Genealogy of the John Fishback Family of Culpeper County, Virginia

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.