Compiled
by James Fishback, of Glasgow, Kentucky, with the assistance of Willis M.
Kemper, 41 Easst Fourth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Press
of the Republican, Glasgow, Kentucky
January
1st, 1912
In the present
German province of Westphalia, about 60 miles a little south-east of Cologne,
in the iron mining and manufacturing district of western Germany, lies the
little city of Stegen. It is on the river Steg and the modern city of about
25000 people, is built around a high hill crowned by an old castle once
belonging to the County of Nassan. About one mile north of Stegen, out of sight
behind a high hill called Fishbacker Burg, lies the little village of Truppock.
In the neighborhood are the villages of upper and lower Fishback.
There is no
church at Truppock, it belongs to the parish of Stegen.
From the
records of the “reformed church” which stands in the public square in Stegen,
it appears that in Truppock, on July 12, 1691, John Fishback was born.
His father’s
name was Philip Fishback and his mother’s was Elizabeth Heimback and they were
married May 30, 1683. Philip Fishback was born in March 1661, his father’s name
was Johannes, born Nov. 23, 1631, and the name of the latter’s father was also
Johannes.
In the fall of
1713, at the instigation of the Baronde Graffenreed, a colony was organized in
the neighborhood of Stegen to come to Virginia and develop the iron industry
inaugurated by Governor Spottswood. John Fishback, together with a Harmon
Fishback, supposed to be his brother, joined the colony. They spent the winter
of 1713-14 in England and reached Virginia in April 1714.
The colony then
contained twelve families, all belonging to the “reformed church” together with
their pastor, Henry Hager, and his family. They settled first at Germanna, soon
to be in Spottsylvania, now in the north-east corner of Orange county, on the
Rapidan river, but in five or six years the entire colony removed to what is
now Fauquier county, Va., about seven or eight miles south-east of Warrenton.
Here they entered a large tract of over 1800 acres on Licking Run, and called
the place Germantown, each man receiving about 150 acres.
From an
affidavit in the records of Spottsylvania county, it appears that John Fishback
“brought his wife Agnes with him.” She was a daughter of Parson Hager, and
after giving birth to four children died. John then married a women (sic) whose
first name was Mary, but whose family name cannot now be deciphered, although
it is apparently Daugherty.
John Fishback’s
will was probated in Prince William county, march 19, 1734. After the death of
his wife, he gave his home plantation to his son John Frederick; to his
daughter Anna Catharine, who married John rector and Elizabeth, who married
John Peter Kemper, he gave land in Germantown. To his son Henry he gave land in
Culpeper county. To his four sons by his second marriage, Jarman, John Jacob,
John Philip and Josiah, he left 1028 acres in upper Fauquier, near the plains
where many of their descendants still live.
Henry Fishback
soon died and under the English law of primogenture (sic) then in force in
Virginia, his land in Culpeper descended to his full brother John Frederick, to
the exclusion of his sisters and half brothers.
John Frederick
removed to these lands, at what is now Jeffersontown, built a log house, which
is still standing and called his place “Fleetwood” He died in September or Oct. 1782 and was no
doubt buried in the little cemetery adjoining the “Fleetwood” house where there
are still to be seen a number of graves, with only rough stones at the head and
foot, with no markings on them. His will is on record in Culpeper county. His
first wife was Ann Elizabeth Holtzclaw, his second Eve or Eva Martin.
Nine children
were born of these marriages. The eldest was John, born about 1745, died about
1827. On June 17, 1777 he married Alice Morgan of Fauquier. They lived on land,
part of which at least was given him by his father’s will, about one mile north
of Fleetwood, and hi is buried there. He was a magistrate for over 40 years,
and is always called “Squire John.”
There were five
daughters and one son, John, in this family, John being the second child; his
next youngest sister, Ann, married John Starks. John married Elizabeth Settle
and with the Starks went to what is now Allen county, Ky.,* (though this
did not become a separate county until 1815) to his son John, and half of his
land and one or two slaves in Allen county to his daughter Ann Stark. Two
copies of his will are found, one in the Settle family and on (sic) in the
Button family in Culpeper county, Va.
This land is
situated in what is now Allen county, Ky.
John Fishback,
of Warren county (now Allen) Dec. 15, 1804, purchased 820 acres of land, on
Difficult Creek, near Gainesville, Allen county, Ky., of Stephen Arnold for the
sum of 5 shillings, and W. V. Moorman, Justice of the Peace of Knox county,
Vincennes, Indiana, took the acknowledgement to said deed which is on record in
the office at Scottsville, in Deed Book “G” of Records. He also purchased a
tract of land from one Mr. Griffin in 1813 on Difficult Creek which is on
record at Bowling Green, Ky.
* John Poe married Agga Fishback 6 July 1808 Bond: William Poe in Culpeper County,
VA.
William G. Poe to Elizabeth Fishback 26 Feb 1825 Bond: Loflin Smoot in Culpeper County,
VA.
A Benjamin Poe (1749-1836) went from Wake County, NC to Allen County, KY. Benjamin claims in his Revolutionary War pension application to have been born in Culpeper County, VA.
The
(someone wrote in “three”) descendants of Anna Cathrine (sic), who m. John
Rector have been Governors of Arkansas, and William Mead Fishback makes four
descendants of the emigrant John Fishback, who have been governors of Arkansas.
This is
the genealogy of John Fishback’s family, who was born in Culpeper county,
Virginia, and moved to what was then a part of Warren county, but now Allen
county, Ky., about 1802; compiled by James Fishback, with the assistance of
Willis M. Kemper, of 41 East 4th St., Cincinnati, O., who has spent
years in compiling the genealogy of the emigrant John Fishback’s descendants. I
am under many obligations to him for the history of the family which he kindly
furnished, and hitching this branch on to the family tree, which had strayed
off and lost track of.
The name
Fishback was originally spelled Fischbach.