Jonathan HOWELL

                   Historical information in notes.

Jonathan Howell, the fourth child of Evan Howell, son of John Howell, the emigrant. His wedding date could also be 28th Sept, 1750. They were married in the Friends Meeting at Uchlan, it being the custom among the Quakers that the wedding take place in the Meeting where the woman belongs. They spent the early years of their married life in Chester and Philadelphia counties, where many of Richard Thomas' descendants, who are prominent and prosperous citizens, reside to this day. Jonathand and Elizabeth along with five of their children moved from Penn. to Guilford county, North Carolina in 1767, Mary, the youngest daughter, being about twelve months old at this time. Elizabeth Howell had no problem getting her certificate of removal for herself and children, from the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting to the Monthly Meeting at New Garden, Guilford county, North Carolina. Jonathan because of some difficulty in the church at Chester, did not take a certificate of removal until Oct, 1776, at which time the minutes of the Monthly Meeting at New Garden reads, "At the New Garden Monthlly Meeting, Oct 26, 1776, Jonathan Howell produced a certificate from the Chester Monthly Meeting, Pennsylvania, dated 6 mo., 24th, 1776, which was accepted." Jonathan and Elizabeth Howell's names appear on the records as charter members of the Deep River Monthly Meeting, in Guilford county, North Carolina, when it was organized in 1778, In a deed of May 1, 1753, he conveyed 125 acres of land in Thornsbury township, Chester county , Pennsylvania, to Robert and William Pernell. After removing to North Carolina in 1767, hepurchased from JohnHamilton and Thomas Henderson a tract of land containing 275 acres, situated on the waters of Bull Run, Guilford county, on which he made his home the remainder of his life. In 1787 he received a grant of160 acres from the state of North Carolina, all of which indicate that he followed agricultural pursuits. In an indenture of August 3, 1786, he made his son John Howell a present of 160 acres, it being a partof the land purchased from John Hamilton and Thomas Henderson. Jonathan Howell died interstate, Aug 15, 1790, and was buried in the Friends burial ground at Deep River, and forgotten because of the prohibition by the Society of stones or markers of any kind, at that time, to designate the graves. Letters of administration on his estate were granted to George Swain._______________________________________________________________________________Article found on internet at Homelife about Jonathan's property, then Joseph Iddings, on which Mark Iddings built the house.GTCC needs funds to restore house2-9-02By Donald W Patterson, Staff WritheNews & RecordJAMESTOWN - The two-story, frame house sits on a knoll overlooking High Point RD, hemmed in by a growing GTCC campus. Built by a Quaker named Mark Iddings, the house has occupied this spot since 1826. But today, it sits empty, waiting for the funds that will give it a much-needed face lift and a new use. GTCC officials have been talking about restoring the Iddings House since 1999. But so far, there has been no money for repairs. "Frankly, historical preservation is not a popular cause right now," says Kathryn Baker Smith, GTCC's vice president for education support services. "There are not a lot of things we can do with it, but it has a lot of potential." Officials haven't decided how to use the building, but the school has discussed turning it into a guest house for visiting speakers and dignitaries. It also could be used as a lecture site and a space for small lunch or dinner meetings. And it could be opened to the public periodically. Restoration could cost from $170,000 to $250,000, depending on the extent of the work and the eventual use. "We haven't finalized any of this," says Shelly Lutzweiler, an associate professor of speech communication at GTCC who has researched the history of the house. "I just think we could do some wonderful things with this place. I guess the issue is, can we raise the money? We have to do something with the house." The house was built
by Mark Iddings, a vereran of the war of 1812, on land handed down by his father, Joseph Iddings. He used what was called the Quaker Plan, meaning that htte house has three rooms per floor. Much larger than most homes of that era, the house contains around 2,000 square feet of space. The house features exposed beams, fireplaces and clapboard siding, but the exterior walls were filled with bricks, which served primarily as insulation. "When the Quakers built a house, they built it to last," says Benjamin Briggs, who lives in High Point and teaches historic preservation at Randolph Community College. Brigs knows the Iddings House well. His great-great-great-grandmother was Ruth Iddings, Mark iIddings sister. Mark Iddings' home accommodated himself, his wife, Elizabeth and their 11 children. But it also served as a stagecoach stop along the road from Petersburg, VA to Salisbury. Travelers could rest their horses, have a meal and, if the weather was bad, spend the night. The house also served as a tavern for local residents. When Iddings died in 1848, he left the property to his wife. At her death, it went to the couple's youngest daughter, Aseaneth, who never married. Aseaneth Iddings lived in the house until her death in 1912. The next owner, H. Albion Millis of High Point, bought the house at auction for $4, 325. Millis later sold the property to the J E Latham Co, which in 1922 deeded it to the Guilford County commisssioners for $10. Two years later, the county used the property as the site for the Guilford County Tuberculosis Hospital, which operated until 1955. Staff members of the sanatorium lived in the house for a number of years. In 1974, the county deeded the sanatorium property, including the Iddings House, to the board of trustees of what is now GTCC for $10. The deed required the trustees to maintain the house for "...the prupose of preserving said residence's historical significance in the county.' Over the years, the college has used the house for a number of purposes, including housing for staff members. Diana Dempsey, who worked for five college presidents during her 22 years on campus, lived in the house for 10 years. "The house is really neat," says Dempsey, who now lives in FL. "It is like and old farm house. I was really caught up with her history of something that had been there so long." The historical and architectural significance of the Iddings House has been well documented. In 1941, the house earned two full pages in a book called "The Early Architecture of NC." Compilied by architect Thomas Waterman and photographer Frances Johnson, the book included only three other Guilford properties. "They really fell in love with the Iddings House," Briggs says of Waterman and Johnson. Among other things, Waterman particularly liked the doors in the house. The rails, the middle section of the doors, are made in an unusual diamond shape. Briggs says the house has undergone few changes. Most notably, a front porch was removed and a back porch was added. "It was benevolent changes," Briggs says. "By and large, it was kept remarkably intact." Now more changes are needed, Not to mention money. "We can't just let it go," Lutzweiler says of the house. "If we are going to take care of it we might as well make it useful."