George W. Lohnes |
Lohnes, George W. was born in Schaghticoke August 18, 1845. He is a son of Adam Lohnes and a grandson of Adam Lohnes, a native of Germany, who came to Brunswick, NY in a very early day and was in the Revolution and also in the War of 1812 under Major Lansing as an ensign; he died in Pittstown. The mother of Mr Lohnes was Jane Whalie, born in Hoosick. His father was born in Brunswick; he was a manufacturer of powder and politically was a Democrat until 1862 and a Republican thereafter until his death, which occurred in 1886; his wife died in 1882.
Mr Lohnes worked for the Schaghticoke Powder Co until eighteen years of age and then learned the carpenter trade, at which he worked about nine years. He then engaged in the coal and lumber and general produce business, which he followed at Valley Falls for fourteen years, and then disposed of it and engaged in manufacturing wood alcohol for three years, and also in fire insurance, and finally March 1895 began mercantile business. He was married Sept 22, 1871 to Mary E. Sproat of Valley Falls, by whom he has two sons, Harry and Willie (deceased).
Mr Lohnes is a Republican; he was a collector for two years and served as supervisor during the years 1888-90. He was a member of Victor Lodge No 680 F&AM, and Columbia Lodge No 689 IOOG. He enlisted in the 96th NY Volunteers and was elected sergeant; and promoted to second lieutenant, holding that office until the company was disbanded. Mr. Lohnes is a member of the ME church of Valley Falls, trustee and treasurer of Elmwood cemetery and treasurer of Union Free School at Valley Falls. He was postmaster during [Benjamin] Harrison's administration [1889-1893] and the first years of Cleveland's administration [1885-1889 and 1893-1897].
NOTE FROM THE SUBMITTER: "My Lohnes genealogical materials show that George W. Lohnes was born 18 August 1846 at Valley Falls [a village in the town of Pittstown, but adjoining the town of Schaghticoke], NY and died 21 November 1931. He married first Mary E. Sproat, who died 23 December 1898 at Valley Falls, by whom he had sons Harry Lohnes, born in 1872, and William Lohnes, born in 1874. He married second, on 22 February 1900, to Mary L. Clum but had no children by the second marriage. He was the fifth child of Adam Lohnes, who had been born 5 April 1808 at Brunswick and who died 2 November 1883 at Valley Falls, and his second wife, Jane Waley. He was the grandson of George Adam Lohnes, born 22 April 1755 in Brunswick, died 4 April 1839 at Schaghticoke, NY, and Elizabeth Barend (Bornt today), born in 1771 at Brunswick, NY and died 15 February 1858 at Schaghticoke. He was great-grandson of the 1738 Philadelphia emigrant Johan Nicholas Lohnes from Hesse, Germany, who died in about 1792 in Rensselaer County. Johan Nicholas Lohnes married a woman often called just Susanna Hoenichen, who was born in about 1720 at "the Camp" (Rhinebeck) and died after 1794. Her parents, Michael and Magdalena Hoenichen/Heonigen, were part of the Great Palatine Migration of 1710, a group of mostly Germans who were brought to the New York colony by Governor Hunter. This is a difficult group to research. These folks used multiple given names and were called by one or more of those given names depending on who they were dealing with. Their names show variations both in German and in English. The Lohnes name shows in records as Lonis, Lonas, Lones, Launes and Lohnes. There are indications that the earliest Lohnes may not have been able to read or write English. The will of Johann Nicholas Lohnes is posted at this site. There are numerous records of this family at Gilead Lutheran Church in Brunswick. A number of the second generation fought in the American Revolution at the Battle of Oriskany."