John Houchins

  General Notes:

John Houchins (1799-1855) (1: file 4 jacket 2449), John Houchins was a son of James and Mollie (Harvey) Houchins, who were married in 1798 . He died in Fayette Co., West Virginia of cholera and was buried in t he Keaton cemetary.
Celia's name on the marriage bond is given as "Sealy Step Mann". The b ond was secured by Jacob Mann, Celia's father. John Houchins was the g randson of Edward Houchins who came to Virginia a little earlier than1 750. John was a carpenter and millwright and built most of of the earl y homes in Greenville. He was a person of great ingenuity and practica l insight and when the water of the Red Sulphur Springs temporarily lo st the perculiarity which gave it it's distinctive name, in consequenc e of some digging and blasting near by he was able to divide the troub le and effect a remedy.
"In 1899 on the anniversary of John Houchins birth, a family reunion w as held by his descendants, then numbering, living and dead, two hundr ed and twenty five. Of these, 33 had died, all from natural causes, ex cept John Shanklin, who was run over by a wagon. Among them were a num ber of professional life and in commerical or corporate employment. Jo hn, the ancestor, was very athletic and could leap after a run, a dist ance of 42 feet.
The world's record being 44 feet. John Houchins was the foreman who di rected the building of the first frame structure of Indian Creek Churc h (1828). He was the Church Clerk from 1835 to his death in 1855. Thee arliest record in Monroe Co., of land acquired by John Houchins is ade ed from *Benjamin Harvey and his wife Susannah for a certain tract or parcel of land containing 125 acres being part of a tract of land of f ive hundred and twenty acres by survey bearing the date of 15th, Septe mber, 1796. Granted on June 13, 1800 in Monroe Co., on the waters of I ndian Creek adjoining William Lawrence and others. Beginning at White Oak on Cook's Run.
John and Celia had 11 children:
Caroline, Mary Ann, Allen D., Rufus, William, Amanda Jane, Granville,S yrena,
Clayton M., Elizabeth M., and Thompson.

John married Celia Steppe Mann, daughter of Jacob Mann II and Millie Ballard, on Aug 21, 1824 in Monroe Co., Virginia. (Celia Steppe Mann was born about 1805 in Monroe Co., Virginia and died in 1886 in Monroe Co., West Virginia.)