Miles St. John

View photographs of Miles St. John

Miles St. John

Miles St.John was born on November 13 (possibly 15), 1843, while the family lived on Goerck St. in NYC. Miles' father was also named Miles and was born in in 1797 probably in Amenia, NY (Dutchess County), or possibly in Norwalk, CT (Fairfield County). The father died in NYC in 1848. By then Miles was living in Amenia with Huldah (Aunt Huldy) Bump, his grand aunt and the sister of his grandmother, Anna Bump St.John. His grandfather was Nathan St.John, born in 1775 and died in 1842, and his great grandfather, Mathias St.John, born in Norwalk, CT in 1734, was a veteran of both the French & Indian War and the Continental Army (9th Reg, Conn. Militia) during the Revolutionary war.

This family is well documented in The St.John Genealogy by Orline St.John Alexander, tracing the family back to Mathias Sension also Sention also St.John, a member of the Massachusettes Bay Colony, arriving in 1634, 14 years after the Mayflower. Ms. Alexander's book lists Miles St.John, the father, as dying single in NYC and does not list any children. It would seem that the genealogy is in error on this point and documentation to support this has been requested from NYC's Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS).

What is clear is that shortly before his death, Miles St.John brought his son to "Aunt Huldy" and his daughter, Lizzie, to another cousin, Horace and Mercy Clark, to raise. Miles, the son, grew up in Amenia, serving in the Federal Army unit during part of the Civil War. On November 1, 1868, Miles married Kate Farrelly in Amenia, NY. Miles and Kate had five children:

William B. St.John, born October 6, 1869, who apparently moved to Philadelphia
Joseph St.John, born December 17, 1870
Mary St.John, born September 28, 1872. Mary remained single and was a school teacher in NYC. She died on October 10, 1944. Edward Stafford St.John, her nephew, assisted by his daughter, Mary St.John, provided the stone to mark the grave in NYC.
Edward Michael St.John, born July 16, 1874, died in Boston during the influenza epidemic of 1918. Edward married Mary Agnes Cotton and was the father of Edward Stafford St.John.
Thomas St.John, January 10, 1876, died in 1903.

During the 1930s, Miles spent part of the summer with Edward and Maybelle St.John, who were living at 69th St. in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC. He appears in several photos on the porch, including with his great grandson, Edward Stafford St.John, Jr. Edward Sr. had strong affection for his grandfather.

Miles resided at the "old soldiers home" in Bath, NY. He died in November, 1935, and is buried in the National Cemetery in Bath, NY.

Other photos with Miles:

This site maintained by Bob St. John. You may send email to bstjohn@st-john.net.