Name: John Hoover?
   Born: 
  Place: 
   Died: after 1840
  Place: 

The parents for Ruth Hoover are, in fact, not close to being proven. At this point, we must entertain the possibility that her father wasn't a Hoover but that her mother was. In any case, she was almost certainly a granddaughter of Michael Hoover, Sr.

It's been speculated that Ruth's father was Sebastian (c1792-1839) but that family has taken shape and she doesn't fit in. The notion that she was the daughter of Michael Jr is easily disproved because Michael had a daughter born only six weeks earlier. I have lately been inclined to believe that John Hoover was her father, but evidence is suggesting that he had a different family from that listed here. In any event, the following women are generally thought to be Ruth's siblings, but we cannot established even that much with any degree of certainty. See Ruth's article for more information.

Mary A Hoover	c1815-	Born in Virginia. Married Richard Stanton, Vigo co IN, 1834. Michael Hoover Jr's son, Williamson, was living with her on the 1860 census, Mercer co IL. This alone gives sufficient cause to suggest that she was of this Hoover family.
Elizabeth Jane Hoover	1822-1893	Born Ohio. Married George W Shaunce, 1841. Findagrave memorial 10334680.
Ruth Ruema Hoover	1825-1905	Born Champaign co OH. Married Charles William Southern. Findagrave memorial 10351548.
Rachel Hoover	c1830-	Born in Indiana. Appears on the 1850 Mercer co census in the same household as Mary and Ruth.

At least three John Hoovers of this family, born in Virginia in about the 1780s, married Sarahs:

• John Hoover (1787-1866) m Sarah Harholt, 1817 (Pendleton County, VA) - He is found with his son Eli in 1850, Pendleton County, VA, and may be the same man with Catherine (second wife?) in 1860. He is said to have died in Pendleton, 12 April 1866.
• John Hoover (-1840+) m Sarah Jones, 1813 (Pendleton County, VA)
• John Hoover (1787-1871) m Sarah Likens, 1810 (Hardy County, VA)

A Job Hoover, discussed below, son of a John and Sarah, was born in Virginia in 1811. Based on the marriage dates alone, he seems most likely to have been of the Hardy County Hoovers. His father's trail appears to lead to the 1850 census for Miami County, Indiana, and beyond. If the following is correct he'd have had sons Job, born 1811 in Virginia; and George, born 1813 in Virginia.

1810 readings for John Hoover

There were six John Hoover household emumerated for the 1810 Virginia census:

John Hoover 231-12 (New Haven, Rockingham County, Virginia) John Hoover 1201-1002 (Elizabeth, Ohio, Virginia) John Hoover 20101-2 (Frederick, Virginia) John Hoover 11101-1111 (Franklin, Pendleton, Virginia) John Hoover 0011-4001 (Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Virginia) Jno Hoover 2001-3001 (Monongalia, Virginia)

What's now left of Ohio County, Virginia is found on the present-day West Virginia panhandle. The 1810 census for Ohio was lost.

1820 census

John Hoover's family in Champaign County, Ohio in 1820:

John Hoover 10001-1101 1 male 0-10 1 male 20-45 (John b c1796, age 24) 1 female 0-10 (Mary b c1815) 1 female 10-16 (b 1804-1810) 1 female 26-45 (John's wife)

If John was married in 1813, the female, 10-16 is not consistent as a daughter.

1830 census

1830 > INDIANA > MADISON > NO TWP LISTED Series: M19 Roll: 26, page 338 Sebastian Hoover 100001-20001

1830 > INDIANA > MADISON > NO TWP LISTED Series: M19 Roll: 26, page 342 John Hoover 11000010-12110100 1 male 0-4 1 male 5-9 1 male 40-49 (John) 1 female 0-4 (Rachel?) 2 females 5-9 (Elizabeth? Ruth?) 1 female 10-14 (b c1816-1820 or Mary?) 1 female 15-19 (Mary or b 1811-1815?) 1 female 30-39 (John's wife)

But there are two John Hoovers! This one looks like the family found on the 1850 Miami County, Indiana census.

