
2-Jemima Etta (aka Jeminetta) JERVIS (3 Nov 1818-10 Dec 1886) m. Gilbert SMITH, Huntington
3-Ann Elizabeth JERVIS (11 Jun 1821-17 Feb 1907)--did not marry, Amityville
4-Scudder Carll JERVIS (24 Sep 1823-31 Mar 1907) m. Mary PURDY, Amityville
5-Henry Clark Smith JERVIS (29 Jan 1827-8 Nov 1909) m. Mary LOCKHART, Brooklyn
6-Charlotte Rebecca JERVIS (25 Sep 1829-6 Dec 1916) m. Ezra R. SAMMIS, Brooklyn
7-William Ireland JERVIS (10 Apr 1833-28 Jan 1913) m. Charity "Charrie" E. NICHOLS, Brooklyn
8-Edna Adelia JERVIS (27 Jan 1838-26 Sep 1906) m. Diedrich VOGT, Charleston, South Carolina
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ARTICLES ABOUT JOEL that include details of two of his cases as Justice of the Peace:
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 22, 1911
Copiague
soon will be represented in the Philippines. Charles M. Jervis of that
place, has been appointed a government surveyor there, and sails on My 3
to begin his duties in those far-off islands of the sea. The young man
is the son of Joshua P. Jervis, himself a surveyor, and great grandson
of Squire Joel Jervis, who, with a jury, tired the famous case of Wood
vs Whitman. The defendant was no less a personage than Walt Whitman, the
"good gray poet," who was arrested for assaulting the son of a
neighbor. The boy had harassed Whitman while the latter was trouting in
the pond separating their respective homes at West Babylon. The future
poet stood the annoyance until, fighting mad, he tolled the boy within
reach and then, collaring him, nearly wore out a stout hickory fishing
pole on him. For this he was arrested and haled before Squire Jervis and
a jury. When the jurors returned into the court, the squire asked them:
Gentlemen, have you agreed upon a verdict?" "We 'ave, your honor," said
the foreman, a Yorkshireman of the name of Edwards, some of whose
descendants still live near Babylon. "What is the verdict," asked the
court. "We find, your honor," answered the foreman, "that 'h didn't 'it
'im 'ard enough." The verdict may not have been strictly in accordance
with law and usage, but it "went," and until this day remains a
tradition of life in the old days along the south side. The pond on
whose surface the row took place, was later owned by Malcolm W. Ford,
and now is the property of W. G. Gilmore of Brooklyn.
The Star Saturday February 22, 1890
AN OLD-SCHOOL JUSTICE
(from Old-Timer in Amityville Dispatch)
Last
week I gave your readers an account of how justice was sometimes
administered fifty years ago. After Samuel Strong had got too old to
hold his position any longer, Joel Jarvis became Justice of the Peace
for the south side of the town. Previous to his becoming justice he had
for a number of years held the office of constable, and he had such a
pleasant way of performing his duties that persons coming under the bane
of the law deemed it a pleasure to be arrested by him. He had such a
stock of pleasant stories and so brimming full of innocent (fun?) that
outside of his official duties his company was much sought after, and
his presence in any public place was sufficient to call a crowd. People
were amply paid for their time spent in his company. I never saw a young
man with a more pleasant way of doing business, and when people wanted a
little sport his exuberance of spirit was equal to the occasion. His
gift of story-telling was not his only accomplishment. He was
considerable on an acrobat as well and was pretty well up in legerdomain
(?). On one occasion he was called on to arrest a couple of pretty
tough customers for quite a serious offense, and when the Judge gave him
the warrant cautioned him to be careful of his person. The constable
said: “I’ll bet that I can bring them before you without laying a hand
on them;” and he did. On entering the room containing the men he began
blowing a stream of fire from his mouth and half way across the room,
but over their heads. When he got through with his fireworks he asked
them if they were hurt. They were so badly frightened that they could
hardly tell themselves. “Well,” said the constable, “it was lucky that
none of the fire struck you, for if it had it would have burned a hole
straight through your bodies” and that he could send that fire a mile
and more. “So, now, come along, and see if the ‘Squire will do as well
by you.” They followed him with fear and trembling to their doom.
