JACOB POLSGROVE PUZZLE
?5-20-00
The Jacob Polsgrove Puzzle:
Much consternation and confusion has abounded by the repetitious use of this name in the
Polsgrove chronicles.This became especially troublesome after 1910 when a Kentucky
Polsgrove received a letter from a Polsgrove in Virginia (Charles B.) purporting to tell the
Kentucky branch that their ancestor was George-2.He claimed that his grandfather was Jacob
Polsgrove, b. 1777 in PA..The only Jacob b. 1777 in PA was a son of George-2 (George-1).He
acknowledged this, but then proceeded to tell his KY cousin that he, also, was a descendant of
this Jacob, b. 1777.This Jacob had a brother,George,who also had a son Jacob b. 1803.This
lets him out.I will now digress somewhat and then come back to the issue.
A Jacob Polsgrove died in PA, later in the year of 1777. The only candidate for this would have
been the Jacob, son of Barbara Pfalzgraf (born out of wedlock).This is assuming that Jacob, b.
1777, survived.It also cannot be Jacob, b. 1748, because he was the only one of the three
known Jacobs who would have been old enough to serve in the RW militia in 1781.Someone
born in 1769 might have been old enough, barely, if they were taking 12 yearolds.
This also is substantial circumstantial evidence to establish that it was Jacob, b. 1748, who was
the RW militiaman of record.
The brothers, Henry and George, who settled in KY each had a son named Jacob.This lets them
out. And then there are no other candidates for the Jacob from PA who took his family to VA,
and then to KY between 1784 and 1810, except Jacob, b. 1748.
Now the problem was and is that this letter was held in such esteem that no one was searching
out its accuracy.But when one reads the letter, he will discover that Charles B. was in no way
certain that his assumption was the correct one.Consequently JACOB, 1748-1809+/-, became
the forgotten man of the Pfalzgraf/Polsgrove lineage.
Jacob was a son and heir of George the immigrant, a citizen and tax-payer, a Revolutionary War
militiaman, a migrant to Virginia (later became W. Va.), and again to Kentucky, Scott co, then
Pendleton co., where he died leaving a large family.He never got to Franklin Co., KY, himself.
The very first Polsgrove there was, in fact, George, Jacob’s youngest son, who was there before
1820.
Some of this will probably disturb some of my cousins, but if you can find other proofs to the
contrary greater than what I have presented here, I welcome you to bring them forth and set the
record straight.
This article was compiled from data, but presented without citations, to stimulate discussion and
further investigation, by John Bristol: George Polsgrove, Jacob, Henry, George, Thomas, Cora
m. Henry Parrent, Edith m. Frank Bristol, then Myself, John.