1830 > INDIANA > MADISON > NO TWP LISTED Series: M19 Roll: 26, page 337 John Hoover 0013001-11100101 1 male 10-15 (?) 3 males 15-20 (George, Job, and ?) 1 male 40-50 (John) 1 female 0-4 (Ruth) 1 female 5-10 (Elizabeth) 1 female 10-15 (Mary) 1 female 30-40 1 female 50-60 (Sarah Jones?)

John's brothers, Sebastian and Michael, are on the same record. John and Sebastian bought land in Sangamon county IL:

From http://www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/PublicLandSalesNameServlet: Hoover John W2SE 24 16N 05W 3 12/27/1825 Sangamon Hoover John E2NE 30 16N 04W 3 01/04/1826 Sangamon Hoover Sebastian E2NE 12 14N 08W 3 09/09/1830 Sangamon Hoover John E2SW 24 16N 05W 3 05/21/1831 Sangamon Hoover Sebastian SWNE 12 14N 08W 3 04/03/1833 Sangamon Hoover Sebastian NENW 12 14N 08W 3 08/15/1834 Sangamon Hoover Sebastian SENE 28 04N 03W 4 11/17/1836 McDonough Hoover Sebastian SENW 27 04N 03W 4 11/17/1836 McDonough

John Hoover of Peru, Indiana

Here we find presumed brothers Michael and John listed next to one another:

1840 > INDIANA > MIAMI > PERU Michael Hoover 1011001-0001001 John Hoover 00004001-000111001

This can be broken down, thus:

Michael Hoover 1 male, 0-5 (son William would have been 1) 1 male, 10-15 (son James would have been 12) 1 male, 15-20 (son John would have been 17) 1 male, 40-50 (Michael would have been 40) 1 female, 15-20 (daughter Mary would have been 16) 1 female, 40-50 (wife Mary Bodkin)

It's a near perfect fit except that Ancil (6) and Margaret (11) are not represented in the above. The following four young males help to tie John to the second John of 1830.

John Hoover 4 males, 20-30 (Job, George, and Jonas) 1 male, 50-60 (John) 1 female, 10-15 (Rachel would have been about 10) 1 female, 15-20 (Ruth would have been 15) 1 female, 20-30 (Eunice ?) 1 female, 50-60

These census records might be for the same John Hoover family, but they're not as consistent as one might expect. As we know from other records, such as the Stanton / Hoover family on the 1850 census, related families would often come together under the same roof. In any case, there's nothing here that contradicts that these are the families of John Hoover of Pendleton.

A John Hoover was appointed to the Miami County Grand Jury in 1834.

1850 census

There was a John Hoover at the same place in 1850, but this family doesn't look to be a good fit:

1850 Peru, Miami County, Indiana John Hoover M 62 Virginia Sarah Hoover F 62 Virginia George Hoover M 37 Virginia Job Hoover M 39 Virginia Eunice Hoover F 32 Virginia (Job's wife) John Hoover M 4 Indiana (Job's son) Elizabeth Attmore F 26 Ohio

And there's a Jonas Hoover, born 1818 in Virginia. Might he be one of the young males in 1830 and 1840? He married Elizabeth Alexander there on 19 May 1843.

1850 Peru, Miami, Indiana Jonas Hoover M 30 Virginia Elizabeth Hoover F 29 Ohio Charlotte Hoover F 10 Iowa Margaret Alexander F 65 Pennsylvania Mary A Alexander F 27 Ohio

Jonas and Elizabeth are still living in Peru as of the 1880 census. He and bother parents were born in Virginia. He's living with his niece Catherine Julia Austin in Kansas in 1900. (Her parents were Samuel J. Heltzell and Mary Ann Hoover, evidently Jonas's sister.) Again, the census entry says Jonas was born April 1818 and that both parents were born in Virginia. Mary Ann Hoover Heitzell died in Holt, Missouri, 1867, which appears to put us back in John Hoover territory. However, evidence suggests John was her uncle and that her father was John's brother Peter Hoover. Peter is believed to have died before 1850 in Randolph County, Indiana.

