Jesse Gee

• Birth Notes
  • B: Abt. 1758

• 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."
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    
    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.

Click here for details of Jesse's family with Elizabeth Sanford

¹ http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dougmoore&id=I16921

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