It was always supposed that he went well armed in case of need, but he
told me afterwards, when he became Justice, that the only weapon he
ever carried was a piece of wood carved and hollowed in the shape of a
pistol, and he claimed that to be on the whole the best defense, as such
a gun would not hurt anyone, and answered every purpose. His stories
were the very best, and some of your older readers will call to mind
many a hearty laugh at his witticisms and jokes. The writer has seen him
perform many daring feats in his younger days, and never with an
accident. One of his pranks was to go to the top of a barn and stand on
his head on the ridge and dangle his feet in the air, seemingly with as
little fear as though on the ground. I have attended a great many trials
held before him after he became a Justice, and his business was always
transacted with proper decorum. In fact, one would think him a different
person altogether. His decisions were always about right--not too
severe, but generally tempered with mercy, unless it was a case almost
beyond hope, when he would let justice have full sway. I imagine I can
see him sitting at his table, with his long quill pen and home-made book
made from (illegible) paper, folded so that it made a convenient little
book that he could easily put in his pocket. His writing was quite
peculiar, and if any of his little court records are now in existence
they would, if they could be deciphered, be quite a curiosity.
The writer never but once saw him completely nonplussed. The case was
that of a man brought before him for a petty larceny--stealing wood from
the pines at the north. The prisoner pleaded his own case, and after
the witnesses for the prosecution had made a clear case against him the
‘Squire asked him if he wanted to make any defense. His reply was,
“Certainly I do.” “Well,” said the ‘Squire, “where are your witnesses?”
His reply was that he had but one, and that was all he wanted. When the
‘Squire ordered him to produce the witness to be sworn, the prisoner
raised himself to his full height and called upon God to come down from
heaven and be his witness as to his innocence, meanwhile standing with
uplifted head and eyes, reverentially waiting for his witness to appear.
There was perfect silence in the court, and the mingled look of
surprise and pity depicted on the ‘Squire’s countenance was a queer
spectacle. Finally the young lawyer for the prosecution broke the
silence by asking for judgment. I think the ‘Squire took a considerate
view and attributed the strange proceeding to the man’s ignorance, as
the fine imposed was two dollars. The young lawyer, who is now not so
young, will doubtless call to mind the case referred to.
‘Squire
Jarvis was a man hard to beat. He was elected term after term. Once he
had an opposing candidate who made a tie vote, and that year we had no
Justice for the south side. The opposition time after time brought out
their best man, and that is the nearest they came to defeating him. He
was an honest, conscientious man, and his decision of a case was
generally the end of it. The penalties in those days were not as heavy
or severe as now-a-days. A fine of fifty dollars was something almost
unknown; they generally ranged from two to ten dollars. Money was then
unknown in elections, and not until many years after was it made a
factor to change the vote. If a candidate at that day had undertaken to
use money to influence votes, that would have settled his case forever,
and his name would have been, to use a latter-day vulgarism, “Dennis!” [does someone want to explain to me why "Dennis!" was a vulgarism?]
The following are some obituaries published about Elizabeth:
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Obituary (Newspaper unknown):
Amityville, L. I., January 23, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at this place yesterday at the age of 100 years, 6 months, and 2 days. Mrs. Jervis lived at the residence of her son, Scudder C. Jervis.
In the Eagle of July 20, 1894, the following was contained in a
dispatch recounting a celebration of Mrs. Jervis 100th birthday:
The obituary then goes on to quote most of the article that had been printed when Elizabeth turned 100.
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Another obituary:
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF AGE
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville on Tuesday at the home of her son, Scudder C. Jervis,
aged 100 years, six months and two days. Mrs. Jervis retained all her
faculties up to the time of her death. She read without the aid of
glasses and went outdoors unaided. Mrs. Jervis was born in Brooklyn and
was related to some of the oldest Long Island families. She was the only
child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith
[as stated previously, this is probably not true], once Governor of
Tangiers, who, in 1690 purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide
and extending from the Sound to the Bay. This was know as Setauket.
From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown
Smiths, and the Tangier Smiths.
Joel Jervis to whom the dead woman was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who came over to this country in 1637. He was the only son of Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children one of them being John B. Jervis,
the engineer of the first Croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port
Jervis, N.Y. was named. [as stated previously, they were first cousins
twice removed, not half-brothers] The descendants of Mrs Jervis living
to-day, are seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great
grandchildren and three great great grandchildren. The oldest of Mrs.
Jervis' children is seventy-six years old. Mr. George S. Jervis, the real estate and insurance man of Maspeth, is one of the grandchildren of the esteemed lady who passed the century line.
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New York Times Obituary published January 24, 1895:
Amityville, L.I. Jan 23--Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, daughter of the late Henry Clarke Smith and widow of Joel Jervis,
who for more than a score of years was a justice of the peace for the
town of Babylon, died at her home here to-day. She was 100 years, 6
months and 2 days old.
She was born at Sayville, L.I. but early in life removed to
Amityville, where she had resided for over three-quarters of a century.