There's another John Hoover, born 1818 in Virginia, his family living with Samuel Glassburn in Clay, Miami, Indiana, 1850. The 1900 census for the same man, same place, states that he and both parents were born in Virgnia. There's a death record for him, but I need to look at the image. Someone has suggested that his parents were John Hoover and Sarah Larkins, which could easily have been transcribed from Likens. It's increasingly likely that this John Hoover of Peru, was the John who married Sarah Likens in 1810.

Furthermore, there's a John (1760-1831) and Sarah (Burkett) Hoover (1767-1843) buried in the West Branch Cemetery in Miami County, ancestors of President Hoover. Their son, John Hoover (1804-1867 m Mary Carroll), is buried in the same cemetery. There are other Hoovers of this family found in the county, apparent descendants of Andrew Hoover (1723-1794), born in Germany. I see no linkages between these Hoovers and the John Hoover born in Virginia.

But perhaps of particular interest is Michael Hoover Sr's daughter Rachel Hoover. She married John Hiner. The couple and their family resided in Peru, Indiana from at least 1850. It seems probable, then, that John Hoover of 1850 Peru was her brother and that he, therefore, was the son of Michael Sr.

John Hoover of Holt County, Missouri

Whether or not this John Hoover is the John Hoover of Champaign County, Ohio, the Johns of 1850 Peru, Indiana and of Holt County, Missouri were certainly the same man.

1860, Benton Township, Holt, Missouri, page 8 George Hoover M 47 Virginia John Hoover M 71 Virginia Job Hoover M 49 Virginia Eunice Hoover F 45 Virginia John Hoover M 14 Virginia Sarah Hover F 70 Virginia F Nicholson M 11 Iowa

Dorothy Hoover married William Nicholson on 22 January 1846. It's probably safe to assume that the boy (born about 1849) was Dorothy's son. The couple appears on the 1850 census in Miami County.

1870, Benton Township, Holt, Missouri, page 47 John Hoover M 81 Virginia Sarah Hoover F 58 Virginia (probably 78) George Hoover M 58 Virginia Job Hoover M 60 Virginia Eunice Hoover F 55 Virginia John Hoover M 24 Indiana George Nicholson M 30 Indiana Saloma Nicholson F 23 Indiana

Job and Eunice's son, John Hoover appears on the 1900 census for the same place. His wife's name is Irene and they have two sons, Harry (12) and Samuel (10).

John Hoover died 27 Sept 1871 age 83 years, 9 months and 13 days. (That would make him born 14 December 1787.) He's buried in Mound City Cemetery. Sarah died there 23 Feb 1879. The gravestone says she was 101. And their son George died 16 Jan 1876. According to his stone, he was born 20 Sep 1812, which was several months before the marriage of John Hoover and Sarah Jones in Pendleton. This might indicate that we have the wrong family and followed the wrong trail.

Nevertheless, this is worth pursuing. John's findagrave memorial is 135303278. His wive's, probably Sarah Likens, is 135303299.

The Probate Office for Holt County informs me that there are no probate records for John or his wife.

Putting together the clues above, we can be pretty certain that these are among their children:

Job Hoover	1811-	Married Eunice
George Hoover	1812-1876	Died Holt County, MO
Jonas Hoover	1818-1900+	Last seen in Kansas
John Hoover	1819-	Married Elizabeth Ann Hobaugh
Dorothy Hoover	1828-	Married William Nicholson

At https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/hoover/3893/, Daniel Bly says, "I am pretty sure was a daughter of John and Sarah Likens Hoover who married in Hardy Co. in 1810 - this John was probably son of Peter Hoover, son of Sebastian of Rockingham - later Pendleton County (WV). By 1850 Samuel and family were in Miami Co. IN as were John Hoover 62, Sarah, 62, sons George, Job, Jonas - others - all born in VA. Then by 1870 they were all together in Holt County, Missouri. Job Hoover was married to Eunice - and then Samuel Heltzel and Mary named a daughter Eunice also a son Jonas."