Jonathan Emery

  General Notes:

[research of Alex Magocsi and relayed to me via e-mail oct 2010]
Jonathan Emery, U.S. Civil War Veteran
Besides some superficial information, not much is known about Jonathan Emery.
He was the son of an Emery family residing in Biddeford, Maine; his father was a mariner; it appears that his mother died prior to the 1850 federal census.
Jonathan does not appear in the 1860 federal census for Biddeford, nor do any other family members. Perhaps father and son were out to sea at the time of the census.
From a variety of papers found at the Maine State Archives in Augusta, it appears that Jonathan was first recruited to join the 8th Maine in January, 1862, a unit that his brother Jotham would enlist in later that year. Jonathan was however mustered into the 6th Battery, 1st Battalion Maine Light Artillery and received a bounty from York, i.e. he was recruited to help fill the quota of York. He was discharged for a disability in May, 1862, and most likely returned to Biddeford where he was present for the 1870 federal census.
Shortly after the census was taken, he must have moved to Newcastle, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, perhaps at the suggestion of his brother Jotham who was already living there.
A few short years prior to Jonathan's move to Newcastle, a tragedy was striking a small family in Newcastle, a tragedy that would affect Jonathan's future. The family of John Straw consisted of John, a Civil War Veteran originally from Claremont, NH, his pregnant wife Louisa, originally from Newcastle, and their 2 year old son George.
John had been wounded during 2 separate battles almost a year apart and eventually received a disability discharge. He however reenlisted and remained in the army until September 1865 when he returned to his family in Newcastle.
As noted, Louisa was pregnant with her second child when, in late July, 1867, she first lost her husband and then, 5 days later, her son George. John's death does not appear to have been recorded in the vital records of Newcastle but his son's was. George died from "summer complaint" (Cholera Infantum) an often fatal, summertime intestinal disorder that can strike very young children who are living in somewhat unsanitary conditions. Whether it was truly summer complaint, one can no longer say but it is interesting to note that a number of other inhabitants of Newcastle died from "Bowel Complaint", i.e. enteritis, during this period.
Later that year, Louisa gave birth to her daughter Sarah, both probably being fortunate that this birth occurred in October, i.e. in cooler weather that may have helped end the outbreak of whatever it was that killed her husband and child. In the Newington census of 1870, they are living with her parents, Joshua and Catherine Baker.
In a small New England town of 176 families, it was probably inevitable that Jonathan and Louisa would find one another rather quickly. Assuming that Jonathan moved to Newcastle after June, 1870, the month the Biddeford census was taken, it was only 5 months later that they filed marriage intentions. They became husband and wife in another 1 ½ months.
As earlier, not much is known about Jonathan other than what one can glean from census records and local vital records. He was a laborer, his wife was at home "keeping house" in a household that included not only her daughter Sarah E Straw but also 3 Emery children, Mary, Rufus and Irvalu.
Jonathan died in early February, 1913, his wife 5 years later in May, 1918. Jonathan is buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Newcastle. The burial site of Louisa is unknown, as is the burial sites of her first husband and their child George.


1880 New Castle, Rockingham County, NH
Jonathan EMERY Self M Male W 40 ME Laborer ME ME
Louise EMERY Wife M Female W 37 NH Housekeeping MH NH
Sarah E. STRAW DauL [s/b stepdau] S Female W 12 NH At Home ME NH
Mary L. EMERY Dau S Female W 8 NH At School ME NH
Rufus J. EMERY Son S Male W 2 NH At Home ME NH
Irvalu EMERY Dau S Female W 1M NH At Home ME NH

Jonathan married Louisa S. Baker, daughter of Joshua Baker and Catherine Pridham, on 17 Jan 1871 in New Castle, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. (Louisa S. Baker was born on 17 Aug 1843 in New Castle, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, died on 6 May 1918 in New Castle Twp, Rockingham, New Hampshire and was buried in Riverside Cemetery in New Castle, New Hampshire.). The cause of her death was bronchopneumonia; endocarditis.

  Marriage Notes:

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