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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; pronounced Fishba.
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