John D. Clemons was the first son of Abraham and Patty Clemons.  He was born on September 21, 1811 in Vermont--probably in West Haven, Rutland County, where the Clemonses lived from about 1803 to 1812.  His middle name might have been Dennis, for Demaris Dennis, who might have been his grandmother.

The census records indicate that John left home between 1835 and 1840, probably in 1836 when he got married. According to a Clemons family bible currently owned by Dale R. Clemons, John D. Clemons married Altha Hawkins in June 1836.  Their only child was a daughter named Helen, born on June 5, 1839.  Altha must have died, because according to the bible, John married Polly Leet on June 3, 1840. The census of 1840 listed John D. Clemons as a head of household with a female aged 0-5 and a female aged 20-30. These could well represent Altha and Helen, except that the 1840 census was supposed to count the residents as of June 1st.

It appears that Altha died in about 1840, and when John married Polly Leet, Helen left the household and moved in with her mother's parents. The 1850 census in shows her living in Castleton, VT with Silas and Hannah Hawkins. In 1854, oneTimothy Rice of Fair Haven, VT was appointed guardian for Helen. By 1910, Helen's name was Mitchell and she was living in Milwaukee.
 

Page from the Clemons family bible, showing John D. Clemons' marriages and the birth of his daughter Helen.

The Farm

John was elected Town Collector in 1836 and again in 1837.  That was the only public office he ever held.

By 1850 John and Polly were settled on a farm on Dresden Hill near the intersection of the Military road and Dresden Hill Road.  They probably attended the Free Will Baptist Church in the neighboring Town of Putnam, as it was much closer and more convenient than the Baptist church in Dresden. In 1853, John enlarged his farm with the purchase of Williams Patent lot 102 for $500 [Washington County Deeds, Book 29, p.508].
 

Detail of 1856 Map of the Town of Dresden showing the location of the John D. Clemons farm ("J.D. Clemments" in the upper left corner) on Dresden Hill, relative to his father's farm on the lake shore.  In those days, the inland Military Road (running past the Bosworth and Martin places) was the main thoroughfare of the northern part of the Town.  Note also that both Clemons farms were very close to schoolhouses.  To see the complete map, click here.

Nowadays, the site of John's farm is fairly remote, but in the 19th Century, it was less than a mile from the main north-south route through the Town, and the same distance from the closest schoolhouse. John had five sons to help him clear the land and work the farm.  Most of them stayed there until John died in 1872. His brother A.O. Clemons also lived with him for several years.

Tax records for the 1850s show that he owned lots of 90 and 160 acres.  The 90 acre lot was probably his home farm in lot 62 of the Mitchell Patent, the 160 acre lot was the whole of lot 102, which was later sold to John's son Rollin in the division of John's estate.

The farm schedules reveal that his farm was little different than that of his father.  He planted oats, corn, potatoes, and wheat, and had an orchard of some 40 apple trees.  He produced maple sugar, honey, and butter.  He always had a few horses and milk cows, and regularly slaughtered pigs and cattle.  Between 1855 and 1870 he expanded his improved acreage from 64 to 165.  During that same period, the value of his farm increased from $1500 to $5000.
 

Detail from 1866 assessments map showing the J.D. Clemons residence in lot 62 of the Williams Patent.  John also owned all of lot 102, directly to the west.  To see the complete map, click here.

After John died, his farm seems to have been run for few years by his youngest son, James Henry ("Hank") Clemons, and then possibly by Rollin.  Eventually, it ended up in the hands of his daughter Patty.  She married Charles O. Martindale in 1892 and they lived there, probably until Patty's death in 1933.  Eventually the farm was abandoned, the house burned, and the fields started to grow over.  Now the land is owned by a logging company.
 

The John D. Clemons farm, as it looked in the Spring of 2002.  The driveway is still there.  The house sat on the little rise to the left.

Looking into the cellar hole of the John D. Clemons house, summer 2001.  If you look very closely you can see a Buick.

John was not a major player in land speculation.  Besides his purchase of lot 102, he was involved in only one land deal after 1850.  On September 18, 1856 he bought 100 acres in lot 51 from Jonathan Goodrich for $225. On October 8th, he sold the same lot to his brother Archibald for $275 [Book 36, p,359]. 

John D. Clemons died on April 18, 1872, at the relatively young age of 60.  Two days later he was buried in the Clemons Cemetery (which was certainly not called the Clemons Cemetery at the time).  He was the first person named Clemons to be buried there.

Census Data:
1840:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 255 "John Clemens"
1850:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 128 "John D. Clemons"
1855:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 3.
1860:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 154, "J.D. Clements"
1865:    State Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 19, "John D. Clemons"
1870:    Federal Census, New York, Washington Co., Town of Dresden, p. 74, "John D. Clemons"

Sources:
Federal Census, New York, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870.
New York State Census, 1855, 1865.
Crisfield Johnson, The History of Washington County, New York, Philadelphia: Everts & Ensign, 1878.
Charles B. Moore, Cemetery Records: The Townships of Dresden and Putnam, Washington County, New York. Glens Falls: Historical Data Services, 1994.
Washington County Archives, Town Records of Dresden.
Washington County Deeds, Washington County Court House.
1856 Map of Dresden from National Archives Map Collection.
1866 Map of Dresden from Nat Huntington.
Clemons Family Bible from Dale R. Clemons website.
Mary S. Jackson & Edward F. Jackson, Death Notices from Washington County Newspapers, 1799-1880.