• General Notes

   The Gee families of South-Central Kentucky descend from
  the brothers Jesse and James Gee. Jesse and familily
  traveled from Lunenburg Co in southern Virginia to Madison
  Co, KY, in 1795-96. From there they came to the Barren-
  Cumberland Co region a year later. Jesse's descendants for
  the most part lived in Barren and Metcalfe counties. Jesse's
  brother James followed him to Kentucky from Lunenburg Co in
  1801 and his descendants are the Monroe Co Gees.
  
  When Jesse Gee and party made the trip from Virginia to
  Kentucky in 1795, his oldest son, John Sanford Gee, was
  about 18 years old. Some years later, John Sanford Gee,
  recorded in a journal his recollections of the journey.
  A transcription of these notes was published in the Glasgow
  newspaper in 1945. The transcription is quoted below.
  
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  Recollections of John Sanford Gee:
  
  "I was bred and born in the state of Virginia and County
  of Lunenburg (on the 10th day of Jany 1777) I was born. On
  the 28th day of Oct 1795, I left Virginia and started to
  Kentucky in Company with 3 families (Viz) Mr John Dixon's,
  Curtis Handy's and my Fathers, we traveled on very well till
  we came to the Allegany Mountains, which was the 18th day of
  November following, the weather and roads being so bad we
  made a conclusion to leave our wagons and pack what plunder
  we had over the Mountains to the river (Monongalale) and
  left in care of Mr John Hagan some that were sick, with the
  wagons, etc., and accordingly on the 22nd day of Dec ensuing
  we all got to the River (except one of Mr Dixon's little
  negroes which died at said Hagans.) The river being so cold
  and the weather so cold we concluded to stay here until
  early in the spring, and in the course of the winter my
  Father had a little negro die. We made between four and five
  hundred pounds weight of sugar. On the 18th day of March
  1796 we set sail down the river and landed at one Mr Brooks'
  just above Limestone on the bank of the Ohio river in
  Kentucky on the 30th of said month (March), Thomas Hardy,
  son of Curtis Hardy died at this place. Thence we went on to
  Madison county. We landed or got there on the 6th day of
  April ensuing and rented a plantation of Mr Phillip Turner
  and made a crop in Madison county."
  
  "1798 on the first day of Feby I started to Green county
  and made a crop on Head right Tract of land of my fathers on
  Glovers Creek waters of Big Barren River, I bought 200 acres
  of land on the East Fork, of said Barren River (head right
  also) and on June following I returned to my fathers in
  Madison, and on Tuesday the 10th day of July ensuing I was
  married to Susaneh Tuder. Thence I moved on the 27th day of
  Sept to my crop on Glovers Creek thence to my place on the
  East fork on the 22nd day of Jany 1799. Thence to Cumberland
  on a plantation of my Fathers the 14th day of Feby 1800. I
  bought me a plce in said County of Cumberland and mov'd to
  it in Oct ensuing. Thence to Barren County the 20th day of
  Nov 1805."
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  From John S Gee's narrative, one would conclude that they
  left Lunenburg Co in southern Virginia, went north to
  perhaps the Front Royal area and then crossed the mountains
  to the Monangahela River south of Pittsburg, where they
  wintered and gathered sugar from the Maples(or whatever the
  source of sap is in that area). Then they floated down the
  river to where it joins the Ohio, then down the Ohio to
  northern Kentucky. John Gee says they left the river just
  upstream from a place he called Limestone. Limestone is the
  name by which present day Maysville, KY was known. There was
  a major buffalo trail that led from Limestone (Maysville)
  south and west to near present day Lexington where it
  forked. One fork went south and east to near Richmond in
  Madison Co, KY. The trail from Limestone was a heavily
  traveled route to the interior of Kentucky.
  
  In Madison Co, Jesse Gee encountered the family of Henry
  Tudor, who had come there from Granville Co, NC, about 1790.
  Several marriages occurred between these families and both
  families moved on to the Barren-Cumberland counties area
  around 1797-98. Jesse settled on the west side of the
  Cumberland River in that part of Cumberland Co that would
  become Monroe Co in 1820. He was joined there by his
  brother James around 1801.
  
  Jesse's wife, Elizabeth Sanford Gee, died in 1804 and in
  1808 Jesse married William Anna (aka Willana) Crow, the
  widow of John Crow. It is known that John Crow was in
  Barren Co at least as early as 1798. He died in 1804. It is
  very probable that this is the John Crow who married a
  Willana Phipps in 1787 in Botetourt Co, VA. This has not
  been proved beyond a doubt, but is presently accepted as
  fact in this database.

Details of Jesse's family with Elizabeth Sanford