She possessed a rugged constitution, which was never impaired by any
serious sickness.
Until a few weeks ago she was able to move about her home, go up
and down stairs, knit and sew, and on pleasant days take short walks.
Her mental faculties remained good until the last. She could recall
events which occurred over ninety years ago.
She left seven children, eighteen grandchildren, fifty-four great
grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. The oldest of her
children is now seventy-six years old.
The celebration of Mrs. Jervis' one hundredth birthday occurred on
July 21 last ans was a great event. Mrs. Jervis was the second oldest
resident of the county. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith
[as stated previously, this is probably not true], Governor of
Tangiers, who in 1690 purchased a strip of land across Long Island. The
strip was fifty miles wide, and extended from Long Island Sound to the
Atlantic Ocean. This was called Setauket. From Colonel Smith's family
sprung the families known as the Smithtown Smiths, Tangiers Smiths, and
Brookhaven Smiths. The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry of Sayville.
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The Newtown Register Thursday, January 31, 1895
RECENT DEATHS
At Amityville, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis widow of Joel Jervis, at the
extreme age of one hundred years, six months, and 2 days. Her
descendants living today number seven children, nineteen grandchildren,
sixty great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren--a total
of eighty-nine. Nearly all of those attended the funeral, and many of
them are Brooklynites. Her father’s father was a son of Colonel William
Smith, Governor of Tangier, who in 1620 purchased a strip of Long Island
fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the bay. This was
known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven
Smiths, Smithtown Smiths and Tangier Smiths. Her husband, who died at
the age of 72 years, was prominent in politics in Suffolk County and for
a period of twenty-three years was a Justice of the Peace in the town
of Huntington and a member of the Town Board. Eight children survive
her. Among the grandchildren who are well know[n] on Long Island are
Civil Engineer Joshua P. Jervis, Amityville, and George S. Jervis, of
Newtown.
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The Daily Star, Long Island City, New York, Thursday January 24, 1895
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD
Death of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis of Amityville--Granddaughter of the Governor of Tangier.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville on
Tuesday at the home of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, aged 100 years six
months and two days. Mrs. Jervis retained all her faculties up to the
time of her death. She read without the aid of glasses and went
outdoors unaided. Mrs. Jervis was born in Brooklyn and was related to
some of the oldest Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry
Clark Smith and Jennie [Jemima] Terry. Her father was a son of Colonel
William Smith, once Governor of Tangier, who in 1690, purchased a strip
of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the bay.
This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the
Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths, and “Tangier” Smiths.
Joel Jervis, to whom the dead woman was married in 1816, traced his
lineage to Stephen Jervis, who came to this country in 1637. He was the
only son of Joseph L. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven
children, one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first
Croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis was named. The
descendants of Mrs. Jervis living today are seven children, nineteen
grandchildren, sixty great grandchildren, and three great-great
grandchildren. The oldest of Mrs. Jervis children is seventy-six years.
No arrangements for the funeral have yet been made.
**********************************************************************************************************************
The World, Thursday January 24, 1895
OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, Dies After a Short Illness.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville, L. I.,
yesterday after a short illness. She was over one hundred years old, and
up to the time of her death was in full possession of her faculties. At
her birthday party July 20, 200 guests were present.
Mrs. Jervis was born at Blue Point, L. I., in 1794. She was one of
the “Tangier” Smith family, her father being Henry Clark Smith. She
married Joel Jervis in 1819, was a Jeffersonian Democrat and liked to
talk politics.
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footnotes:
1 The Brooklyn Standard Union, Wednesday July 28, 1926 “Add Old Jarvis Tract to Hawkins Estates”
2 The World, July 21, 1894 “Born in the Days of Washington”
3 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, January 1939, Obituary for Joshua Purdy Jervis
4 The Star, February 22, 1890, “An Old-School Justice”
5 Brooklyn Standard Union January 10, 1926 “Jarvis Estate Goes to Syndicate for Big Realty Development”
6 The Suffolk County New York Portrait and Biographical Record, 1896, entry for Joshua Purdy Jervis
7 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, July 1894, “Lived a Century”
8 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, July 20, 1894, “At the Age of A Hundred”
9 The Long Islander (Huntington), July 1894, “A Centennial Celebration”
10 The World, Thursday January 24, 1895, “Over a Hundred Years Old”
11 New York Times, January 24, 1895, Obituary for Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis
12 Article “The Remarkable Tangier Smiths” by Stephanie S. Biglow published on longislandgenealogy.com (http://longislandgenealogy.com/tangier/1.htm)
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