BIOGRAPHIES: VALLANDINGHAM, George, Rev. War veteran Submitted by: Dick Vallandingham [SMTP:vjournal@hargray.com] "Some Genealogical Notes on the Vallandingham, Crim and Frier Families of Kentucky A paper submitted in connection with the marking of the grave of a Revolutionary War Veteran, George Vallandingham, by the Bland Ballard Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. With Kentucky veterans of the past four wars taking the publicity spotlight in recent stories it may be well to look back a great many years earlier to the events and times of a Kentuckian who served in the Revolutionary War. George Vallandingham served his and our newly created nation well, joined the advance guard of the great westward trek and was among the earliest settlers in the new and virgin District of Kentucky. George Vallandingham died in 1835 and is buried in the churchyard of the old Drennen Ridge Baptist Church, now the Franklinton Baptist Church, Franklinton (Henry County), Kentucky. The descendants of this Revolutionary War veteran now number in the hundreds and are scattered throughout the United States; a great many descendants are located today in Central and Northern Kentucky. George Vallandingham was born September 12, 1761 in Loudoun County, Virginia1, the son of Richard and Nelly Vallandingham.2 According to the veteran's sworn statement3 made in 1832, he entered the service as a militiamen in a Loudoun County company commanded by Captain William Beavers around the first of May, 1781. This company was marched to Richmond, Virginia where they joined the Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel Merriwether (a part of General "Mad Anthony" Wayne's Army which at this time was sent to aid Lafayette in his efforts against Lord Cornwallis). The veteran stated that his company was forced to retreat from near Richmond to the Rapidan River where General Wayne engaged the British as a beginning of the Jamestown or James River campaign. Richard Vallandingham, father of George, with his wife and all but two of his children moved to Virginia's newly created back country District of Kentucky in 1783, settling on Boone's Creek in what was to become Fayette County. The will and estate settlement4 of this old patriarch filed in 1816 in Fayette County lists his children and has provided descendants down through the years with an exact family record. Richard Vallandingham named the following children: (1) James; (2) Nancy, who married Henry Wigenton; (3) Mary, wife of Alexander Evans; (4) George; (5) William; (6) John; (7) Jane, who married Robert Muir; (8) Malinda, wife of William Martin; (9) Catherine, late wife of Jesse Moore; (10) Hugh; (11) Rebecca, wife of Porterfield John [editor - Tolin]; (12) Richard; and (13) Asa. During the next few years, Fayette records indicate the movements of the children as they sold their lands to move further westward and to the north. George Vallandingham was married to Margaret Frier, daughter of Robert and Jane Frier. The Friers, too, were among the earliest settlers of the bluegrass country; Robert Frier being listed among the elders of Marble Creek Baptist Church in Fayette County, later as sheriff 5 of the county and as one of the Fayette delegates to Kentucky's first Constitutional Convention held in Danville in 1789. Robert Frier's signature appears on Kentucky's first Constitution formally approved in 1792. A close relationship between the Crim and Vallandingham families began early in the 1800's in Fayette County. Among George and Margaret Frier Vallandingham's children were two daughters, Perthenia and Eliza. James Crim married Perthenia in Fayette County January 15, 1814 and Joel Crim married the second daughter, Eliza, March 1, 1822. The Crim land was in the close neighborhood of the Vallandingham's on Boone's Creek at the Headwaters of Hickman Creek.6 James Crim, born May 1792 was one of eleven children of Joseph and Delila Crim.7 Joseph Crim, a Revolutionary War veteran,8 had purchased land from John Hawkins Craig and had settled in Fayette County as early as June 1797.9 Among the five holders to treasury notes dated 20 March 1793 entitling the owners to 4980 acres of land "on both sides and near the mouth of Big Licking River" was also James Crim. This land would apparently embrace the major parts of the present cities of Covington and Newport in Northern Kentucky. These treasury notes were sold for the grand total of $100 to James Taylor in 1810.10 Joseph Crim's will 11, filed in 1818 names his children as (1) Jemima, (2) Elias, (3) Fielding, (4) William, (5) Joel, (6) Peter, (7) James, (8) Martin, (9) John, (10) Lewis, and (11) Benjamin Y. James and Perthenia (Vallandingham) Crim purchased a small tract of land on Boone's Creek in the near neighborhood of both families in September 1823.12 The tract was sold in 182613 and the young couple and their children moved to Henry County, Kentucky, locating "on the waters of Drennen Creek" near the present village of Franklinton. Perthenia Vallandingham Crim's parents, George and Margaret Frier Vallandingham, now in their advanced years, sold their property in Fayette County in February 183114 and came to make their home with their daughter and son-in-law in Henry County. Later in this same year, 1831, Margaret died and was laid to rest in the cemetery at the side of Drennen Ridge (now Franklinton) Baptist Church. She was to be followed in death in 1835 by her husband, George Vallandingham, the old Revolutionary War veteran, who was buried beside his wife in this pioneer cemetery of Henry County. James Crim died at the age of 43 and within a few weeks of his father-in-law in 1835 and he too was buried in this same cemetery beside George Vallandingham. Nine years later James Crim's young widow married Garland Cox15 and moved to the neighborhood of Vance (Henry County), Kentucky where she died in 1861. An account of the estate settlement of James Crim appears in Fayette County records16 inasmuch as his mother, Delila Crim, was still living and had retained dower interest in Fayette County properties. The settlement lists children of James and Perthenia (Vallandingham) Crim as:(1) Margaret, wife of Joseph Elston; (2) Joannah, wife of John Young; (3) Amanda, wife of John M. Batts; (4) Georgina, wife of James Chadwell and (5) James, Jr. Many of these family names are still to be found in Henry, Shelby and Carroll counties. James Crim, youngest child and only son of James Crim, Sr. was born 6 August 1823 and on 24 February, 1846 married Louisa Johnston, youngest daughter of James Johnston.17 James and Louisa (Johnston) Crim's family is listed as follows: Perthenia Crim b. 7/15/1847 m. Jesse B. Fewell d. 9/1/1931 James Crim b. 11/8/1849 m. Mildred Tingle d. 4/22/1879 Elizabeth Crim b. Sept 1853 unmarried d. 2/5/1933 Martha Ann Crim b. 11/13/1855 m. William Fewell d. 4/15/1928 John Maynard Crim b. 12/13/1857 m. Sallie Tingle d. 3/17/1934 William Preston Crim b. 5/26/1860 m. Frances N. Willett d. 4/28/1941 Isaac (Pike) Crim b. 7/28/1862 m. Reecie Willett d. 5/5/1954" ************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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