Chat
|
Daily Search
|
My GenForum
|
Community Standards
|
Terms of Service
|
|
|
Jacob Fudge was one of the earliest pioneers of Preble county and a prominent and valued citizen for considerably more than half a century. He was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, December 26, 1779. His father died when he was about three years of age, leaving a wife and two small boys, Jacob and David. The mother Elizabeth subsequently remarried toTetrarch Keesling and the family removed to Kentucky. They resided in Kentucky until Jacob was about fourteen, when they emigrated to Warren county, Ohio, settling where Lebanon now stands. Some six years afterward they settled on Clear creek, in the same county, near Springsborough. After living there a few years Jacob and his brother David, having attained their majority, concluded to strike out for themselves. They made their way to what is now Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio, and purchased five hundred acres of land on Twin creek, in sections thirty-four and thirty-five. This tract is now occupied by F. N. and Jacob Fudge, and is as rich and productive a soil as the county affords.
At the time of the purchase Jacob Fudge was obliged to go to Cincinnati to make a payment and receive the patent for the land. Cincianati, now a city of a quarter of a million of inhabitants, was then a mere village, situated on the outskirts of civilization, and the court house in which Mr. Fudge transacted his business consisted of the upper story of a log building. While in the the city " he was offered a real estate investment, which had be accepted, would have proven a most fortunate one for him, but he preferred his broad acres in the wilderness on Twin creek, to a few acres in the embryo city. Mr. Fudge finally became possessed of his brother's share in the Twin tract, having exchanged lands on Price's creek for it. When Preble county was organized Mr. Fudge was elected to the office of sheriff, and was therefore the first incumbent of that office in the county.
But he had no fondness for official life, and it is said that he even bought an admirer a gallon of whiskey on condition that he would not urge his election as a candidate for a certain office. This is in striking contrast to the practice in vogue at the present day.
Mr. Fudge was an unostentatious. hard-working, industrious man attending strictly to his own affairs. His early education was of necessity neglected, but he was a man of sound judgment, and prospered in his worldly affairs. He was not a member of any church, but inclined to the Universalist belief.
He was united in marriage November 14, 1810 to Elizabeth, daughter of Gasper Potterf, the pioneer of the township which perpetuates his name. Mrs. Fudge was born February 10 1790, in Rockingham county, Virginia. They began married life in a log cabin on the bill west of where their son, Jacob, now lives. In 1819 Mr. Fudge erected a brick dwelling-a two-story with a story and a half wing-one of the earliest brick houses in the county, and a stately structure for those days. He died March 27, 1863, aged eighty-three years and three months. His wife survived him several years, and died February 3, 1869 They were the parents of thirteen children, seven of whom survive: Malinda (Pense), born August 23, 1811, now deceased; Susan (Gregg), born November 9, 1812; Nancy (Pense), born February 16, 1814, deceased; Lucinda, born September 6, 1815, died unmarried; Sarah (Kesling), born July 28, 1817, deceased; Eliza Ann (Christman), born September 6, 1819 David, born June 26, 1821 died in California in 1850; Elizabeth M. (Harlan), born June 29, 1823; Margaret (Wieland) born May 23, 1825 deceased; Franklin N., born December 15. 1826 Seraphina (Shaw), born April 8, 1829 Armina (Gifford), born April 18 1832 Jacob,born July 13, 1837
The following comes from Fudge family history 1960
someone later wrote that the information before the marriage to Tetrarch Keesling
was not proven
The records for the history of this family have been gathered from material found in the county libraries, family histories, bible records and personal reports that have been known to the older relatives and friends for a number of years.
The ancestors of the Fudge and Hunter families have been traced back to the time
when they together with relatives and-neighbors organized a movement in Wurtemberg
District in Germany about-1740 to take passage on the good ship "Neptune" to cross the
Atlantic for the new country called America The high taxes in Germany assessed from
the f armers, and the denial by the-men in power of the right-to vote drove many of the
citizens to leave their-native land and-venture to-try life in the unknown country.
They packed-their frugal possessions and banded together as pioneers to found a new
life on the unknown shores. They were good farmers and in the new country there would
be plenty of room for each farmer. They could worship as they believed, and educate
their children as they saw fit, taxing themselves as their needs arose for their own
group.
This band of German pioneer farmers reached the shores of the Virginia Colony
about-1760 The new arrivals from Germany joined the members of the colonies in the
regionof Virginia for their own protection. George Washington was appointed commander of the whole, army in 1775.
D.A.R. records show that the father of Jacob and David Fudge served in the army under Washington f or 7 years. The Fudge home had been established in what was later named Rockingham County, Va. It was in the log cabin home that the two Fudge brothers were born, Jacob, Dec. 26, 1779, and David, Nov. 17, 1781.
The father, David Fudge came home from the war in 1782-. He died shortly afterward. The mother was left with the two babies to care for.
The county histories of Montgomery and Warren Co. Ohio give this data. In 1784 she married a neighbor whom she had known in Germany. He was Tetrarch Keesling. They continued on the farm until 1786 when they sold the place, and joined a group of emigrants, who, in covered wagons with all of their belongings therein, traveled by way Of Cumberland Gap in the mountains into the State of Kentucky. For several years they were there, some of the group on government land which they were allowed to hold by paying the taxes on it. Finally, most of them decided to move on into the Ohio region in 1793. They built rafts to ferry their wagons and cattle across the river and then treked on up the region in Warren Co. where Lebanon now stands. There the Keeslings bought government land, 500 acres, at $1.25 an acre. Another log cabin was easily built since the forest trees were being cleared away for the fields to be farmed.
In this home the Fudge boys grew to manhood. In 1799, the original farm was sold and another bought over near Springboro, Ohio. In a cemetery on that farm where they spent the rest of their lives, lie buried, Tetrarch and Elizabeth Fudge Keesling. Their monuments can be seen there.
The Fudge boys were given their father's inheritance when they became of age in 1804. They went on farther up along Twin Creek Valley and bought a large acreage of and. Jacob went to Cincinnati to get the deed. The business was transacted in the .stairs of a log cabin. The agent tried to persuade Jacob to buy land in the region of Cincinnati but he was satisfied with the site along Twin Creek even if there were till Indians to be dealt with. The settlers could buy corn from them with a few trinkets. David went back to Lebanon in 1804 and induced a neighbor and friend Elizaeth Hunter to become his bride and share the log cabin.
By that time Ohio had become a state. Jacob Fudge was elected the first sheriff of the county, although Preble Co. was not formed until 1808. Then Jacob married Elizabeth Potterf in 1810.
In was in 1812 that David and Elizabeth bought a farm up in Monroe Twp. Preble co. They still had a 500 acre farm and also the log cabin to begin with. There were four children in the David Fudge family by this time, three boys and one girl. The log cabin served its purpose and was followed by a substantial brick house which stood for many years. The family of David increased to 9 boys and 3 girls. Jacob's family reached 13; 10 girls and 3 boys. These became the ancestors of the Fudges in the region of Frrmersville, Gratis, Eaton, and in fact, scattered all over the U.S.,
Notify Administrator about this message?
Followups:
|
| http://genforum.genealogy.com/christman/messages/729.html | ||
 |
Link to GenForum Add Forum |
|