J. Polk Fancher
Green Forest,
Arkansas
March 26,
1903
To: W. S. Potter
I have you herewith
record of my grandfather Richard Fancher father James Fancher and my own family per your
request some time.
I get record of my
Grand Father and family from his old family Bible printed over a hundred years ago which I
now have. No doubt you have the correct idea as to the anger of the family. Father James
Fancher died in this Carroll Co, Ark June 8, 1866. He
left a short written crude statement of history of his Father Richard Fancher family and
his own family in his own hand which is poorly written and badly spelled because fathers
education was very limited. He failed to give or state his grandfathers given name. I
after heard him say that grand father Richard Fancher was born on Long Island, N. Y. and
was raised there and about the beginning of Revolutionary War with Great Britain that his
father and grandfather went to Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Army of the Revolution
for… Grand father had brothers and may had his father... In the same service and war.
I wrote to
ascertain the service of my grand father in said war to… and he wrote as follows,
“I have found Richard Fancher it may be Fansher among the militia rolls of
Philadelphia. The name is found among some
receipts for pay…My father always claimed that we were Huguenot French…
(Authors Note-The statement referred
to follows.)
(E-2956)
Statement of James
Fancher
Son of
Richard Fancher of Overton County, Tennessee
Living in
Arkansas
Written
1864-1866
James Fancher the
son of Richard Fancher and Sarah, his wife. My ancestry was French and Scotch. My father was raised on Long Island. He and my
grandfather moved from Long Island to Pennsylvania and lived there in the time of the
Revolutionary war. My father was in that war and after the war they moved to Virginia and
there father married my mother. She was raised in Spottsylvania County Virginia, her
maiden name was Jernagan. They moved to Stokes County, North Carolina where I was born in
the year of 1790. And in 1806 Father moved to
Overton County Tennessee and in the year of 1812 when the war broke out with Great Britain
and the United States I turned out as a volunteer. In
1814 I served a tour against the Creek Indians. I was in the Battle of Horseshoe and in
the year 1818 I married (Elizabeth Carlock) and in the year 1838 I immigrated to Carroll
County Arkansas and in the year 1842 I was elected to the legislature of that state.
On
the 11th day of January 1863, Jarnell Herns brigade camped on my farm-they burned about
6000 rails, took a good many horses and foraged on my grain-killed hogs, cattle and sheep
and other property, damaged me $2500 and on the last of March 1863, James Blunt command
came to my house on Sunday about one o'clock in the afternoon and robbed me. They went into every room and went upstairs and in
the garret loft and broke open every trunk and took On thmy money and they made their
headquarters at Carrollton, 8 miles from my house and they staid there 8 days and they
were at my house every day foraging. They
took my horses and cattle and hogs sheep geese poultry and everything that came in their
way and when they were going to leave they burned all of my dwelling houses and all of my
out houses and a large new frame house that we was selling goods in and burned my barns
and wheat fan and some grain and farming did, that is both brigades, at the least figers
22,500 dollars and I had to fly and leave to save my life and go to Texas.
Signed James
Fancher
(Authors note
- This is James4, Richard3,
David2, Richard1. His father Richard3 served in the
Eighth Regiment of VA during the Revolution. There has been no record found of this family
in PA.)
72
Letter
William H. Fancher
Danbury,
Connecticut
July 3, 1931
To: Frank T.
Fancher
West Palm Beach, Florida
Dear Mr. Fancher:
...Now about the
Revolutionary record; statement left by James, your grandfather’s brother...
I have upset the
tradition of the Long Island raising. Richard was born in Morris County, N. J. No early
Fanchers are noted on Long Island in any records. I have searched there, have had one of
the best genealogists on the job, and then Hon. Enoch L. Fancher, late Chief Justice of
the New York Supreme Court, told in 1897 that he had never been able to locate an early
Fancher on Long Island. The rest of James record I believe to be correct as I have found a
Benjamin was spelled Fincher near Philadelphia in the Rev. and Richard signed for pay...
(This
letter was in possession of Mrs. Florence McGaughey Fancher who was married to John Kenner
Fancher.)
(Author’s
note- W. H. Fancher’s records do not show any personal visits to Long Island. He only looked at published records in other
locations, or had a genealogist do so, as far as can be ascertained. Richard1 Fancher
was not born in Morris Co. NJ. His birth is estimated to be 1700 to 1705, he was in
Stamford, CT 1728 to 1736/7 and did not arrive in Morris Co. NJ until around 1741. His
son, Capt. Richard2, was not born in Morris Co., NJ either, his
baptismal record in Canaan Parish Church in Stamford, CT is 3 years after his birth in
1731, and 10 years before the family removed to NJ. Benjamin Fancher and the references to
Revolutionary War Service and to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are those of Benjamin
“Fincher” who descended from the Quaker family of Francis Fincher 1684 in PA,
and have no relationship to the Fancher family.)
73
NEXT - Attachment K - Letter of Raymond Weeks
PREVIOUS - Attachment I - Opening
Remarks At Fancher Reunion - 1905
TABLE OF CONTENTS